Rae Fairchild (MRB)
Bio
I love to write; putting pen to paper fills my heart and calms my soul!
Rae Fairchild is my pen name. (Because why not? Pseudonyms are cool!)
I do publish elsewhere under my real name, M.R.B.
Stories (113)
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Hidden Amongst the Cattails
The words of a nearly one-month-old newspaper headline screamed across the page, its bold letters seething with anger. “Prominent St. James figure accused of sexual abuse: former alter boys speak out on allegations from decades past!” A picture of my younger brother John smiled from underneath it. I just stared down at it as I felt a nauseous feeling twinge in my stomach. I slid the top newspaper off the pile and saw another headline just like it. “Prominent town figure also led Boy Scout troop: former members allege abuse there as well.” I slid that paper off to the side too.
By Rae Fairchild (MRB)2 years ago in Chapters
Examining My First Story
The recent fairytale challenge on Vocal had me digging deep into my computer’s memory to find a story that I wrote almost twenty years ago. It was a short story about a young girl who finds a coin in her washing machine on a very hot summer day. She makes a wish on it and it comes true; the temperature drops by twenty degrees! With a second load of laundry, she finds another coin in the machine and makes a wish on that one as well. That second wish is for an awesome thirteenth birthday.
By Rae Fairchild (MRB)2 years ago in Writers
A Children's Book Called Sister Anne's Hands
“Roses are red, violets are blue. Don’t let Sister Anne get any black on you.” Decades later, I can still remember that line. It comes from the children’s book Sister Anne’s Hands, written by Marybeth Lorbiecki and beautifully illustrated by K. Wendy Popp. My mother would always read to me when I was little and this book was one of her favorites. I didn’t have an epiphany at six years old when it was first read to me. And as an adult, I didn’t have an epiphany either when I re-read it to write this piece. It is hard to say that this book “changed me.” Rather, I would call this story a stepping-stone on the path that I try and walk today, its poignant message carried well past the age of reader the pages are targeted towards.
By Rae Fairchild (MRB)2 years ago in BookClub
The Washing Bucket That Was a Wishing Well
The sun beat down on Elizabeth’s back as she plunged the paddle into the dirty clothes sitting in the wooden washing bucket. With a great heave of her shoulders, she hoisted up the kettle of hot water off the fire and carefully tipped the water into the bucket. Grabbing the paddle, she spun the laundry around, turning it over, before throwing in a few handfuls of grated soap. Her younger brother William sat in the shady shadow of an oak tree, leaning against its trunk. He hummed as he grated more soap for the washing, his bare feet scrunching up the green grass. Sweat dripped from Elizabeth’s brow as steam rose up to her face.
By Rae Fairchild (MRB)2 years ago in Fiction
Aliens: A Critique
Ripley’s second round with the xenomorph has it all! ACTION PACKED! Badass colonial marines, cute kid, weird robot guy. And of course monsters, more monsters. Bigger and badder. Ripley in Caterpillar Power Loader exoskeleton machine fights massive alien queen. Best sequel ever made. Dare I say, better than the original?
By Rae Fairchild (MRB)2 years ago in Critique
