Top Stories
New stories you'll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
Tox. Top Story - September 2024.
Caitlyn cared deeply about the Earth and nature. As she grew up, she watched as one of her favourite swimming holes become toxic from the runoff of the nearby mill. It was the motivation for her to study chemistry in university so that she could find better ways for humans to get rid of waste through the use of chemical reactions to remove the unnatural chemical combinations that nature could not deal with.
By Dwayne Chapman2 years ago in Fiction
Thoughts and Confessions From A Single Person. Top Story - September 2024.
When I sat down to write this personal piece about me, I was hesitant and unsure of how I wanted to let my thoughts out. Hesitant because sharing such thoughts would undoubtedly give me a sense of vulnerability.
By Jasmine Aguilar2 years ago in Humans
A body on the bridge . Top Story - September 2024. Content Warning.
Lexi chose to come to the bridge where the body parts were found. Her coming was not connected to that poor soul, neither was she concerned about who did it and why. She was tired of her life and all the expectations that hung over her head.
By Caitlin Charlton2 years ago in Fiction
Seen. Top Story - September 2024.
I was sitting there on the step, and she drove up in a big, dusty, red truck. I was surprised when she stepped down and walked right toward me, without even a little hesitation. She didn't look away like most folks -- not even the "look-away" thing they do like they are checking their purse or pocket, or like they see something in the other direction. No, she looked right at me, and smiled, saying "Hello!" like I was someone she knew.
By Leslie Staven2 years ago in Psyche
Keeping the Ticket. Top Story - September 2024.
With the ticket in my hand, it felt like a diamond album. He had given it to me. Just right there with his medium brown hand into mine. I knew this was his only ticket and that he wouldn’t be able to go to Firefly. Just to grasp the ticket made me remember him forever. This was 2013. The festival would rise and swell with the rhythms and vibrations of the various bands and performers.
By Skyler Saunders2 years ago in Psyche
My 300th Story. Top Story - September 2024.
Wow...My 300th story. I cannot believe that I have been writing on Vocal for almost four years now. The amount of growth that I have gone through as a person since I first started writing on this platform is insane to me. I don't resonate with a lot of my writing anymore as I am not the same person that I was back then when I first started publishing online. I joined Vocal for the challenges, and yes I may never win one, but I am still very proud of myself for trying anyways.
By Chloe Unfiltered2 years ago in Journal
Chicken Or The Egg. Top Story - September 2024.
In the sixth month of pregnancy, my OBGYN sent me for x-rays, and then for a CT scan of my lungs. Never being a smoker or drug user, I was shocked when he told me that I had fourth-stage lung cancer. He sent me home with instructions to prepare my husband to raise our child alone and an Oncology specialist's card.
By Tina D'Angelo2 years ago in Fiction
The Journey. Top Story - September 2024.
I had a long week at work. I just started a new job, and was surrounded by new faces. This company had their cliques, and I definitely didn't feel like I fit into any of them. I had just left a two year long amazing relationship. Well year and half long, the last six months not so much. I really thought he might be the one this time, he was so different from the rest. Fucking drugs got in the way. Not to mention the stress of just losing the motor in my car, which I had just bought from a used lot about 4 months before. I was proud, because it was the first car I had actually got on my own. Didn't last long though, was warned too late it was a shady dealership. I had just tripled my rent by moving out of my ex's, and of course, chose those wrong insurance plan. So I was screwed. So onto the bus I went. I hated it, getting up two hours earlier just to make it to work on time, and getting home two hours later just to go to bed, wake up, and repeat. I became bitter and resentful toward life. I felt like I got the short end of the stick. It was the last day of work that week, I was exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I didn't know if I could take it. “Maybe I should just relapse too…” I thought. At least I could feel numb inside instead of just dead. I was sitting on the Trax when that thought crossed my mind, headphones blasting, trying to tune out the rest of the world. That's when she got on, and came and sat across from me. She had short shoulder length brown hair, it was dirty and ratted. She was wearing a torn sundress, I believe it was sky blue. One strap falling off her shoulder. Held securely between both hands was a small plastic cup, the kind you get from a gas station. And in it was a single daisy. I looked down at her feet, she was wearing two different shoes, both obviously way too small. So small she had to push the backs down just for them to fit. I noticed the people around me glaring at her with disgust. And suddenly I felt a part of me start to judge her too for how she looked, and I wanted to criticize her for not taking better care of herself. But before I could I just happened to look up and glance at her face, and it shook me inside. There she was, clearly homeless and un-showered. Mismatched shoes, and a yard picked flower in a cheap plastic cup. What hit me though was her smile. She looked content, dare I say at peace… It would have been more gentle had she used her own palm to slap me in the face. What the fuck was I on about? Was I really being so sorry for myself that I forgot what it feels like to really struggle? Had I become so full of myself and what I was building, that when I lost it all I became bitter , instead of having gratitude for what I did still have? A stable paycheck? A roof? A fridge full of food? Clothing that I was able to buy for myself…? My eyes started to tear, and she looked at me with concern. All I could spit out was, “That's a beautiful flower. “ Her face filled with joy, and she hugged the cup, simply saying “Thank you.” I couldn't stop staring at her shoes. I was wearing a brand new pair I had just got for work, since my old ones started to wear. I looked back and forth at our feet and a giggle escaped me. I was so ridiculous… Right before my stop I started untying the laces of my new black and rose gold Pumas. I slipped them off and asked, “Wanna trade?” She seemed hesitant at first, but when I assured her I had another pair at home, she took them in her hand and slipped them on. They fit. And she was glowing… I held back my tears as my stop came up. I was newly born walking in the mismatched, too small shoes. Yet, for a moment, when I noticed the people around me starting, I almost cared. That's when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and there she was, handing me her daisy. I think a mutual kindness was shared that day. She hurried back on the Trax, and I never saw her again.
By Tressa Rose2 years ago in Psyche
Arlan Book. Top Story - August 2024.
Arlan Book swung his double-sided ax as hard as his body would allow. The serrated edge cut and sliced through flesh and bone with tremendous ease. The cries of his enemies fleeted with the passing gales, filling his nostrils with the warring scents of fire and blood. They were aromas which ominously aroused him, consuming his pulsing veins with hot surges of adrenaline.
By Kale Sinclair2 years ago in Fiction
Everyone Needs a Space. Top Story - August 2024.
Everyone needs a space. We all need a place to say the things that we believe, and no one wants to hide the pain. There'd be nothing to gain. Searching for the truth is what we're after. Sharing tears and laughter sometimes i just want to be alone. You're not the only one. Like everyone else, we need to hear her own voice inside, say here and it's all right. So i respect your space. Can you respect mine? Raindrops whisper your name. Our standard argument: you say no. I say yes. You say so. What i said? Whatever? You say that's too bad. I say you are a piece of work. You say that's right. And the argument that i think to myself: it's supposed to rain today.
By Gaille Hunter2 years ago in Art
