Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Chapters.
Work-Appropriate (?) Fashion Decisions
There’s nothing like digging through the mystery boxes that live in out-of-the-way nooks to remind a person of forgotten moments. Photos, pieces of carefully folded and saved paper, business cards, name tags, and stray articles of clothing.
By Judey Kalchik 2 years ago in Chapters
Among the Fallen
The dead were arranged in orderly rows, their naked forms sprawled amidst the grimy mud and freshly upturned earth. The cries and pleas of the wounded fell upon deaf ears, their torment ignored by the victorious forces who carried out their tasks with methodical precision. The enemy's bodies were systematically stripped down to bare flesh. At the same time, their weapons and armour were callously cast into a growing, disorderly pile.
By Craig Grant2 years ago in Chapters
Truth or Consequences
(Content warning: mentions of bullying and violence) A new day dawns. As I’m sitting down to breakfast, I turn on my phone and open Facebook. I mindlessly scroll, and it’s not long until I see it. Some article about some celebrity being canceled for some transgression that happened some time ago. It’s the same thing every morning: the one-sided narrative, the half-truths, the cruel assumptions. If the article itself doesn’t get me riled up, the comments section does. It’s an endless wall of people condemning the article’s subject with death threats or other creative punishments that far outweigh the accusation itself. Or else, they condemn anyone who dares support the accused to the same.
By Morgan Rhianna Bland2 years ago in Chapters
Road to Admittance. Content Warning.
It takes a lot for a person to admit they need help and for me, it took me to lose everything I knew to finally admit to myself that I needed help. I purposely pretended to be fine, denied others reasoning to be concerned and refused to seek help because I selfishly didn't want it. I isolated myself because deep down, I knew nobody around me would be able to understand exactly how I felt. The pain in my chest and my suppressed anger, hurt and confusion all joined up together and made my thoughts become somebody I didn't recognize and often feared. My best friends, Trinity and Briana, knew I was getting worse every time the school bell rang and I had to make my way back home. They knew I had finally given up fighting my depression for my sexual abuse and my mother’s neglect; 5 years was too long to keep trying after the 9 years of abuse. And unfortunately there wasn't much they could do when they looked into my eyes and didn't see the real me anymore as I told them “ I’m okay guys. I’m used to it. Go home, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Reluctantly, we would turn away from each other and walk away and I knew they knew the whispered “ Maybe ” came uttering from my mouth causing unshed tears to gather in our eyes. The sinister me was waiting to welcome me in its arms as soon as I walked in my home and trudged up the steps to the sanctuary of my room. My mental health was in shambles but I wasn't going to admit that to anyone, even myself. It wasn’t until I was alone in a hospital room where everything changed for me.
By Yvonaé Dessus2 years ago in Chapters
Time
I had two choices: Cry a bit longer and risk the whites of my eyes and puffiness around not having enough time to go back to normal, or push the feelings aside and try to focus on something else. The former would have made sense. I had about 20 minutes until my clients would arrive - 5 more minutes to cry, 5 minutes to fix my makeup and 10 minutes to put the mask back on, with its painted smile across it.
By Sabrina Rupolo2 years ago in Chapters
Returning Home for the First Time. Runner-Up in Chapters Challenge.
It had been almost two years since I had been back home. The drive from the airport in Anchorage to the high school in Seward took less than two hours as it was summer, and the road was free of the usual snow and ice that covered it nine out of twelve months of the year. Every curve in the road was familiar.
By Lena Beana2 years ago in Chapters
The imposition
Dear reader, as what follows is a chapter from the middle of my memoir, permit me to offer some needed detail. Otherwise, you may find yourself wondering what the hell is going on. First, an introduction. I was born a New Yorker who, owing to circumstances beyond my control, was raised from before memory by loving but occasionally error-prone American parents in London.
By Pitt Griffin2 years ago in Chapters
Chapter 22.
As I lie on the warm ground, I am captivated by the paradise glistening across the dark sky. Tranquility washes over me, allowing my lungs to fill with a breath I have been longing for. There is a peace in the night I cannot seem to find anywhere else. Although these moments seem fleeting, I crave them with a fire that encapsulates my soul. It seems idiosyncratic to feel calm in the umbra of night when my days are filled with shadows lurking in places I can’t see. Preparation evades me. How do you fight shadows in the absence of light?
By Alycia Williams2 years ago in Chapters
