I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to sleep. Sleep has eluded me for several days at this point, but to sleep is to give up and let guilt destroy me. That’s what I call it anyway. Guilt. It’s as plausible an explanation as anybody has ever had for explaining this …
Around five years ago, my sister graduated from college with a masterâs degree. She was always wicked smart. She graduated not only with honors, but six months early as well. Instead of graduating in the beginning of summer, she graduated in the middle of winter. I promised her weâd do …
My Sister And I Went To A Cabin In The Middle Of Winter Read More »
The chill was the first thing I found odd. Florida was notorious for having unreasonably humid summers and this one had been no exception. More often than not, when the air conditioner wasnât running, sun streaming in through the windows was enough to skyrocket the apartment into the eighties. Iâd …
Iâm sure everybody knows this, but 2020 has been a rough year across the globe. Iâm not trying to insinuate that Americans have it worse than other first world countries, but thanks to the media and politics, things have been particularly tense this year. I live in Portland Oregon, and …
Emotional Support Canadians Are NOT What You Think Read More »
I donât remember the first time I heard the tapping. As far as I know, itâs been there all my life. Ever since I was a little kid, Iâve been stirred awake a couple of times a month, still hazy with sleep and delirious with dreams to an almost imperceptible …
Tapping at My Chamber Door – Only This and Nothing More Read More »
I was done. This time I meant it. There were several times in my life where I found myself considering it, contemplating taking my trip to the other side. The last time I had called the suicide hotline, and eventually decided to give life one more try. Not this time. …
I killed my best friend when I was thirteen. It wasnât what I wanted, or what the others involved wanted, but that doesnât matter now, heâs gone. Most people look back at their childhood and realize that there was a day they went out to play with their friends for …
Out in The Dives lies a place that does not exist â at least, not all of the time. It is a place with promises of euphoria and hedonistic pleasures, capable of allowing you to live through your wildest dreams and fantasies, free from the mundane and depressing constraints of …
Samantha told me about it on our third date. We were watching a movie on her couch when I made my move to kiss her. She whipped her hand in front of my face and blocked me. âThereâs something you need to know,â she said. I braced myself. Here it comes. …
Itâs quite an interesting concept: those little âpass it onâ messages, I mean. Chain letters and people telling you, âpost this in five different comments or else youâll die tonight.â Interesting indeed, but the idea lacks originality. Itâs the same story with each one. âPass it on or die.â People …
I found something I shouldnât have, or maybe I should, I donât know. I was helping my parents move out of their old house and into mine. Their house was about ten miles from the nearest town and even farther from a hospital. This scared me ever since the doctors …
If youâre armed and at the Glenmont metro, please shoot me. Make it a headshot. Shoot me in the temple, aiming slightly downwards. I need the bullet to travel the shortest possible distance through my brain before it hits my hippocampus. If Iâm lucky, the sensation of the gunshot ripping …
If Youâre Armed and at the Glenmont Metro, Please Shoot Me Read More »
Erica hated the lack of hygiene. Erica absolutely despised unhygienic people. Just thinking about the slightest chance of her physically touching a âdirtyâ person chilled her spine. She refused to drink from another personâs cup. She avoided sharing food with others. She would be utterly disgusted by people who talk …
âCan we go on the roller coaster?â âSure we can,â Kent assured his son, whose eyes brimmed with hope and enthusiasm. Little Brian ran ahead towards the ride as his father walked quickly behind. It was one of those old, rickety coasters that wonât keep you from falling out unless …
You know those people who you tell the time of events to 15 minutes early because you know they would be late? The ones who would be late to their own funerals, as the saying goes? Well, that’s me. Prepare as I might. I can never seem to get anywhere …
I love numbers, even numbers to be exact. I like that there are 48 stairs leading up to my cell. I like that I get precisely four hours of leisure time every day, no more, no less. I like that my wake up time, my breakfast time, my lunchtime, and …
Jake Thomasson pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt down, covering his hand, and wiped away the condensation from the window. It was the third time he had done this in the past ten minutes, but he didnât want to miss seeing if any cars drove by outside. He was sitting …
In the dark of the night, little children often feel as if they see demons in their closet, and as if someone is watching them. The inky blackness of the night changes their familiar bedrooms once the watchful sun sets below the horizon. For most children, a blanket over the …
It all started after I had that damned panic attack. I am a calm person by nature, always have been. Small stuff never bothered me, even while driving. And I certainly had never been so negatively affected by something that I had a breakdown like that. Of all the places …
News came to London in the year 1820 of a series of brutal murders which had been committed throughout the neighboring counties. Reports that a monstrous man â broad, roughly six-foot-seven in height – had been seen close by to almost a dozen of these incidents. The consistent descriptions of …
Shawn took one last drag of his cigarette. He didn’t smoke regularly, but this occasion nearly called for one. It had been years since his last job interview, and it was all he could do to stop his hands from shaking. He looked at the cigarette and remembered the time …
About half a year ago, I moved into a new apartment downtown. Itâs hands-down the most upscale place Iâve lived inârooftop access, a fitness center, a pool, huge windows with beautiful views of the city⊠this place had it all. My leasing agent said apartments in that building were going …
When I got the first one, I was literally seconds away from stepping onto the plane when a call from âUNKNOWNâ blared from my cell phone. It was a ringtone I hadnât heard before, one I was pretty sure hadnât come with the phone. Normally, I wouldnât have stopped to …
I grew up in a tiny town in Vermont. Tiny in terms of population, not sizeâthere were huge sprawling farms and wooded areas, but almost no people. More cows than people, which is standard for a lot of small towns in Vermont. So, clearly, not the most fun in the …
