I take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turn around. I am completely unprepared.

She stands there, wrapped in a bath towel that, with her 5'-nothing frame, covers her armpits to knees. Her hair is wrapped in another towel. She smiles, and I quickly …

"Explain what I'm looking at."

"Timestream 8496775816-AQZ-25.13.4. We pulled it from yesterday's archives when it was flagged anomolous."

"Meaning?"

"Look here. Grid 117, Segment 16, Node 135. See that curvature?"

"Yes. Explain its significance."

"Ti…

I wake up to my phone ringing. My first thought: Oh, hell! Am I late for work? Again?

The next sound I notice is the shower running. Good. If my wife, Mari, is in the shower, I'm in good shape. That bit of stress off my mind, I reach out from under the…

Lost

Standing alone.

Surrounded by people,

A familiar feeling.

Not supposed to feel alone,

Not supposed to want to leave.

Everyone tells her how to be.

.

And one day

She decided to not pretend anymore.

The real ones stayed,

The fakers, the directors left.…

I don't understand. I must be going crazy. My heart is pounding so hard, I'm sure everyone in the restaurant can hear it. I have a million questions running through my head.

"How?" is all I can get out.

She smiles at me. A smile that has brightened my l…

“How is this possible?” Marcela asked, her hand gripping the bare skin of the opposite shoulder and rubbing for warmth.

Here inside the house, it wasn't just cold, it was freezing. Every piece of furniture gleamed as sunlight from the open door ricochete…

The place you used to occupy remains. Whether the light shines upon it or the darkness obscures it, the place sits empty.

I spend endless hours staring at it as if I could rewind time. I can still see your figure there, the outline, the form, but my memo…

Anxiety cripples

Even the strongest brain.

Anxiety says “go back in the house.

You are never going to be good enough.

What if you fall?

What if you pass out?”

What ifs an endless stream.

.

Here I am,

My feet pounding the ground

Trying to be louder than t…

I am a bottle of chaos.

All shook up from life.

The day to day,

Just adding more to the mixture.

Never feeling good enough,

I am the worst in my own eyes.

.

But when I look in your eyes,

The chaos silences.

I am out at sea,

Lost by the feeling of peace,

F…

There was a time I dreamed of you

Just a smile and a hug

You sat near me, close

Never will that dream be real

.

I let it go when I said

That I approved

Permission granted for you to move on

.

Away you flew, so fast

So far, the distance grew

With every hea…

He trudged through the sand, up and over great dunes of the stuff, while the wind blasted him with even more of the fine grains. Visibility was shit, and he walked more by instinct than anything. He'd long ago lost his way. The gale-force storm did nothin…

I'll get to the point yea, right away

I'm having trouble handling my life today

I've been ridiculed, mocked, and I've been clocked

And I have no defense, my senses locked

I've been disrespected, my pride is all infected

The world in online life reflected

…

It is a fact that I’ve got your back

In any conflict, I’ll stand up for you, my friend

You’ll never lose it all, I’m here to break your fall

No need to fear, I’ll stay right here

I wanna be the one on whom you depend

To provide you with comfort, support, …

"Whoooo!" Jackie whooped into the night, swaying drunkenly to Tiffany's rendition of “I Think We're Alone Now.” Her hair was poofy and just the right amount of wild. She was young and beautiful and this bonfire was going to be the best night of her life.

…

"Charlie, I'm sorry, but Everett needs me." I threw t-shirts and shorts randomly into my duffle bag.

"I thought you loved me!" Charlie looked like he was ready to throw things AT me.

"I do love you!" I emphatically shouted as I turned to get my things o…

My boyfriend drove me home in silence. My mind was racing. Ever since the cave witch and the prophecy, my life and that of my twin brother had become less than normal. We tried for three years to live normal lives. Even when the demons showed up at our sc…

"I have a hard time trusting people. I just don't want to jump unless someone's there to catch me," I texted.

I waited, the confession making my palms sweat. My phone did not slip from my hands, however. I watched the text box for a response. My heart cr…

Piles of sparkly litter are all that remain of the gifts that are never good enough

The bittersweet scents of home saturate overdone hair and deliberately ugly sweaters

Sugar substitutes for joy as we cheat and plan to widen our waistlines

-

Clenched tee…

How did I reach this point? My life has become complicated in the last few months.

Wow. Understatement of epic proportions.

And I have no one to talk to about it. I could probably go to a psychiatrist about it, but that would mean admitting that I'm... …

I've decided to picture a bright future

Where I recapture the brilliance of my youth

And retain the wisdom of my mistakes

Where I have a partner who I trust

To love me through thin and thick

Where I'm healthy and happy

Of course

Because I'm bored with m…

Everett called at the door, "Hey, you guys having a party in there?"

Sasha wiped her tears and checked her face in the mirror.

"Just a minute!" Natalie called out.

Some lady pushed her way in, looking perturbed. Natalie shoved Sasha out of the bathroo…

No amount of wishing would give us the time we wanted: we turned, at last, onto an avenue that was as familiar as my favourite book. I could have closed my eyes and counted the paces to her apartment block, even in the soft patter of rain.

She paused at …

I closed my eyes, holding the image of his face in my mind. Breathing in deeply, I absorbed all the bittersweetness of the moment. Overwhelmed, tears began to leak out down my cheeks.

"Are you..crying?" I sensed him move closer to me to see my face.

My…

The three of them had been chatting over drinks at a table in a hotel lounge bar. Everett kept sharing what his girl was messaging him as it happened. Then she facetimed him. Sasha excused herself and headed towards the ladies room. Natalie watched her, c…

Credit where credit is due,

Books take you places.

They do.

Outer space, Wonderland, too,

Stories bring you out,

They do.

But I,

I thought I helped you.

Me, you appreciate, true?

Yet you,

Claim books helped, not I.

Credit where credit is due.

:/ :(…