Series
Cigarette Butts
Author's note: Please read Cigarette Butts (Part I) The Toyota van ran along the rocky and rough road of San Mateo, making dust coiled up in the air and settled in the coconut trees alongside the road. They drove past the villagers loitering outside their houses. The mayor opened the window and waved at them like he was a celebrity. Sometimes they bumped and bounced inside, but he still showed his untruthful smile.
By M.G. Maderazo5 years ago in Fiction
My Heart's Desire
+ I have always been into food since I was younger. Growing up in the country I learned how to cook at a young age simply because it always caught and held my interest. I used to watch my aunts and my grandma cook and I would take it all in. I was always intrigued by how you could throw any combonation of flavors together and how well they would work in harmony amd create something heart-warming and soul feeding. I started out just helping in the kitchen with meals, like stirring the potatoes or watch the meat ground as it cooked. I eventually started teaching myself to cook different small things starting when I was about 7. I enhanced my skills by watching those around me and quite frankly by what I felt was fulfiliing and delicious. My mom always told me I had a love for food, and that whenI was eating, it looked as though I was making love to my food. That comment forever changed how I viewed food. I felt it was more than just nourishment for the body, but rather a way to show your love for the people that you love, part of you giving your soul and passion, but on a plate. This is where not only was my passion and desire ignited, but it was how I knew that I wanted cooking to be a part of who I am.
By Courtney Janae5 years ago in Fiction
Sea Gazer and Deep Diver
Sunlight sparkled off the rolling, blue waves, seagulls squawking and soaring overhead in the salty, sea breeze. Karissa clutched her oversized sunhat, preventing it from being swept away, and adjusted her sunglasses. Sunshine warming her skin, she breathed a blissful sigh and stretched out on her beach towel. She wiggled her toes in the warm, white sand. This was paradise. They had found a quiet stretch of beach, and it was absolutely serene—they were practically in their own little world.
By Jessica C.5 years ago in Fiction
Whispering Death (part 3)
The sun had come all too soon as Drina felt the poking at her side. Grumbling, she rolled over into the guard of the bed. “Give me a few more minutes, Ocan.” All throughout the night she had struggled to sleep, Hestar’s lips the only dream she could conjure. It made for a very uncomfortable rest, one she wished to have spent the extra coin to sleep in her own bed instead of staring with her sister. It never bothered her in the past to sleep beside her, she cared very much for Ocan. Drina only just wished for solace to her pent-up tension and being in close quarters only made it embarrassing. She expected to hear the voice of her sister retorting, yet the voice speaking made her jump.
By Turan Turnip5 years ago in Fiction
Clerical Choices
It is the year 3885, two years after the end of the fifty year war between the Mind Empire of Hame and the Alios Protectorate. Without an outside threat to focus on, the Human and Alien peoples bound only by faith and commerce in the Mind Empire are beginning to fracture and squabble for power among themselves. To stop the growing discontent, the Navy remained active in its role as space security for the Empire and commissioned new officers to replace the dead and retired of the old command. Skrilxya Yonamey and Benjamin Rikaron are two of these officers. A former combat-master Sergeant of the Malluman Auxiliaries whose kind rarely receive a position in fleet command and an witty, adaptable, bridge adjutant from the human gentry slated for promotion. Skrilxya and Ben find themselves in need of the other's perspective or else their latest escort mission will end in political disaster.
By Bryce Greene-Forgue5 years ago in Fiction
Samara's Story
It had all been so terribly easy. In the end, it wasn't as far of a leap as she thought it would be. She had imagined it for years now, her breaking point. The place where her thoughts and reality become so intertwined that it was impossible to tell them apart. She knew where she was, she knew what she had done, but she did not care. Her actions were those of someone else, a person whom she had since tucked away years ago. "Like staring in the mirror and looking into your soul." That's what the doctor had told her. She would never forget that day, the way he said it as if he knew then that this day would come. The day when Samara Owens would cease to exist, engulfed by the years of pain, neglect, and self-loathing, she was swallowed whole, and from the abyss of her mind, a new woman formed. It started as a tiny drop of water in the pool of her thoughts, rippling its way to the outer edges of her psyche. At first, she ignored the thoughts; actually, they were more like urges, only she didn't know it then. One by one, they came at random times while she was cleaning the house or prepping the boys for school. Never for more than a few seconds, and she would quickly dismiss them; her life was perfect, happy, and loved. It became her mantra and her only weapon against the thoughts that rose in her mind over time. My life is perfect; I am happy, I am loved. But she wasn't so sure anymore. Darin was rarely at home, and when he was, he was distant, cold, and not the man she fell in love with, but marriage is hard. It takes work, commitment, and sacrifice. They had been through so much together, and indeed they would get through this….this…….phase? It would all be ok, summer would be here soon, and the boys would be backpacking through Europe with their friends, and she and Darin would finally take that trip to Italy they had been planning for so long. Just the two of them, they would dine at the most peaceful places and spend the night in each other's arms watching the sunset and hopefully make love until the sunrise. It would all be ok… .wouldn't it? But why was he always working so late? Why would he go days without so much as a kind word? Does he even still love me? What did I do? Am I too nagging? Maybe I put too much pressure on him; he has so much on his plate; after all, the company won't run itself. I should be lucky to have such a good man; he's provided a life I could have never imagined. Three beautiful children, a magnificent home, and not a care in the world, she was the luckiest woman alive. Alive. That word seemed to hold new meaning now. She had felt the woman's life end in her hands, saw the fear in her eyes slowly turn to nothingness as each breath she took brought her closer to her last. It had been quicker than she thought and a lot easier, almost natural. She stared at the lifeless body beneath her feet, the blood pooling into a crimson pond around her. She bent down to close the woman's eyes; they were breathtaking. "I can see why he picked you," she said aloud. She placed the knife gently on the floor next to the body, careful to remove all traces of her fingerprints. She retraced her steps through the apartment, leaving the scene exactly how she had imagined it. She glanced at her watch, the kids would be home soon, and she couldn't miss being there to hear about Sabina's first day of high school. She double-checked her work and slid the door shut behind her. She took two steps as her phone rang, it was Sabina. "Hi, sweetheart! You aren't home yet, are you?" she asked. Surprised at the calmness, she managed in her voice. "Hi, mom. No, I'm not home yet; I'm getting on the bus. Lance wouldn't bring me home." "And why not?" Samara asked. "He said freshman aren't allowed in his car," she answered. Samara sighed. "Well, dear, you know your brothers love you.." "I know, I know, mom… it's ok. I like the bus". "Oh really, what's his name?". She could see the redness filling her daughter's face. "We'll talk about it when you get home sweetie, I'll see you soon." "Ok, mom." And with that, Samara Owens placed her phone in her purse, straightened her hair, and headed home to her kids, house, and loving husband. "My life is perfect, I am happy, I am loved."
By H. David Lee5 years ago in Fiction
Worlds Collide
It was odd, this soft yet firm structure I was told to sleep on. I kept looking underneath it, for what I wasn't sure but it just seemed so bizarre. How did it keep itself upright while holding my weight at the same time? It wasn't made of stone like most things under the ocean which made me worry it would collapse. It didn't, though. That fact only perplexed me further.
By Heather Miller5 years ago in Fiction
Wildflower
Hannah’s brand-new SUV drove past the muddy road by the lake as she honked her horn a few times, watching the ducks, geese, and songbirds take flight. A deer looked up and saw the silver, metal mass before bolting. Dust and mud kicked up behind the vehicle’s massive wheels as Hannah slowed down to take in the familiar yet almost foreign environment.
By Demetria Head5 years ago in Fiction
