The alleyway was dark. I sat on its dusty sidewalk in my baggy jeans, with dirt infiltrating the space between my fingernails as I gripped the edge of the cement. I had been sitting for hours that I had lost track of and the moon glinted bright white under the darkening purple-black sky. I breathed in another puff of cigarette smoke and the smell of tobacco swirled around my head in wisps of ashen clouds. As I looked upward with my head on my knees, I breathed a sigh. I was finally alone. Away from the head-banging nauseating cacophony that […]
Apology
I nervously tapped my feet against the cold linoleum floor. Amidst the white jackets and bleached uniforms, my torn blue jacket stood out in the waiting room. I had spent hours here already. I felt my legs losing all feeling, the hours I had spent in cramped in this chair were taking its toll. People beside me spoke indecipherably, their words a jumbled mess of concern and worry and prayers. I had no one beside me to voice my concern with. Instead, my eyes stared blankly ahead, searching for the lean doctor who had whisked her away. I trembled with […]
The pool
Lune did not like her neighbor’s house. She rarely ever visited and with good reason. The house was foreboding. It was strange. It was dark and terrifying. Amidst lovely red and white bricked houses with roofs that slanted at the exact same angle, and perfectly manicured gardens, it stood gray and crooked. Its leaning turrets and haphazard shingles were in sharp contrast to the suburbs around it. And Lune did not like it That is not to say she wasn’t curious Her mother had baked casserole the day before, and there were extras leftover. She pleaded with her mother to […]
Trigger
His hand quivered on the trigger And the other stared blankly They say the first time Is the hardest And he couldn’t help it As a million questions burned at him Ones he couldn’t answer And the world erupted In flames around him Setting the canons, drawing the grenade ring, pulling the trigger, those were no problem. In practice. He showed promise in training. So, when he was sent to the field, the encampment, he had been proud to serve his country for the first time. But standing here on the battlefield, while his comrades fired aimlessly, he couldn’t pull […]
Opal
As I turn the stones between my hands, Sunlight gleams and breaks across its surface Blue of the sea Green of the evergreen forest Purple of the setting sky White of the clouds Blending and bleeding into each color Within the cage of the stone Shifting as the sun beams from the sky Strung around my neck. The necklace I wore was priceless. Precious opals were strung together around my neck, stones that caught the light and reflected in white light. My pockets lighter with the cool weight against my neck, I remembered the weary jeweler who patiently explained the […]
Under the Staircase
The manor was quiet, and the candles burned softly, casting shadows over the marble staircase. Every creak, every whistle added to the unmistakable sinister feeling of the night. The silence was uncanny, and the moon shone through the windows in crescent slivers. Her heart was in her throat and her palms were damp, so she wiped them on the billowing fabric of her dress, just as her mother had commanded her not to. The wind swept through the house, blowing her careful curls over her powdered face. She finally reached the staircase and hurried up the steps, before crouching down […]
Late
The lightbulbs above Camari’s head flickered with a pale yellow light. The library was deathly quiet, even for a library. The grandfather clock chimed softly, the twelve chimes reflecting the late hour. Everyone had left a long while ago, and the librarian had kept the lights on for Camari so she could finish her project. She smiled at the elderly lady with her steel-rimmed glasses and flowered dress that flounced as she dusted the books. Camari focused on her blaring laptop screen, as the words blared together. AP History was not her best subject decision, and this was not the […]
Willows
The little house shook as the wind hurtled through it. The cracks in the logs in the side of the house let in cold drafts that forced Ana to pull the covers further up. She could hear howling, unsure of whether it was the gales or the wolves outside. Her thick blanket still left her shivering, and the heavy rain on the window and roof kept her wide awake. She crept out of bed and grabbed her wool sweater to wear over her nightgown. She tip-toed across the wood planks, creaking under her weight. Everyone was surprisingly asleep and the […]
On the run
I sat on the couch, with absolutely no intention of moving from it. My head lay on the armrest and my legs sprawled over the narrow space of the cushion. My eyes were closed, my mouth was open and piano was playing on the cassette. The fire crackled and everything was quiet and peaceful. I listened to the sweet notes of Beethoven’s 5th symphony, and nodded my head along. Today was perfect and beautiful, and I had no intention of doing anything else. Suddenly the door burst open. Standing there was a little girl in the pale white night suit […]
Inkan
Staring at the stars. Not at the ground, not right in front of her, but at the stars. Looking at each one wink at her glittering with pale gold light and looking down upon her as a mother would a child. The pride that shone through. The only ones who could light up the night sky by themselves, not by reflecting the sun’s light, but shimmering and sparkling as independent celestial beings upon planet earth. All these thoughts ran through her as she sat there, staring. She was deaf to the inpatient calling of her mother. She couldn’t smell the […]
