A Home Underground

The temperature aboveground was brutally frigid. Levi — who for the past two nights had been laid out on a bench inside a heated train car on the A, C, and E line — lowered his eyelids protectively over his retinas and climbed out into the low winter sun, stumbling onto the sidewalk and falling... Continue Reading →

Traffic Light

Have you ever had the course of your life change in the span of a traffic light? I have. It was a subtle, but rapid change. A change I thought belonged only in scripted novels or films. In order to begin this story, I will have to start at the intersection of Washington and Rogers. I was driving home from... Continue Reading →

First Words, Last Words

I find people fascinating. I just don’t like them. Those were the first words she said to me. We were sitting next to each other on a park bench. She had a cigarette poised between her index and middle finger. I had a pen pressed between my thumb, index, and middle finger. Ahead of us,... Continue Reading →

The Music Box

The cashier handed Lukas two one-dollar bills, one quarter, and three pennies. He slipped the money into his pocket without looking at her. He then grabbed the plastic bag on the counter and quickly left the store.Outside the shop's entrance, Lukas reached in for the music box and let the plastic bag float onto the... Continue Reading →

The Writer

The writer was attending the meeting of a third book club for the novel In Jest. They had been kicked out of two prior book clubs for disorderly conduct, i.e. instigating verbal confrontation with group members. It had taken them two weeks of scouring online sources to find this book club, and they had to take the Subway... Continue Reading →

Adrift

Naia found herself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by varying shades of blue. The serenity of the monochromatic landscape reminded her of a recent trip to the Sahara Desert. For two nights, she had slept outside on the sand with only blankets as a base and covering, awaking at sunrise content and refreshed. Believing that she... Continue Reading →

The Failure

Jessica’s greatest fear was failure. So, from a young age, she organized her life in a way that would impede such an event. As a child, she was the kid all the teachers and adults loved. In High School, she aced her way to valedictorian of her class. In her friendships, she was the leader... Continue Reading →

Like Samson and Delilah

June wasn’t born in June. In fact, she was born on the day of the winter solstice: December 21, 1992. So June was an ironic name, a name that didn’t fit her. She had black straight hair, porcelain skin without the mark of a single freckle, a frail frame, and eyes as black as the... Continue Reading →

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