Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Adventures at the Palacio
Eighteen months in Estoril and Deeva still felt out of place. Working at the Palacio Hotel, she fit it about as well as a kitten living in an aquarium. She spoke just enough Portuguese to get by and even then she feared her Australian accent stuck out in all the worst ways. It was ungainly, awkward. Not the elegant, aristocratic elocution of the wealthy British tourists who spent holidays there, gambling and drinking away their trust funds without a care.
By Aliah T. Gill5 years ago in Criminal
Circuit
Streams of light flutter through the cracks of makeshift cardboard blinds and hit me at the center of my face. I shift around the cold cement below me and tug on the torn-up sleeves of my shirt and pretend that they provide warmth. My eyelashes bind together as I work hard to sluggishly open my eyes. The sun says good morning as the light slowly makes its way down my body, warming every inch on its way down. This is my favorite time of the day. It's the only time of the day that I can be present. The only time that my circumstances don't fester in my mind, creating a chain reaction of disappointment and misinterpreted reality. The only time that I feel good enough just as I am. I think it's the consistency of the sun rising every morning and laying her warm hands on my body as if to say, "you are seen, and you are loved." The moment is short, but it's the closest thing to perfection that I have come across in this life.
By Elizabeth Cui5 years ago in Criminal
A Pocketful of Hope
I was walking home with a belly full of expensive food and a head full of questions. The questions weren’t about to get answered any time soon. I’d be better off drowning them with the cheap whisky back at the office. Didn’t just rot your guts, it silenced all questions and a nagging conscience too. If the money in my pocket hadn’t been a cheque, I’d probably have stopped in the first bar I found and seen how much of it I could drink through before I passed out. I guess The Guy knew me better than I first thought.
By Hedy Lewis5 years ago in Criminal
One Ticket Out
“...one necktie, one black leather belt, one pencil, broken in half, and one pocket sized notebook, empty.” The guard was flipping through the pages, enjoying his last moments of power over Inmate K04111. “Hell, that is one empty notebook. All that time, bet you really could’ve filled this thing up, huh Inmate?” Joseph finished buckling his belt and took the book from the guard. “Outmate.” he said. “The hell outta here, anyway. As soon as I get the money I had when y’all put me in here, that is.”
By 5 years ago in Criminal
Coffee Confession
There was a secret in the Spring Beans cafe that only Andy and a select few customers knew. It was there waiting, it’s black spine distinct enough for the curious, to be plucked from the coffee stained hand-me down books that lined the corner of the café. A confessional for the coffee addict and day dreamer who found themselves alone in the reading corner; With the bookshelf and cosy armchair and table facing toward the window it gave the customer a privacy the rest of the café lacked. Every evening, after locking up and saying goodbye to Michelle and Lucas, he would go and read the confessional. It was a ritual he delighted in. Taking the black leather book from the shelf, he would rub his fingers on the cover like a priest patting their bible.
By Harley Holland5 years ago in Criminal
The Gift
The Gift by Karen D. Hall The police officer hung up the phone before I did, I moved the phone from my ear and just looked at it. This can’t be right; it has to be some sort of mistake. I quickly shake off the shock, drop my phone in my pocket and get in my car. My heart is beginning to pound from excitement and this sunny day seems a whole lot brighter now.
By Karen Hall5 years ago in Criminal
Small Books, Big Money
It was Wednesday evening when Jerome was walking down Harmony Street. The sun was setting, and the sky was shades of fuchsia, peach, lavender and a dark reddish orange color. Usually, he loved to see it but not today, today he was sad and angry to see it. “Jerome ! Jerome !” He heard from down the street. When he turned around, he saw his homeboy Tran running up to him. Jerome and Tran had been best friends since they were babies. They were born two hours apart, in rooms next to each other since their mother’s had been in the maternity ward together. Since then, their families had become great friends, and Tran wanted Jerome to marry his sister Iesha.
By Camdyn Red5 years ago in Criminal
