l.j. swann
Bio
PA based aspiring author
i’m probably crying over an empty page
Twitter - @eeljeel
Stories (22)
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The Queen of Seint Loure
"The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished." Jordy's words send a chill through my body. I should have known he would not leave well enough enough alone, should have known he would not volunteer to chaperone my daily activities without a motive. I had done fairly well in dodging him up until this point, but there is only so long you can postpone the inevitable. If it had been anyone else, I would have turned tail and stalked back to the castle. Jordy, as always, is the exemption.
By l.j. swannabout a year ago in Fiction
to be somebody is to be something being a body.
This body has bones. Two hundred and six of them. This body has skin and muscle and nerves--God, the nerves this body has. And I find myself wondering if this body of bones and skin and muscle and nerves has limits. If this body has "yes" and "no". If this body knows "right" from "wrong". How long could I press this body's palm flat to a flame before the flesh melts onto itself and scars a glossy pink? How long can I force the body into submission, flat on its back, before the muscle atrophies and it gets stuck like that forever?
By l.j. swannabout a year ago in Poets
Humpty Dumpty
He knows there are countless metaphors and works of art that explain grief and death, and he knows they’re meant to inspire growth and understanding, but nothing he’s studied or overthought or sought out as an answer has ever made sense to him. Nothing has filled the hole that her absence left. Nothing triggers the acceptance and growth he’s read so much about. His life is still tumbling down and the Earth is still shattering. He tries his best to dumb it down for himself, but grief is riddled with nuance, and he’s never been all too quick on the uptake.
By l.j. swannabout a year ago in Fiction
Sabbatical
If you had asked Amanda Herchel two weeks ago where she pictured herself in two weeks time, she'd probably say something normal like, "Tanned and talking my way out of an airport parking ticket," or, "Nursing a hangover from the vacation bender I'm starting tomorrow." She absolutely would not say, "Ya'know, probably sitting in an interrogation room handcuffed to a table defending some guy I barely know." But here she is. Here she is with stale sunscreen coating her shoulders and dried sand caked between her toes. Here she is using some agent's suit jacket as a pillow. Here she is sitting in an interrogation room defending some guy she barely knows.
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
The Little Things In Life
Life is full of surprises. Surprise tests. Surprise parties. Surprise babies. It's a universally accepted fact at this point. Life can and will surprise you when you least expect it. Case in point: the large capital letters spelling out RESET YOUR PASSWORD that are floating in front of me. Yes, a real, live error message. In front of me. In real life. Surprise!
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
Boxed In
Routine, monotony, predictability--it makes the heart happy. Wake up. Stretch. Breakfast. Brush your teeth. Shower. Get dressed. Make-up, hair. Ready for the day. Read in the sun room. Read in the kitchen. Lunch with Arnie. Read in the sun room. Dinner. TV. Brush your teeth. Bed.
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
Bower vs Stateview
Marky Bower would like you to know that he wasn't aware of the extracurriculars associated with Night Crew when he took the position. He thought it'd be walking the halls and exhibits, making sure tanks were in tact and all animals were accounted for. He used to love coming to Stateview Aquarium with his classmates and walking the exhibits and sticking his hand into chilled water tanks with little to no thought. And, really, he thought it'd be a whole lot of watching overhead lights reflect off water. He thought the worst that would happen was some teens breaking in after hours, sneaking around him Breakfast Club style, and begging him not to call their parents as he walked them out the front door.
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
