Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
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Late afternoon sun slips between the plastic slats of the blinds, painting parallel lines in the room. The stripes melt over the edge of the mattress and land on the floor, getting wider and wider as they go. I sit on the bed, watching my grandfather. They moved him to the “rehabilitation center” today (it’s not a nursing home, everyone insists) after spending time in the hospital. I know this is a turning point in our lives. He won’t go home again.
By Paula J Peckham5 years ago in Families
The Devil Face Dollar Bill
It had been a week since the passing of my beloved grandmother and four days since saying said my final goodbyes at the funeral. She was my favourite person and would continue to hold that title until my dying day. She had had a good life living to the age of ninety-nine, only a month shy of her hundredth birthday. I had taken the task of going through all the belongings in her home, though this was done out of love, it was also so I could possibly find the diary she had left me in her will. I had felt a sense of honour being left the diary of a woman who had led such a full life, and yet no one knew where she kept such a cherished item. The final evening of my stay in the house, I decided that I would sleep in her bed as the couch was starting to put a permanent kink in my neck. To some, the thought of sleeping in the bed where their grandmother had quietly passed in her sleep may have seemed morbid or obscure in the least, but after outfitting it with clean sheets and my favourite comforter that I brought from home, I felt more at peace than I had the entire week.
By Tara Gerhart5 years ago in Families
There's Gold in Them Thar, Peaches?
It was getting late and mama was calling for us to come home. It was summer 1975. I was out with my brother and sister. We had put our money together and bought a metal detector to find some treasures buried out back. You see, we live in a small town in California, called Pollock Pines. It used to be a gold mining town and we were going to strike it rich. Mama thinks we're being foolish, but daddy was optimistic. He said if we struck it rich, that we would have to start paying rent. We were good with that. We were out every day, all day. But so far only a few coins and a rusty old bucket. But mama started calling us just as we started digging in a new spot. This could be it. We could be rich. My sister ran to the house to let mama know we would be in soon, and to grab a flashlight.
By Connie Sahlin5 years ago in Families
Together We Go
My mother has died. And like thousands of others, because of Covid, she is gone without ceremony. Although shattered by the suddenness, my pain is alleviated because she escaped an otherwise long and painful death. Identifying her body at the funeral home cocooned in PPE was traumatic. Leaving her 77 year old dead body in a frigid, sterile white basement, alone on a steel slab other deceased bodies had no doubt visited, felt unforgivable. My sorrow took me to bed for days.
By Geraldine Lloyd5 years ago in Families
The Black book
Waiting patiently for the train at 11 p.m. can be a little dangerous for a girl or a woman at the train station in Kolkata. The Indian roads, train stations, bus stations and other public areas are not safe as a developed country like Canada specially for any female. I saw my mother anxiously checking our surrounding constantly. I think she is more worried about my safety than her. Working 9 hours shift straight every day to meet our ends meets exhaust her enough but she never complaints. I asked her that night, if she does not get tired working everyday both at home and at work. She smiled and said “No honey, one day it will all get paid off and it will worth it”. My little 8-year-old self, did not know what that meant that night. Before I could ask what that meant, we heard the train coming. The steam train sound is pretty loud and the high speed blow a little wind that gives you a little chilli before the train stops. My mom grabbed my hand and started walking hastily towards the train as the local train does not stop for too long. But before we could board the train, I saw a black book dropping from my mom’s purse. I let my mom hand go and ran to pick up the black book. My mom started shouting as she did not know what and why I was doing it and was afraid we are going to miss the last local. She did not see me picking up the book but started to walk again towards the train when she saw me running towards her. My mom ensured we both boarded the train safely. My mom got a little upset and she scolded me with a heavy voice, “You could have gotten hurt. You should not have let my hand go like that, what was so important?” I panicked and got scared so I did not say anything and hide the book behind my back. Seeing me like that she sighed a little down and did not bring it up later. I decided, I will give her the book when we reach home and after she calms down. We safely reached home however I completely forgot about the book by that time. That night like every other night, my mom hugged me while I fell asleep into her lap. Next day at school, when I opened my backpack to take out my books, I saw the black book which reminded me that I completely forgot to give it back. Now that I think of, I saw her with this book couple of times but she never answered me of what she was writing or what is in it. I took it out and with a lot of hesitation and a little courage mixed with a lot of curiosity, I opened it. I saw a list but she made a lot of mistake in there. She rewrotes a lot of sentences like she cut the line for “a new saree” and rewrote “her tuition fee”, she rewrote the line “a world tour” with “saving for her marriage”. I did not quite understand why she made so many mistakes. Then when I went home, I slowly slide the black book underneath her pillow. I saw her taking it out later and she sighed a little but I did not say anything as she did not ask anything. It has been 18 years since that incident. Now I know how my mom prioritized my needs and wants over her needs. It has been 5 years, she sent me to Canada with all the money she had to study and I have been trying my best since to work in order to make a living and paying my own tuition. Even though it has been hard to save money as everything is expensive and immigration laws allow you to work only certain number of hours per week under certain conditions, I am still trying my best to pay for my own tuition. The first 1.5 years was covered by my mom and I have not asked her any money after that. As I know she has been working very hard to meet our family needs back at home and with no helping hand it is very tough. However, this could be the answer to all, a lotto max cheque of $20,000 in my hand. I never thought I could win a lottery but this could be it. I have only a year left for my graduation. This might not cover the whole thing but this will help me to invest in myself. I have been researching all possible way on how I can ensure I have a job that pays more than minimum wage that will help me for my tuition even with limited hours. I heard truck company pays more than other companies and this could be my opportunity. I have been trying my best to save for the training but it costs so much. I have not said this to too many people as girl like me do not get much encouragement from their community. They always openly express their doubt and demotivate. The only think motivating me right now is my mom, who showed me a girl can do anything she sets her mind to. So, I have been slowly climbing the tree of requirements and all I have left is to do the training that will cost me almost $6000 to $8000. My heart is beating so fast right now and I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins. I need to get a hold of myself. I already planned how best I can invest this money on me and how my tax return will get affected before I picked up the cheque. Therefore, now the first thing to do is deposit the cheque and then go with the plan. Even though I am a little overwhelmed but my prior planning will help me not to use the money inefficiently. All I needed was a chance to prove and now I got the chance to prove. Once I graduate and get that permanent job, I am going to make all of the mistakes on that little book happen one by one. They are not mistake; they are someone’s dreams that got lost. By Tara Mallik
By Tara Mallik5 years ago in Families
A Mother's Gift
A persistent knock at the door stirred me awake. It took nearly a minute for my eyes to focus. My alarm clock read six pm. I almost accomplished my goal of sleeping the day away. It’s my twenty-first birthday, a bittersweet day for a variety of reasons. My mother died five years ago today leaving me with horrible birthday memories and a strong desire to skip the day completely. I pushed my blanket back and went through the ritual of a long stretch, rubbing sleep from my eyelids and sliding into my fuzzy slippers. Half dazed I shuffled to the door to find no one there. Seconds before slamming the door shut my eyes caught a glimpse of a brown box positioned in the center of the doorway.
By Kessa Baylor5 years ago in Families
Lucy And The Cow
Chapter 1 Lucy woke up so excited because today she and her mother were going to visit the farm! As soon as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she jumped out of bed and quickly ran to the washroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She had a huge smile on her face, which made brushing her teeth very tricky. Once she was done, she quickly dried her face then ran back to her bedroom to get dressed.
By Paranormal One5 years ago in Families
