Joys of childhood are found

In simple pleasures and games—

Tea parties with princess crowns,

“Tag! You’re it!” “Ready or not!”

The Medal of Honor was giv’n

In attitude, not words,

To the victor who could not be found

“Olly, olly, oxen free!”— a just reward....

Riley was sitting at her desk working on the teacher’s math problems when she heard a whisper from the corner of the room.

“Hey, Peter,” Dylan whispered, “tell Riley that you’ll let her hold your hand if she eats a tide pod.” Riley’s cheeks burned in humiliation. It had been bad enough that her crush was only one-sided and that Peter had turned her down, but Dylan’s words stung, ripping the scab ...

My name is Aisling. I come from a family of architects. We are commonly known by humans as the mythical “sand men.” We are responsible for creating dreams. During our apprenticeship, each architect is assigned to an individual. We watch over them during the day so that we can craft their dreams at night based on the day’s events.

I was assigned to a girl named Emma. Architects are not supposed to...

When troubles come

When darkness falls

Upon your life,

Upon us all,

You be the light,

The one who stands

Strong against the

Storm’s fierce hands

That slap and toss

You to and fro.

When it gets hard,

Do not let go.

Cling to the One

Called your Anchor.

He will keep you

Safe forever.

In the end, your

Light will shine as

A testament

Of what has passed.

You may shine ‘lone

For you will see

That most ...

The school bus had dropped me off at my stop half an hour ago, but I still stood in the drizzly rain. I didn’t want to go home because I knew Mom’s new boyfriend would be there. I shuddered, partly from the cold and partly from remembering the predatory gleam in his eye. If he really wanted to take advantage of me, there would be nothing to stop him. Mom stopped caring about me after Dad left us f...

In a vast land ruled by King Calamity,

Walks a lonely swordsman.

He seeks to find that which he lost

One hundred years before.

In the midst of this land,

A castle doth stand

Of crumbling rubble and stone.

Protected by guards, this lovely place

Harbors the memory of’t’ princess’s face.

She valiantly protects her people

From the wicked king of old.

How long has she been waiting there

For her kni...

How sweetly she lies on the ocean bed,

Dreaming of grandeur and life.

And with her slumber many sweet faces,

Free of all worry and strife....

Little beads of sweat began to form on Link’s forehead as he trudged across the scorching desert sands toward Gerudo Town. He was on his way to help tame the Divine Beast Naboris. He had already tamed Rudania and Ruta and had been given the blessings of their respective champions. Naboris was going to be third.

Suddenly, off to the left, Link heard a small cry. When he turned to look, he saw that...

There once was a king who had five sons. Before his demise, he divided his kingdom into five equal parts, one for each soon to rule over. He hoped that this would avoid conflict over who would be king. And for the first five years, the plan worked.

But then one day, the eldest brother, Gerard, grew greedy. He was his fathers eldest son. Why could not he have possession over all the land? With th...

He was about to take his leave for the night when the princess whispered, “Wait!”

He turned back to her. “Yes, your highness?” With a mischievous smirk, she closed the gap between them and left a soft peck on the knight’s cheek.

“I love you.”

Oh! How the knight’s heart was smitten with guilt and grief. Stricken, he turned away, unable to meet the princess’s gaze. “You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t ...