A. J. Schoenfeld
Bio
I only write about the real world. But if you look close enough, you'll see there's magic hiding in plain sight everywhere.
Achievements (9)
Stories (96)
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The Old Crone in the Mirror
The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. It couldn't be me. My mind cried in pain as I tried to comprehend what I saw before me. The woman staring back at me wore the same purple sweater, golden teardrop earrings, and oval pendant necklace as I did. She even had the same heart-shaped face, dimpled chin, and high cheekbones. Her deep set blue eyes had the same flecks of turquoise, long eyelashes, and arched brows. Like me, she had her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. But her skin hung loose around her chin and sunk in a bit too much below her cheekbones. Creases spread like spider webs at the edges of her tired eyes and lined her high forehead. Silver streaked through her curly black hair. The woman in the mirror had clearly lived decades longer than me. Seeing myself aged beyond my years made my heart race and I gasped for breath as I stared in awe at the woman who wasn’t me in the mirror.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Horror
The Owl
No one knows I'm here. No one ever has to know I was ever here. Brett frantically wiped the counter, the doorknobs, his wine glass, erasing the past few hours. What else? His heart pounded as his eyes flitted around the room. Lightswitch, box of chocolate, record player…Is that everything?
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Horror
Norma's Clouds
Every night at midnight the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. No one else ever seemed to notice them, but they always mesmerized Norma. She would stare out the window at night and watch them in the pale light of the moon as they flitted around twisting into beautiful shapes reminiscent of powerful dragons, ships of exploration, majestic castles, graceful ballerinas, and a thousand other things. She imagined herself floating among the wispy formations flying on the back of a fire breathing beast, perched in the crow’s nest of a creaky wooden vessel, gazing out from the window of the tallest tower, spinning and leaping on her tippy toes, or embarking on many other adventures. She would whisper her gratitude to the clouds at night, grateful for the momentary escape from reality before drifting off to sleep where the purple clouds wrapped her in their comforting embrace and pulled her deeper into her imagination until morning.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Fiction
Final Farewell
"If the walls could talk what stories they'd tell," Josie thought as she walked through the familiar front door. It felt strange to be here again after so many years. Everything had changed, the furniture was gone, the pictures no longer hung on the walls, the smell of fresh baked bread didn't permeate the air. Yet, everything felt exactly the same.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Fiction
L'Enfer Du Paradis
I couldn't tell you how I got here. I wasn't whisked away by fairy dust or tornados. I didn't crawl through a looking glass or a wardrobe. Nope, it was nothing like that. One minute I was sitting at my desk pouring over the latest financial reports and the next thing I knew I was sitting in soft white sand. The constant rumble of my Co-workers chatting and typing suddenly stopped, replaced by the gentle sound of waves crashing on the shore. The soft glow of an afternoon sun replaced the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights. Rather than the stiff and uncomfortable pantsuit I'd put on this morning, I was now wearing a lightweight white sundress that flowed elegantly to my bare feet and tied at my neck, leaving my shoulders to be kissed by sunshine.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Fiction
