I don't remember everything about how it happened. I do remember waking up. I remember that abject terror of not knowing where I was or how I'd gotten there.

And I remember the light. At 14, it had reminded me of comic book images of radioactive sludge.…

"Everett!" He was going to be the death of me, but not before he was the death of himself. "Everett, where did you go?"

"Sasha, chill, I'm over here! Come check it out!"

"Keep talking! I can't tell where you are!" I was looking at a wall of boulders, po…

Sasha. Man, I'd completely wrecked her night. Go figure.

I pounded the steering wheel, trying to block out the iciness of the ring, the horror of Jessamine's eyes, the shame and frustration of ruining my sister's life. This was my fault--all of it.

A p…

Not quite white

or gray

or blue

.

The moon is a muse

Mainstay

Voodoo

.

A means to an end

risque

preview

.

Beating hearts, abuse

love sway

untrue

.

The moon, impassive

midway

withdrew

.

Left lovers lost

cold day

tears few

.

Returned to mock

hearsay

statue

…

This is a lot simpler than it feels. Now that your emotions are well vented, let's set them aside and looks at the fundamentals.

First, you care. Otherwise you wouldn't be upset. Caring is good so long as it promotes useful action.

Second, if this particu…

Story is marked as mature

My words made me a puppet in your eyes

And though I cannot say as much

The truth is not as such

It comes as no

Surprise

You sorrow for the lie that I believe

Has now misplaced what I made clear

Why I could not stay here

And why I had

To leave

And what y…

7:55 AM

Students are breakfasted, bell rings, they begin their morning routines. Chat with them about their weekend, listen and offer advice.

8:30AM

Coworker Stress arrives, early, as usual, going on about something they wish they could change.

9:00AM

C…

They'll hear

The pounding heart inside

My chest

Always beating

Never rest

And my breathing

Hoarse and gasping

Terror rasping

From my throat

Fire burning

In my face

From what she wrote

They'll see it flare

They'll see it there

And I, betrayed

Can't hide a…

Candle scent and fire warms

Blankets soft and cheerful talk

Sweetened words and loving arms

Safe indoors from winter's walk

Eyes grow heavy

Sleep's embrace

Lulls us to another place...

...

Wake

alone

to muffled snores

House has gone to bed

All asleep b…

"Why the movies?" Everett sounded bewildered.

"I don't know where to tell you to go, but don't go straight home. Go somewhere public. Or go somewhere and get lost. She could follow you. She probably has your license plate number."

"Great."

"How did she…

I could hear her calling me back, using her alluring tone. When I didn't follow, she began calling me names. Every man in the entire place suddenly felt compelled to shout and call me names. Through the phone, Sasha could hear the deep rumbles of the men.…

I ignored the vibrating cell phone in my pocket. My eyes were still locked in helpless battle with the vixen's golden glamour. She had released my hand with the ring only to take my waist and lead me to an open section near the speakers. I didn't register…

He was a laid-back guy and didn't mind when the woman took control. He'd been working hard for three weeks and she'd had their entire wedding planned by the time he'd returned. There were some things that women were just better at doing.

He reflected tha…

He unfolds the cloth first, revealing the medallion hidden within. The face that peers back is profane and vulgar, but it is not unknown to him. It is the sigil of a creature whose existence has long thought to be past but whose influence garners follower…

I kept her at the periphery of my life, all too aware of the danger. She was a black hole, and if I dared to venture near enough, I'd be pulled in, pulled apart. Infinite gravity, infinitesimal space. No chance of escape.

I don't know where I went wrong.…

I bury him in a shoebox at 4:15. I scrape at the ground in the shadow of the fire escape with the spoon I'd saved for this purpose. I excavate, chunks of dirt piling. I crush each between my thumb and forefinger in a burst of dust. At this hour, this st…

One of the merchants produces the sigil, wrapped in cloth, from an inner pocket of his robe, and sets it in the Priest's waiting hand. The box follows immediately. Wisps of smoky vapor puff upward from the Priest's fingertips as they do so, but the mercha…

I can't stop feeling her face.

Not seeing, feeling. We were so close so often that the shape of her face against mine took on more meaning. The impression derails me during work hours, plagues me at night.

Today I couldn't handle that memory, so I picked …

I want to stop feeling.

As much as I have become aware that humans are not machines, that there is an element to our existence that exceeds simple mechanical repetition, I have never more wanted to embrace the cold hard unfeeling metal and soulless drive …

There is a kind of self loathing that exists beyond the burn of violent hatred and far from spineless apathy, that rests solidly on what can only be described as having become despicable in my own eyes.

It is one of the worst sensations I have ever experi…

Story is marked as mature

When he turned 100, the town wanted to honor his war effort and asked him what he wanted. “I want to see my Betty again” was his reply. With an outpouring of love, the statue of the woman in her young wartime years was built, just as he remembered her. Un…

She is eternally a lady. The creases of her dress will always be perfect. The curl of her hair will always lay just the way it should to catch the eye. She sits on a wrought-iron bench, her legs tucked neatly beneath her. Her hands are pressed in her lap …

The smoke merchants pace along the streets of the Market. The cowls of their grey cloaks are pulled up over their heads, obscuring their features. Everyone who comes to the Market maintains a level of anonymity, but the smoke merchants even more so. The p…