Top Stories
Stories in Humans that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
The Eight Types Of Anti-Maskers You'll Meet
Whatever your stance on masks, it’s likely that if you work with the public, you know the pain that comes with asking someone to wear a mask. Most of the people you ask are willing to wear one, but every so often you come across someone who refuses. Usually, the person who refuses will give you an excuse for doing so. These excuses range from believable to laughable, and a small portion of them are just plain rude. Here are the top excuses I’ve heard people say when being asked to wear a mask.
Peyton RichardsPublished 20 minutes ago in HumansBaby on Fire
I wasn't supposed to be in his office. Not now—not ever. That was the command. His command. First, it started with the office, now the basement. Soon it'd be the dining room, the guest bedroom—our bedroom, even. Nothing could shock me too much anymore, but let's just stay I was starting to grow impatient.
Lexie RobbinsPublished 2 days ago in Humans
Lagniappe
Charles Wheatley pushes through the gas station doors for the one-hundred and thirty-first time this year. For five days a week he stops on his way home from work, legs exhausted, smelling like raw meat, to buy one Sprite and one lottery ticket. He doesn’t tell anyone, even his wife. To them, the lottery is a loser’s game, but he always wins. Perhaps he loses a few real dollars, but he gains so much potential. That’s what keeps him alive.
Noah ThomasPublished 3 days ago in Humans
Cubiclization of relationships amidst advancements in communicational technologies
As humans, we have an undeniable need - no, dare I say a necessity to share experience. The ways this has been done, ranging from word of mouth, to writing, post, electronic communication, have, in the course of their development accelerated the speed at which this representing of our stories to each other take place. And perhaps, via this mechanism, ushered in forms which may not have been studied formally such as literature or cinema.
Missing You
She opened the journal. It had been her mother’s. The black leathery exterior felt soft, almost feathery in her hands - the paper pages aged. Her mother had specifically willed the journal to her; the two had been close, but they had fallen out of contact shortly before her mother had passed.
Jamie RohrerPublished 7 days ago in HumansFirewood
Firewood When Joseph opened his mouth it made a strange crackling sound, as if parts of his tongue were cracking. The wood stove had been left on overnight, and now the house was an almost uninhabitable desert, the corners of his eyes and crevices of his skin all bone dry and aching. He glanced at the end table beside his recliner and saw a large, very old, glass of water. Small white particles floated near the bottom of the glass. He couldn’t wait; it would have to do. He slowly leaned as far as he could to the side, aiming his mouth for the large metal straw resting against the side of the cup. Joseph realized that his urostomy bag was full to the point of bursting, an uncomfortable sensation as he leaned over. Still, he needed the drink. When his lips met the straw he sucked and the sudden moisture at the back of his throat made him cough.
Ashley WutkePublished 8 days ago in Humans
The Secrets We Keep
How did I get myself here? I asked myself as I snuck into my girlfriend’s home office, with the key to the locked drawer clutched in my sweaty palm. Opening the drawer, I took note of how the contents were arranged, to ensure that I would return them to their original state, after sifting through it.
For my Louisa
The hell are you hoping to find out there anyway? The ranger’s words ring in my ears. Not accusatory, more a suggestion of concern. Few come out into this dusty scrubland by choice unless they have a good reason.
He Was Everything
Ben wanted so badly to kiss his best friend. His best friend since elementary school. The guy who stopped him from going off the rails with other kids, and helped him consistently with his hot headed self righteousness... who got him to see things in a grounded, level and down to earth kind of way.
Melissa IngoldsbyPublished 9 days ago in Humans
A Village Affair
She wasn’t what he’d expected. Sarah could see that straight off, from the way his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly before he smiled and opened the door wider.
Kate HewittPublished 10 days ago in Humans
You little punk!
“Uggh!” My head is pounding and all I can see is blinding light through my crusty eye lids as I lay like dirty laundry on the couch. Why did I drink so much last night? Oh, now I remember. It’s because I lost my job at the book binding factory. And my girlfriend of two years left me when she discovered we only had our love of sex in common during quarantine. It’s too bad because she was dynamite in the sack. And worthy of going on this bender to honor the loss of her. Even though it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.
Yona VaughanPublished 12 days ago in HumansI Took A Gap Year In My Marriage
A gap year is typically used to describe the year high school students take to find themselves. During that time, they work or travel in an effort not only to discover themselves but to figure out what they want to do with their lives. But when we inadvertently applied that same logic to our marriage, it brought us back from almost getting divorced.
Michelle ElizabethPublished 15 days ago in Humans
