Someone died today. Assaulted with scorching words that sliced wounds so deep they pierced the very heart. It was done with a smile, in a well-meaning attempt to shape and mold, to transform the victim into the best version of themselves. The variation the assailant desired. “That’s stupid.” “No one cares.” “Just shut up.” The words flew from their mouths like birds darting for cover before a storm. There was nowhere to hide from the burning tirade that rained down…
She was born on the fourth of July amidst the parades, picnics, and scorching heat. They named her Liberty because it seemed fitting and patriotic considering the occasion. Marge, humming the Star-Spangled Banner, stared out the hospital window as the sky blossomed with fireworks in an array of patriotic colors, and Bert held their daughter. They share the story every year, embellishing it here and there, always trying to convince people they’d aptly named their carefree and wild child. The…
“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…