Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Humans.
THE PRAYING LADY by TERRI MCCORMICK
Willa Salinger took a long drag off her cigarette, feeling the smoke flow into her eagerly waiting lungs. Holding the half-inhaled dart between her fingers, she appreciated having something to do with her hands again. She'd quit for eight days, and in that time, she'd bitten the thumbnail on her right hand down to the quick, making it sore and bloody like a severed stump. But now, as she leaned outside Cecil’s in the greyness of mid-morning in the lull between the breakfast and lunch rushes, she didn’t notice the annoying pain of her chewed thumb. Even the ever-present ache in her chest was starting to subside.
Terri McCormickPublished 3 years ago in HumansLove & All Things That Hurt
Have you ever had open heart surgery without anestetia? Maybe not. Have you ever had to systematically force yourself to fall out of love without someone that you thought was the answer to all of your lonely questions? Same difference.
Maria RosePublished 3 years ago in HumansWith Love Always
Alyssa, When we first met, I didn’t realize you would become my best friend and confidante. You were standing there outside the dorms, handing out flyers for Lucy Gray’s candle light vigil, and the way you talked to each and every person made me think, “Wow, I wish I were that friendly.” At first it was a passing thought, some stray thought that I didn’t think would come back to be relevant to me later. When you got to me, I just grabbed hold of one of the yellow papers, expecting to crumple it and throw it away when I got up to my room. But something in your eyes made me pause. Your dark eyes accused me, as if you could unravel every single thought I was thinking.
Jillian SpiridonPublished 3 years ago in HumansLife’s Storms
This story is not a sad story, though at times it may seem to be. It is real and is the story of a young lady who faced the fiercest, most awful storm of her life. At times it seemed the storm would never end and would consume her slowly until the end of her days.
Dale AustinPublished 3 years ago in HumansDo I Hear You?
In our neighborhood, we have a conflict brewing between a social agency and the community. The agency director said," It is incredible how many times we can say the same thing, and we still aren't understood." Members of the community suggest that the recent illegal activities and a rash of interpersonal conflicts are because the agency isn't listening to their concerns. This is a sad state, and I am sure both sides feel frustrated and blame each other. Blame creates distance, and distance makes compromise impossible. We need ways to bring people into proximity, give them permission and space to be heard, and listen with generosity.
Bob McInnisPublished 3 years ago in HumansBlackest Sheep
Three stood in photos that have crossed the feed of the past. Blank in the meaning of a missing figure standing in a line with the rest. Each picture plays a part in the way that a life is played out, left out and unwanted. Three supporting the others while looking down on the rest, or speaking behind their back.
Alexandrea JustinePublished 3 years ago in HumansSo, about that contest…
20k? Nice number. Strong. When I saw the check I just stared at it for a long time. I never thought, when I turned this in at the 11th hour, little black book in hand…that it would be selected. Sitting here, typing out this proverbial Hail Mary pass whilst entertaining the company of an intriguing prospect, while simultaneously extinguishing the yearning flame of another prospect. She was long tenured, and indeed seemed like someone worthy of a permanent fixture on my mantle. Tragic, then, that she would take her position for granted time and time again. Her loss, ultimately. Much too late for you to cry, said the esteemed Marvin Gaye, with his legendary ass. Little black book, you seem a product of another time, actual physical property for me to scribble in, scratch out or write over, tear out and ball up in embarrassment only to just narrowly miss in my bedroom trash can with a hoop that is certainly not regulation size. I’m watching You, the Netflix sizzler that every woman your age knows, and every child with Netflix access (including your own, somewhat disturbingly) has seen. It’s decent. That’s neither here nor there, they aren’t paying you for this check winning publicity. White people shit. Too bad this is being written right after then end of black history month. Though, nobody really cares about it but us, my darling little black holder of secrets. By secrets I mean mostly complaints with a dab of introspection. Tiny dab. Yo. This is the third time I’ve tried to write this story to make it regulation length and the server is crashing or something and my changes are not being saved. Please make some kind of feature that saves changes automatically after a brief period of time. It’s very frustrating to try and make this happen in a manner that’ll make the powers that be pleased, only to see it deleted randomly. My willpower has been drained to almost nothing, and this experience is adding to my recent stress which is just….through the roof right now. Little black book admittedly if I wasn’t writing in you right now I might fling you across the room at blazing speeds. Is twenty thousand dollars worth this stress? Remains to be seen after I take the check to cash it. Actually, I forgot that it’s going to be deposited automatically in some third party thing. Forgot what it was called but that’s a moot point now. Man, I’m so mad! I think I was really hitting a groove. Trying to grasp what I was writing about immediately before this. I think I mentioned something about Hollywood whitewashing foreign language classics, and wondering why since they so rarely work out. Train to Busan is what sparked that rabbit hole exploration. Then I spoke about The Departed being maybe the only good one. Definitely the only one I could think of off the top. Speaking of off the top, I’m watching these battle raps on YouTube. Amazing stuff. These cats are definitely superhuman esque. Couldn’t be me. I would be so salty any time anyone said anything about my family or myself. Too thin skinned for that shit. Hats off to them though. Ah yea made me think of 8 Mile after that, and the fire ass soundtrack that accompanied it being something like a phenomenon. Oh yes! LL Cool J. Any Given Sunday. This is some kind of fucked up backwards-ass version of six degrees of Kevin Bacon. I think that’s the name of that game. Anyway, piecing this lost thought process together is annoying. But that makes me think
Filip LizannaPublished 3 years ago in HumansSingles in Connecticut Are Finding Love With CT Matchmakers
It seems like more and more singles in Connecticut are ditching online dating sites and are now turning to professional matchmakers in CT on the search for love. The problem with dating sites, is that the rely on computer algorithms to help their users find love and algorithms don’t always work. Frustrated with the results from online dating, singles are now seeing success in their dating lives with help from professional matchmakers.
TrendingModelsPublished 3 years ago in HumansIn a Warrior's Determination
New adventurers come and go through here all the time, failure is unfortunately common, and some don’t even make it past their first year. Patronage at any Guild across the country would guarantee decent positions at the end of a usual contract. The issue, however, is managing to make a living in the meantime. Most will take on as many quests as they can to get the gold they need, others get the interests of high officials and become sponsored as a result, then there is me Ordin Aryman. If you’re like me, you’ll do what you can to get by, but every year comes an opportunity to make a bit more.
Jason MedinaPublished 3 years ago in Humans3 must-have stabilizers for your journey through to the end of a global pandemic and beyond
Covid-19, PPE, and R number are terms much like ‘self-isolate’ and ‘social distancing’ that I’ve heard enough of, although there is no suggestion here to throw caution to the wind. The repetition of such expressions for months on end has impacted us all.
The Dani WriterPublished 3 years ago in HumansTransgender Biology
Debates continue to rage within and without the LGBTQ community whether the concept of gender identity even exists as something separate from our biological sex. If it does, then transgender and nonbinary people are valid and not merely mentally ill. Yet, any scientific studies into whether there is a biological component behind being born transgender worries many people within the transgender community.
Grayson BellPublished 3 years ago in HumansDREAMS
I keep having dreams about her. Every night I see the same girl, the one I fell in love with in a time that feels far away now. We met in a pure place in which both of us expected to absolutely resent. A summer camp, during the summer before seventh grade. We fell in love with the chaos of each other and created a bond that was unlike anything we had ever experienced in our short lives. We lived three states away from each other but somehow the universe brought us both to the same summer camp during the same summer that we both needed someone. It felt like fate. But it did not last long.
Isabelle IrwinPublished 3 years ago in Humans