"Hurry," she breathed, sucking the layer of glimmer and light away from my internal countenance entirely.

Lying on the chalky rug covered in footprints, a boy was seizing in my living room . He was drunk. I wasn't. I didn't even know him.

"In the bag," …

Story is marked as mature

It's late and a thin, wispy fog has settled atop the streets. I don't know when it happened. Last I remembered, the sun was mid-set in a darkening sky. Now every street ended in a gray void. Did the fog creep in, floating like some otherworldly horror, or…

Special Report: Use of Coffee Authorised

Casualties are high in the sixth day of heavy fighting here on the desk. Coalition leaders have confirmed that tactical coffee strikes will be used to halt the advance of procrastination forces that remain a thr…

She sighed. Exhausted. Exasperated. Emotionally drained. More than a little demoralized.

And yet. All this and yet she was alive. She was both physically and mentally here. Not absent. Not somewhere else.

She was capable of listening. Of feeling.

Or at…

The cube was less than two inches square, yet somehow heavy enough to thwart Rachael's best efforts at forcing the door. Persistence unrewarded, she knelt and reached her hand through the gap, the appendage instantly transformed by her damaged synapses in…

A storm is approaching

it’s on the horizon

so cover your eyes now

and consume your poison

The harsh winds are blowing

the clouds are rolling in

the good Lord turns his back

as you commit your sins

Run from your problems

run so far away

it makes …

Story is marked as mature

Jennifer waited expectantly for an answer while staring at her phone. Her mum had warned her about talking to strangers on the internet but it was 2018 and the world was far more connected than ever before. Besides it wasn't like she had given her number …

One of the nameless faces in the endless sea of nobodies caught my eye.

Must be nice, I subvocalised. Neural implants in my speech centre picked up the message and squeezed it through a short-range encrypted radio burst.

What, being one of them? cam…

"You're so hard to get a hold of!"

"I've been busy. But I haven't forgotten you."

"When you keep changing your hours at work, people have to adjust their times to call you. I swear your phone was busy for hours! I bet you were swamped with calls once th…

The wind flowed around the street seeking a place safe from the elements, not realizing it was one.

It didn't want to disturb life on the Nepali street in which it currently existed.

It had seen so many things in its vast life. It had existed as long as…

I stood squinting up at the main mast. It was clear sailing and I saw Lookout Lenny in the galley. That meant the crow's nest was empty. I checked over my shoulders and gripped the shroud. I always wanted to do this. The crew did it all the time.

I eased…

Anthony fingered the thick woolen blanket that nearly suffocated him with stuffy heat. The fabric was rough, well-worn from use by his grandmother who had passed it down to his mother. Now it was his.

It was foolish to be wrapped in wool during the hotte…

The night I laid out my heart,

turned my life outside down,

Our relationship had a new start...

Best of friends for so many years,

been through so much together,

at some point, my heart - it interfered.

Patiently - you listened,

as I talked for hours,

I…

A storm is coming. Hear the cold wind blow

What else approaches me with ill intent?

A fear is growing in me, fast, although

I cannot understand the fury's bent.

The fright builds quickly, but my mind is slow

To grasp its meaning, fighting through a h…

Pulsing with the knowledge of our bodies

and power of majesties coursing around every corner,

fragrant and blue-green-red and warm resided in us all.

I can't help but imagine

some vampyric figure picking his teeth

with capillary tubes,

the very same ones …

I wonder if butterflies ever miss their former self

The sturdy roundness of their skin

Their steady progress towards fullfillment

-

I wonder if they mourn that their colorful wings can't be stroked

Or regret the danger of flying

-

I wonder if the progress…

Story is marked as mature

No more the bleary wake to chimes, the racing heart, the fight for time

No more the early morning smile, the secret kiss, the frozen tile

No more the bitter triumph felt at closing of all business dealt

No more the daylight tryst or walk, or waiting for a…

It was only a two-man tent but it was plenty big enough for the girl, her sleeping bag, flashlight, pillow, storybook, and favorite doll. The doll had seen better days, her dress was now off-white, her hair sprouted wildly from the sides of her head leavi…

There are experiences and ideas that we have as children that are vivid and real. Some stick with us for a while before we shed them like dead skin cells. Others live within us dormant; lurking. In my neighborhood, every kid's parents warned us not to go …

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…

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 …

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…