All morning Maisie has been lost in her thoughts, which I don’t really care about since she’s got a lot to think about. We both do.

“Are we okay?” Maisie asks, her blue eyes fixed on mine as we walk down the street.

If she’s asking if we’re still friends then yeah of course. But if she’s asking if I’m not still hooked on the last few days then, I honestly don’t know. How can I kiss Maisie if I...

She awoke abruptly, torn from a dream. Her grandmother, who had been dead for over forty years, stood beside her great aunt, on the front porch of an old farm house, one that she did not recognize. They both wore lovingly used aprons atop flowered cotton dresses and had dancing smiles on their faces, like they had a secret that they could barely contain themselves from sharing. “We found it esp...

In the dimly lit attic of an old Victorian house, Emily stumbled upon a dusty, weathered trunk. Curiosity consumed her as she brushed off the cobwebs and unlocked its ancient latch. Inside, nestled among moth-eaten clothes and faded photographs, was a small, intricately carved wooden box. It was a treasured possession passed down from her late grandmother, a woman who had always held a mysterious ...

I feel your weight on my chest,

Clouding my breath

Thank you for this “gift” you gave me

I feel the ice in my skin,

Frosts your mocking grin

I shouldn’t thank you for anything

I feel the darkness inside

Your hands cover my eyes

So I couldn’t see we were bleeding

The rain fell like acid

A bitter girl’s ballad

The only thing you gave me

Was a good fucking story....

I thumb at the marred surface with my eyes closed, feeling every nick and scratch. It’s the last piece I have of my grandpa.

The bed springs creak as I shift to unbutton my shirt. Then I lift the chain to the crown of my head and drop it there.

The metal settles around my neck and against my bare skin like a cool brand. Its tick climbs into my throat and leaves a lump; it climbs into my ribcage ...

Stacy put her head against the cool glass of the window and closed her eyes. Sun was streaming into the car as they drove down I-25 into Denver.

“Thank you for coming with me today, sweetheart; it means a lot.” Stacy felt her mom’s hand gently squeeze her knee before moving back to the steering wheel . Sighing, Stacy opened her eyes and turned up the radio.

Twenty minutes later Stacy’s mom pulle...

I was too young to know the significance of it then. I held the vintage handheld mirror to my face. A stranger stared back at me. What used to be a smooth pale face was now occupied by wrinkles and sagging skin.

My eyelids sat on my eyes as if they were laden with exhaustion, and my lips were a thin line which molded into a permanent scowl.

Who was this woman? She was a woman who used to be s...

I appreciate it y’know.

The way the amber glows when light touches it, shining like a torch.

The pendent, where’d you get it from again?

Ah, yes. Our honeymoon.

Beautiful times give you beautiful gifts.

How come the biggest gift was the worst one?

You once told me you’d gift me a special remembrance of our love so how come I picked it up from your letter?...

“Away you three inch fool!” Mercutio squawked. “Thou cream faced loon!”

Heath rested his pounding head in his palms. Two weeks of shrieking and bird shit, Heath rubbed the coiled muscles on the back of his neck. His sleep schedule was in the toilet, bird seed was all over his townhome, and now having to drive across town to visit an exotic animal doctor, taking home Uncle Cliff’s Green-Winged Mac...

Bella's grandma, Rosa did her own makeup frequently. Blushed cheeks and bold colored lips for special occasions. She always used her vintage gold compact mirror. It stayed in her purse and traveled with her. The makeup compact always intrigued Bella even though the powder was gone inside and the gold paint was wearing off. Her granddaughter's intrigue in the old, barely usable item confused Rosa.

...