Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Pomegranate
Jemima was 10 years old and could not remember a moment in her life when she had not been hungry. She knew her father worked hard to earn money, but she also knew that not a lot of it made it into her mothers worn leather purse, so there was rarely much food on the table and her two older brothers were quick to grab what there was. When she tried to fight them for her share, her mother stopped her saying that the boys needed it more than they did as they must grow into strong men, girls shouldn't eat too much anyway, no one wants a fat wife. After helping her mother clean the kitchen Jemima would lie in her bed telling her rumbly tummy to be quiet as she imagined the delicious meals she would make when she was a grown up and never have to share.
By Rebecca Speirs5 years ago in Families
Little Black Book
Shakti stared at her book and wept tears of joy knowing that she would never forsake her - she couldn't. She'd never before allowed herself space to grieve for all she had lost, her thin, calloused fingers cramping as she torqued them against the threadbare stained cover. Inside, her memories, her beloved letters from Jahad on tissue-thin paper, the yellow flower pressed by Mama when she was five, tucked inside as bookmark, were all she had left from another land and time. She knew the well-worn journal would protect her treasures, they had seen her through the worst part of the last trip possible here. The bittersweet anguish could not hurt her precious diary, nor the spider-webbed pleas she had etched inside day and night. This little black book was holy writ - and hers alone to carry forward.
By Julian Grant5 years ago in Families
Sunday Mornings
Sunday mornings were the most beautiful time of the week. Of that, she was convinced. An early riser: age no longer permitting the much longed for 8 hours of dreamful escape that it once had, she would awaken at first light and quietly make her way down the stairs to her kitchen, tiptoeing as if in an attempt not to wake the world as it lay paralysed and unconscious around her. Any sound that filled this silent world would not only be an annoyance but an unwelcome alert, commanding men, women and children across the globe to awaken into the panic of everyday life. But not in this house – a two story, forest-wrapped haven tucked away in the outskirts of another concrete jungle.
By Callum Wareing-Smith5 years ago in Families
The Count of Three
“Tom!” “What?” Tom yelled. “Tom!” “What is it?” he yelled again, then cursed under his breath. He ran to the window, hoping there was some other Tom around. Alas, his sister Lindsey was in the street, staring up at him. She waved, her normal way, so energetic — but she was not smiling. He waved back, slightly confused, but the ritual was the same as other times. She wanted him to get in the car.
By Trenton Anthony5 years ago in Families
Her first day training
Her dad was a Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac and she was rat. The two in their family we similar in stature, strength, and character. Also, according to the zodiac the Dragon and the Rat signs did not get along with the signs of her mother and brother. She did not know this until she started her martial arts path. As a child she liked to play outside, feeling the energy of the earth and the wind. She watched water in wonder of it's varying states and how it interacted with what was around it. She would hop from rock to rock testing her balance and agility, little did she know that this would all help a few years later. Her brother stayed inside on his computer and they never played together.
By Yuki Tanaka5 years ago in Families
