“Although we claim it began with coffee, in truth, it started with the alarm. It’s shrill insistence I drag myself from bed came an hour too late. I subjected myself to dry shampoo and a slightly wrinkled navy pant suit before running out the door, and reached the corner just in time to watch the bus pull away; the air filled with the stench of its putrid exhaust.” Mandy’s engagement ring sparkled in the sun. “She looked so bedraggled, I…
Milly stands beside the pool, arms crossed, and falls backwards into the cool, clean water. Body sinking towards the bottom, she wonders when she’ll run out of air. Eyes opened, the chlorine stinging them as she watches her stethoscope fall, wet blood stained muted green scrubs clinging to her. Small bubbles of air escape her nose, floating upwards like clouds. She sits on the bottom of the pool, and grief glues her there until her lungs burn for air. Someone…
The gray sky rumbled when Maggie left home, as though the world itself was crying over stupid rules, too. In her determination, she ignored the cold, spring rain. She’d go to the library first, grab plenty of books, and stay up late reading under the stars. The choices were endless now that she was on her own, the rules of home left behind as she marched down the street splashing in puddles, heavy backpack weighing her down. “Be home…
I remember the day the dragons came, their vivid purple and green scales glinting against the sun. Yellow and orange tales streaking behind them like fire, leathery wings casting shadows over our village. Be it stupidity or fear, I was incapable of fleeing from the mesmerizing sight. As they land, a layer of gritty dust coats my lips. Air thick with the scent of campfire, the voice is a throaty purr. “It’s time, Chusi.” Unafraid, I offer myself in exchange…