Series
Platform 4
She was with Lucas, the love of her life, and they were going to their last date, at a motel. After this, they were finally going to get married. At night, the train station felt like a threshold between worlds. There was a cool breeze which carried the calming scent of lavender. “I wish this feeling would never end”, said Lucas with a content expression. Maxine had one too. She was happy, an emotion she felt only when she was around him. That emotion, however, led to a series of events. As she happily twirled, carefree and on top of the world, she slid off the edge of the platform, landing harshly on the tracks.
By Ankitaa Arun💕about a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Fourteen By the time the Stay At Home Order went into effect on Wednesday, people in Elsewhere seemed pretty used to the idea. I think that could be directly attributed to the fact that Wisconsinites were used to basically not leaving their houses for months at a time over the winter. They were like bears, hibernating for the winter.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Thirteen It was a very good thing that I had worked so hard to get our virtual reference services going as quickly as I had. It seemed we would be using it for the foreseeable future, at least. It was the Monday after our first full week of working from home. The state’s Stay At Home Order was scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday. Our town published a paraphrased versions of Governor Evers’ executive order on the town’s website:
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Twelve The ‘authorities’ did not seem to be in much of a rush, though. Deputy Drew finally arrived about twenty minutes later. I supposed it was not really a real emergency, but still - in a town the size of Elsewhere, it’s not like there was a lot of other police matters taking up his time. When Deputy James did pull up, it sounded like he had parked in my driveway - rather than Luce’s. Odd. Sure enough, moments later I heard my own doorbell chime and there he was standing on my front stoop.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Eleven I arrived back home in record time, contrary to the attempt of the slushy streets to waylay me. As I pulled into my driveway, I looked over to the front window of the house Luce and her mother shared next to me. I saw Luce’s face through the curtains. I was sure by now Annie Bea would also have returned home from her Meals on Wheels delivery route, and Luce and I would have the chance to call Carson’s cousin, Stephanie about my theory, but Luce’s face looked worried through the window glass and I could feel my heart beat faster like it does when I get an inclining that something bad has happened. I quickly pulled out my phone and called Luce.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Ten Since having learned that Eliisa Nurmi lived just two houses down from me, with only Luce and her mom in between, I had been thinking of how I could get her to talk to me. The news continuously warned of more and more Coronavirus cases, and really put a damper on my ability to set up a seemingly random event where I could run into her, so it was time to get creative. Luce and I had talked about how Eliisa, like me, was relatively new to town and very new to the Library Board. We devised a plan that used that angle to get her talking after that, we would have to play it by ear.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Seven Luce and I had gotten back to Elsewhere pretty late the night before, so I had done nothing but fall into my bed and immediately go to sleep when we finally got home. In the morning, when my alarm went off, I got ready quickly, opting for a quick messy bun in my hair, my tinted moisturizer and a rich colored lip gloss. Then, I headed to the library a bit early. I hoped that if I could poke around a bit before everyone else got there, it would shake that feeling I’d had the last time - that I was going to get caught doing something I should not be doing.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
A Quandary in Quarantine
Chapter Six Watching the clock slowly tick closer to 4:00 pm made me feel like I was back in elementary school, eagerly awaiting the last bell of the day to ring. At 3:55, I gathered my things and powered down my computer. I stole a glance at Irene’s closed office door. An urge to go in overtook me, and I gave in, opening the door with my spare key. As I pushed open the door, a sudden wave of guilt passed over me. Don’t be silly, I chided myself. There was absolutely no reason I shouldn’t be in Irene’s office. Glancing over the surfaces of her desk and filing cabinet, I saw that little had been disturbed since the previous day. Again, that made sense - who else would have been in here? The police clearly had not deemed any of the papers strewn across her desk to be of interest in the case. But, as I looked them over, I saw that the genealogical research I had seen the other day was all still there. I glanced over my shoulder quickly before making the split second decision to take the papers. I needed to be able to cross reference them with the letter I had found, and I needed to do that in the privacy of my home, lest someone see what I was doing and think I was trying to cover something up. I quickly grabbed an unused manilla folder from the box on the top of Irene’s filling cabinet and hurriedly gathered the papers, jamming them in my tote bag.
By Erin Lorandosabout a month ago in Fiction
Stories Before a Wedding: The Dance of the Sleeping Beauties
Aurora was cursed. The word flowed from her hand like a graceful river in a painting which, naturally, she also knew how to create. Cursed. She was cursed with Beauty, cursed with Grace, cursed with Talent, cursed with Sweetness, and – most importantly according to her parents – cursed to die. Or, rather, not die. Sleep, and then be awakened by True Love’s Kiss, so she was also cursed to loneliness it would seem until her curse took hold. And then, she would be awakened and the real curse would begin.
By Dionearia Redabout a month ago in Fiction
