Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Humans.
Adieu
Boiled leather. Hot Glue. Fresh paper. Ink. Cloth. These were the smells that accompanied my birth. Pressed into existence by the steel slats of a mindless machine, I rode out on the conveyor belt beneath rows of swinging, flickering, white factory lights beside hundreds of my brothers and sisters. We had no idea where we were, who we were, or where we were headed. All we could hear were the rumblings and ramblings of the massive humans, the clamp-click of machines, and the soft whirring of the fans above like metal suns.
The Art Prize
Taylor stared at the girl in the pond. Ensnared by her haunted expression. Mesmerised by the way the water pulled the fabric of her dress taut against her stomach like fingers tearing her down and pushing her under. The girl was caught unawares. The shock of her imminent death rippling over her face beneath rivulets of clear gesso that trapped her beneath the glossy surface of the canvas.
Elizabeth KellyPublished 3 years ago in HumansToo Many Notebooks
“Is there anything you want me to get for you?” Raj asks me, as I pull up the handle of his carry-on and give him a kiss. “Some new perfume, I’m almost out. I’ll send you a picture of it.” He is hesitant to go, I can feel it.
Jill Landis JhaPublished 3 years ago in HumansunBroken
“Do you really think you can fool me?” Queried Sarah, before giggling and proceeding “You’re funny!” She says as she’s laying down the hair products and supplies they just bought, on the couch. “I know everything about you and I know especially when you’re not being truthful. I know you Eva, I’m your sister, we came outta the same p*ssy I’ve known you your entire life so don’t even try to bullshit me. Do you really think that I don’t notice all the new bruises? You think I don’t see how you flinch every time he reaches for something? Eva! Wake up, this is abuse, you’re being manipulated. You don’t see all the pain he has caused you already what more do you want from him?”
Hadaya SamatarPublished 3 years ago in HumansAdam Helps, and Heals
It has been 4 months since Adam won $20,000 in the writing contest. He immediately gave it away. He’s delighted by the idea of funding dreams, and has started “Community Camaraderie Cures” (CCC) to funnel money through. It was his dad’s idea to make it a non-profit, and the family attorney set it up.
@choosethesmilesPublished 3 years ago in HumansMira Mira
What is the price of a future? How much does it cost to purchase one of your own? This was a question I didn’t learn to ask until I was fourteen, but it was one my mother had lived with for the majority of her life.
Mary MartinezPublished 3 years ago in HumansMisplaced
It had been three weeks since he had unknowingly awoken the notebook. It sat untarnished, nestled just behind the brass clasp of his rucksack.
Saffron NewtonPublished 3 years ago in HumansFifty-Year-Old Apples
Suited up in their usual spiel of black and white, carrying these trays and cups to and from, they encircle us. We are ensnared in a prison of a most eccentric design. The hours and minutes may pass freely, that granted, the scenery outside changing and the roads convulsing... Pushing its citizens out of view, anywhere and anytime. Yet these waiters and chefs remain, serving and observing habits as to increase their service quality (customers never move, but are stationary objects; and from the views of chefs behind metal structures they resemble bills).
Hayden HartmanPublished 3 years ago in HumansNadia's Little Black Book
Sunlight poured into the grimy, frosted over El windows, falling in neat lines across the floor and the laps of passengers. One such ray of light gently came to settle squarely on the upper body of a tall young woman, illuminating the reddish highlights in her luxurious auburn locks. She looked up, irritated, but there was no one to rebut her anger but the sun itself, and she’d long since given up on chasing pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Her long, slender fingers were clenched rather tensely around a little black leather notebook; its edges frayed and spine battered. The woman’s name was Nadia, and her life would prove to be more interesting than most.
Brynn SailingPublished 3 years ago in HumansThe Chance Encounter
And then there she was, older, still elegant, and more beautiful than ever. The wild lightness of his youth returned accompanied with an unfamiliar confidence. Excitedly and without hesitation he approached. Guided by an overpowering impulse he had said 'hello' before he knew what he was doing. If he had thought about it he probably would have fearfully admonished himself for being so eager, but there was no time for that and to his surprise he was handling the situation incredibly well, comfortably engaged and in control, simultaneously feeling more like himself than he had ever known and like someone else completely.
Michael SimsPublished 3 years ago in HumansLittle Black Book
A doorbell rings, catching the man's attention. He gets up from his seat and slowly makes his way to the door. He opens it to be greeted by a smiling man in a white suit holding a big check, with several witnesses and a cameraman in tow. "Moe Kinsel," the suited man asks. Moe looks at everyone for a moment, in confusion, before answering, "yes." The man in the white suit declares, "Congratulations Mr. Kinsel! You have been awarded $20,ooo for your story." Moe, increasingly confused, "what? I don't..." The white suited man cuts him off and leans in, "take it, so we can get going." He gives Moe the check by one end and holds the other, as he smiles for a picture, with Moe completely dumbstruck. The people begin to leave as Moe calls out to them, struggling to find his wording, "wait, I.. I." The man in white waves, "see you later, Moe."
Adam FrancoPublished 3 years ago in HumansIndoor dining, what is that?
Two days ago, I had the occasion to step into a local restaurant where they had just opened it up for indoor dining two weeks ago. What I thought would be a 5-minute coffee run turned into a two-hour solo excursion where I gleefully enjoyed the freedom of indoor dining (I haven't enjoyed indoor dining since October 2020), the sparse number of customers due to the quarantine that has been in place since the Coronovirus epidemic began about a year ago in March 2020 and an indoor fireplace surrounded by blue, indigo and onyx-hued rocks that created a very aesthetically-pleasing feeling and ambiance. It had been lit to perhaps ward off the coldness of the snowstorm which hit the Chicago area two weeks ago (See previous poem on "Winter's Curtain").