Gracewyn sifted through the bin of paints, each tube meticulously labeled with the correct hue. They had just found the perfect green for their newest painting: "Hooker’s green." The color reminded them of fresh-cut Bermuda grass during a dry summer month.

They continued to search through the endless paint tubes.

PHTHALO BLUE

CRIMSON

BURNT UMBER

Everything except for "Hooker’s green." Gracewyn ...

Sillia stepped down from the front of the boat and into the shallows. Her boots sank into the mud, making a squishing sound with each step. The waterway reeked of the sweet smell of sulfur. But Sillia had woken up early that morning just so she could bask in the scent and watch the sun rise.

With each step, she looked around at the surrounding water. The tide was still high enough that you couldn...

I looked over the top of the cash register and watched the woman as she walked through the front door. She was holding a plastic Ziploc bag that appeared to contain a wad of paper towels inside.

The woman shut the door and stopped in the middle of the shop. The bell jingled as it slammed behind her. She stood there for a moment and looked around. Her eyes glimmered with joy as she looked at the c...

The roses were in a state of rigor mortis, the petals lifeless yet still plump with color. They crouched down and picked up one of the corpses. The petals clung tight to the flower’s pistil as they laid it flat in their hand.

The thorns were so dull that the roses could be held with the gentlest of fingers. The leaves were riddled with holes from where Japanese beetles had been feasting for days....

The book caught my eye as I was sifting through the vinyl record bin. I had been standing there for a while slowly looking at the titles, huffing the musky smell that the vinyls were emitting as I moved each one to the side. It was a picture book about ocean life. I could tell from afar because of the bold letters that said “Fish and Shellfish.” It was one of those tall, hardback “encyclopedias” t...

“Julliette! Amelia! Vincent! Get up here now!”

The kids rushed up the stairs into the kitchen.

“There’s some leftover meat in the fridge, y’all wannna share this as your treat? It’s a little past the expiration date but I think it’ll be fine.”

Vincent let out a joyful, yet piercing, scream.

“Alright, alright but we gotta make sure to save some leftovers for our chickens. We’ll never get t...

She laid down on top of the sand dune. The sea grass crawled underneath her dress and tickled her skin as she made a bed out of the debris. She faced the shoreline and closed her eyes as she waited for the sun to rise.

- - -

Something started to tickle her left hand. She looked down and saw a crab trying to pick at her finger. Both of the crab’s claws were missing and in its place were white nub...