It’s been about a month now that Kenny’s been gone. Three weeks and five days to be exact. He left in his pirogue one night just after sunset to go frogging and never came back. Man just up and disappeared like a fart in the wind. Now, it’s just me […]
I live alone in a houseboat on the bayou. Something’s been tapping at the hull at night. Read More »
Congestion. Ninety minutes. The worst for a while on this busy street for Ted in the capital. And on the way to a job interview. Frustrated wavy lines of groans from city drivers locked in an inescapable traffic jam as exhausts belched out fumes. Despite the immobile lanes, Ted’s thoughts
I’ve always been a people pleaser. Even as a kid, I’ve always had the hardest time asserting myself or saying no. As long as the other person’s content, I could deal with some uncomfortable feelings. It probably has something to do with daddy issues. At least that’s what all my
My Boyfriend is Taking Pieces of me While I Sleep Read More »
I was opening the shift that day. I walked past the golf cart with its flat tire. It was coming up on its 2-year anniversary of being broken. I scanned my pass and opened the door to the kitchen. I walked in, past the storage closets, prep stations, and freezers,
All this started when I got up to some of the usual fresh out of high school shenanigans by making a plan with my girlfriend to hook up and have a private night to ourselves in her dad’s cabin at the lake. The plan was simple: I’d tell my parents
Red Lights on the Highway Read More »
I think, looking back on it all, I had a very gothic upbringing. By age ten, I had attended two family funerals and no weddings, I felt that I ‘identified’ with the colour black, and I found graveyards to be an excellent place to relax. They remain one of the
The room had a strange frozen quality to it. What the room held did not readily explain it. There was a desk and two chairs, and three bookshelves that rose high and disappeared into gloom. A fabulously diverse array of books filled the shelves; but their colours seemed faded, like
“Mmm…” my hand slid over to my phone, attempting to tap the “dismiss” tab as the alarm blared in my apartment room. After missing it twice, I sat up and glared at the phone. My heart spiked. “Five-twenty-five!” I shrieked, jumping into the air and sprinting over to the shower.
Liam looked down, shaking as he glared at the blood encrusted on his hands. It was not his own. The infernos of the destruction before him were nailed into his brain. He felt lost and confused. He did not mean to do it; he was just tired of the pain
There is a fresh, blank page sitting in front of me, and as I stare at it it seems to stare back. ‘It’s always so hard to get started’, I think. ‘I just wish I could get over the hump without climbing the hill. I feel like Sisyphus, every time
I work the night shift at a local mom-and-pop convenience store at the front of my neighborhood. We sell snacks, drinks, milk, bread, all the normal stuff that people need but aren’t willing to make a traditional run to the grocery store for. There was talk about adding a gas
Melody wakes up screaming. It’s midnight. Her body jolts up. Eyes shut tight; mouth open wide. Screams rip from her throat. They turn into sobs as Buster jumps onto the bed. He nestles his head in by her side, purring and watching her catch her breath. “You’re okay,” she says.
The balloons flew over a month after the economy collapsed. It had been hanging on by a thread for a while, but eventually, our government couldn’t afford basic human needs anymore. We were left to rot in the streets, local and corporate business began their shutdowns, raiders had gotten to
I frantically threw my shirt off my head, covering my bare chest and staring down at the fabric on the ground as my heart played a tune. I had felt the bugs inside the shirt as I was putting it on, but none emerged from its openings. My skin still
“Come on.” The voice was distant but still clear. “You’re dragging your feet. You didn’t have to come. You wanted to. So let’s go.” Her voice had irritation to it, almost offensive. I groaned and steadied my pace, walking only a bit faster. “I’m coming, Celine. Jesus Christ.” I snapped
My Bestfriend Was a Ghost Hunter, I Wish I Never Went. Read More »
She had scolded me once again, told me that we had gone on this trip as an escape from the monotony of life in the city and bond as a couple, as if I already hadn’t known that. Expressing her feelings about how I’d become more “Distant” and “A husk
In the wake of negotiations with the teacher’s union, the school authorities reached the decision that perhaps it was time for Ms. Betty, the long-serving librarian, to hang up her hat and embrace retirement. Ms. Betty had been a steadfast presence at the school, showing up day in and day
The Retired Librarian Read More »
Truth be told, I’m still not sure how or when I came to this place. I have the memories, the whole chain of factors is all there, it’s just buried and muddled and I find my head swimming trying to piece it together. Which is why I don’t bother. I
The pit, the abyss, it was always there. At least, as far as I can remember. The first time I heard its call, it was subtle, almost unnoticeable. My mother was reading her pick-and-choose verses from the book, looking back up at me after each reading with an expectant look
My grandfather has been acting very strange lately, and has begun sleepwalking again. For this reason it was suggested to me by my parents that I write a journal to keep myself busy, and to keep track and document my grandfather’s behavior here. They will be away in Europe for
My girlfriend and I had been going through a rough patch for a few weeks, arguing continuously, having screaming matches with one another, or not speaking at all. It all started when she brought up the topic of conceiving a child, and trying to be logical, I shot the entire
The Candle Caravan Read More »
With trembling hands, Liam gingerly lifted his father’s reading glasses off the surface of the small upstairs office desk. He knew that he couldn’t keep his father, Gordon, waiting for very long, lest he fly into another fit of rage. Gordon’s request was simple: retrieve the glasses within ten seconds,
The Forgotten Family Read More »
Donna Ball woke at 7:15 as she had done every weekday for the past ten years. Tired eyes struggled to stay open, and as she heaved herself from her tacky chintz covers her reflection caught her gaze in the domed screen of the old tv in her room.Donna was pale;
The Man in the Red Tin Wall Read More »
I open my eyes, yet they do not see. I reach out with my hands, yet I am constrained. I inhale deeply, but dank air fills my lungs. Where am I? My mind races as I try to remember how I got in this predicament. It is pitch blackness that
