Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Surrender
Margaret pressed her ear against the door. “Hear anything?” She held up her hand, signalling Jerry to be quiet. She closed her eyes, straining to hear through the wood. Jerry paced across the small room behind her. She concentrated on tuning out the dull thud thud thud of his footsteps. Her teeth clenched, biting back a sharp “Shut up!”. If she made any noise at all this close to the door, they might hear her.
By Laura Melvin5 years ago in Families
Disguised Curse of the Little Black Book
Deep in the heart of central Texas was a legend passed down from generations to generations. This is no ordinary legend. For you see, the chain of custody was about to be broken between generations that unleashed an unsuspecting and disguised curse upon unbelieving and selfish family members. Several family members laughed about the legend and decided they would share their family legend with others in the local community. The town elder, a woman by the name Knownaw, which means mother of knowing the truth, warned the family if they revealed the legend to outsiders of the family, a curse will be set in motion and the family potentially will lose its legacy.
By Dr. Carlette Satterwhite5 years ago in Families
The Freckled Indian
Today marks the day one month after my grandma died and three weeks after my grandpa died. My grandma died just one week after my grandpa from a heart attack. The doctors say that her body might have given up due to the stress from the death of my grandpa. She loved him so much that her body simple would not let her live without him. My brother Aloo and I decided to go through their attic today.
By Miranda Mandadi Laxman5 years ago in Families
Happy Birthday
The doorbell rang. I might have already been awake; sometimes it was hard to tell. My westie, Captain Pickles, had commandeered the covers and couldn’t be bothered by the chime. He gave me a single eye lift, but even that seemed like too much effort.
By Nicole DiMattei5 years ago in Families
On Reading
SNOW was the first word I recall learning to read. I was around three years old in the early 1970’s and had a wonderful contraption called a Fischer Price school desk. It had large cards with holes in them that the chunky, plastic alphabet letters that are still stuck to refrigerators all over America today, nestled into perfectly. Each cutout card spelled a three-to-five letter word and had a simple sentence and picture to match drawn upon the face of the card. The SNOW card was my favorite. Living in southern Louisiana at the time, snow was not something I ever remembered experiencing first-hand. Something about the smiling snowman in his warm scarf and hat looking on as children played with their dog in the falling snow and deep drifts always made me long to play in the snow. I can close my eyes and picture that card with the letters so lovingly placed in the holes. It’s one of my earliest memories and is as clear as the day I first played with the cards.
By Kellie Griffin5 years ago in Families
Iris
Me an’ Bobby an’ my eight-year old daughter, Kylie, were staying with my sister. She got a double wide set up at the Shady Acres in Leb’non. It was real nice. Maybe there weren’t as much room with us being there and all, but we was doing okay. Ev’rybody was getting along pretty good, right up til Bobby lost his job. That’s when she put us out. All of us. Me. Bobby. An’ Kylie.
By Haze Medley5 years ago in Families
The Ride of Your Life
The Ride of Your Life It was just another day in the summer of 1956 in the small Hunter Valley town of Huntlee. Some people would not even call this a town! It had a general store that sold just about everything, a garage, a repair shop, and a milk bar popular with the locals. That was Huntlee.
By Paul Doherty5 years ago in Families
Hollow dreams
Fall 2020 . It’s grey and gloomy outside and the wind seems to enjoy dancing around the trees. I put on my thin sweater as I look out my window , knowing I’ll be shivering as soon as I step outside . I blow out the candle i keep lit on my dining room table everyday .
By Sheyla Gonzalez5 years ago in Families
The Matriarch's Notebook
Pages faded gold, splayed, spewing from its torn black cover, sprawled forgotten on a dust heap in the far corner of the garret, it lay barely visible in the growing shadows of sundown. How odd, I thought, to find this small but unsightly mess in an otherwise pristine, perfectly appointed house, staged for sale; an oversight I guessed by that ambitious realtor who had seen to every other detail with annoying gusto. Drawn to the curved bay windows overlooking the street 3 stories below, I knelt on the century old bench. Oh, what people might have seen from this perch a hundred years ago when the house was first built, by the pretentious looking people whose portraits still hung in its marbled foyer. My late, very single father, estranged from his family for most of his life, and all of mine, never spoke of them. Though a few of those immortalized bore maybe the slightest of resemblances to either of us, from my point of view, they may as well have been Martians. Turning to sit, I realized that this garret was likely built and outfitted for the servants of the house, simply, elegantly, cozily, nestled in its eaves. My eyes were drawn along the wall of fresh pink paint and then back to the annoying corner debris, probably left for removal when the faded floral carpeting was replaced with something far more modern. With idle curiosity, I decided to take a look at the discarded notebook which when shaken free of dust and wood chips, appeared to be an old journal with curled, fragile fading pages of loopy handwriting. Scanning a few, I noticed that most entries ended “Yours, Judith.” Judith. Judith? Had I not seen that name in the portrait gallery below? Intriguing! As I hurried down the winding stairways to each landing,I was careful with my new prize, which moments before had been trash. The steps ended at the foyer with its glistening marble floor, and vast gallery of family portraits. Ok, so which of you chic, bejeweled, coiffed ladies might be Judith?
By Rosanna Pittella5 years ago in Families
