The house on 4th Street didn’t break all at once. It fractured slowly, in the quiet spaces between arguments, until the tension became a living, breathing thing that crowded seven-year-old Joy out of her own home. During the last four months, the soundtrack of Joy’s life consisted of slammed doors,
Henrietta: A Whirlwind of Imagination Read More »
The asphalt road leading through Duskwood, Virginia always seemed to swallow the headlights of Owen’s battered old sedan, but tonight, on Halloween, the shadows felt especially heavy. A thick, oppressive fog rolled off the Blue Ridge Mountains, settling into the valleys and wrapping around the trunks of bare oaks like
The Ledger of Howard Nestor Read More »
The cedar smoke from the campfire clutched at our lungs, a thick, gray shroud that seemed to isolate us from the rest of Camp Oakwood. I remember the heat on my face and the prickling chill on my spine. That was the night I met Adam. He was a pale
The rhythmic creak-crunch of the rusted swing set was the only soundtrack to Mia’s childhood. At nine years old, Mia was a ghost in her own schoolyard. While other children clustered in screaming groups, Mia sat on the black rubber seat of the lone swing at the edge of the
The Crimson Collector Read More »
The rain from the previous night had cleared up, leaving a damp, heavy silence over the suburbs. In a different house, miles away from the tragedy that had struck Elena’s friends, four new girls—Martha, Naomi, Karen, and Molly—were gathered in a sunroom-turned-den. The mood was already jittery. Naomi had been
The Pale Harlequin Read More »
The rain hit my bedroom window like a handful of gravel, throwing distorted shadows across the walls. It was just past midnight. The four of us—Caitlyn, Jade, Serena, and I—were huddled together in a fortress of blankets and pillows on my floor. My parents were away for the weekend, leaving
The Prom Queen’s Legacy Read More »
The campfire crackled, sending orange sparks up into the heavy canopy of pines. The night was thick and dark, smelling of pine needles, river mud, and burnt marshmallows. Five boys sat on rotting log benches, huddled close to the heat. They were deep in the woods at Camp Whispering Shadows—a
The Best Father’s Day Catch Read More »
The leather chair in Dr. Mitchell’s office always squeaked when I shifted my weight. I stared at the geometric patterns on his rug, trying to find the words. “It’s the same dream, Dr. Mitchell.” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “Every single night. It always starts the same way.”
The Oakridge Field Trip Read More »
The sun was a jagged, bleeding wound on the horizon as Miles and Sarah pushed through the Mojave. Their old Jeep Wrangler rumbled with a comforting rhythm, the air conditioner fighting a losing battle against the dry, oppressive heat of the Nevada desert. They were happy. More than happy—they were
The Mother of the Mojave Read More »
My name is Lydia. I’m 30 years old, and I love celebrating Halloween with my best friend, Martha. Martha and I have been best friends ever since we were ten years old. We do everything together, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. You see, when I
Riley, My Haunted Halloween Doll Read More »
I hate bugs. I hate all kinds of insects, such as flies, bees, even mosquitoes; but the one insect that I hate most of all is the common cockroach. To me, a cockroach is the scariest and most disgusting insect of them all. Ever since I was a kid, and
A Nightmare of Cockroaches Read More »
