Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
Memories In The Room
Stepping from her car, into the early morning, Ronnie took a deep breath as if she could inhale courage from the rising haze. How long has it been since she saw this house? Since she was in this gravel driveway that dispassionately delivered skinned knees on a regular basis? A memory came to her, something Mammah would say when she could tell Ronnie was waffling on a decision or task. There she was- standing in the kitchen at the counter between the stove and sink, somehow already knowing that Ronnie was there.
By M. Bornhoffer5 years ago in Families
Born Without A Father
I was born without a father. Like Jesus? Nope. Where Jesus had the ethereal God father and virgin mother, I had a mother who was too angry, vindictive, and some level of scared to list my father on my birth certificate. There was also a theory from my sister that since my mother had cheated on my father with his roommate, she wasn’t exactly sure whose child I was. I was there, but not in any cognitive capacity to shed light on it. And…. naturally, it’s a bit of a touchy subject. I did drunkenly call my mother once to ask her if she’d slept with Willy, my dad’s old roommate.
By Elizabeth Hunter5 years ago in Families
The Barn Owl
It was autumn the day she died. It wasn’t cold like the depths of autumn can get around here, but certainly passed the line of summer. Like a true change of the season, it rained in the morning and had a chill in the air that made me think it might be time to start putting away the furniture on the back patio. By the afternoon though, the sun was out but the air was crisp. Yellow and burnt orange leaves had already started their descent and I made my way to the barn outback to get the rake and start the dreaded seasonal chore.
By Irene Dube5 years ago in Families
The Yellow House
Snow covered the rolling hills surrounding a lone farmhouse. The faded and chipped yellow paint standing out like a beacon. The only other color in the area was the faded red barn behind the house. Smoke rose from the chimney of the house into the air. The sounds of the various animals in the barn were the only thing breaking the peaceful quiet. Marie sat in her favorite rocking chair near the window that looked out into the empty hills.
By Becca Johnson5 years ago in Families
The Rebirth of Life After Loss
To anyone seeing Annie this morning, today was an as mundane day as any other. Annie cinched up Scout, the newest addition to the barn, and her mind moseyed to a memory long forgotten. At the age of twelve, Annie and Sarah, her twin, roamed to the ranch's furthest reach. The day had just begun to dawn, and Sarah was feeling adventurous, as usual, and Annie was eager for the expedition. Riding for whole days was nothing new the Annie and Sarah, but today the time trickled, and by noon, they had made it to the creek on the border of their property.
By Jessica Nicole Williams5 years ago in Families
To Love A Winged Thing
Fred had never known a person to love owls the way Alice did. He knew women sometimes seemed to pluck an arbitrary animal out of the pool of nondescript interests to serve as a placeholder for any actual personality, and he had always found it rather trite. But Alice loved owls, really loved them, loved birds of all kinds, actually. Alice had an owl as a pet growing up, a massive gray Boreal female, creatively christened Hoot. A peculiar choice in childhood companions, but foundational nonetheless. Pet was perhaps not an entirely apt description, as the owl was free to roam where it pleased, but Alice insisted that it had always returned to her eventually. Fred withheld his ironic remark when she had told him that particular anecdote, because Alice was so much the same; always flitting off to another time or place or even train of thought, leaving him behind. But she returned, every time, and that was what mattered, in the end. He thought he rather understood her thing about owls- there was some kind of careful pride in being the force that made the wild bend, in being shown that you were strong enough to overpower nature itself. Of course in the end, he learned he had been wrong about pretty much everything, but unfortunately, that epiphany is one we all must have before we can start to get anything right.
By Julia Jorgensen5 years ago in Families
Huddy's Little Feather
The boy found a feather resting on a heap of hay. He admired it. He cherished its rustic patterns of brown and white, like the earthy soil resting on the placated snow. He was fascinated with its size and its silky texture. The boy had never encountered such allure. He placed the feather in his little straw hat and gathered the firewood for his Pa and Momma.
By Nolan Frontera5 years ago in Families
The Owl That Took Me There
It was miserably cold but as he kept his hands around my waist, I couldn’t help but feel warm and secure. Now, most people (if they knew) would ask me why are you sharing your soul with 1. Someone you barely know. 2. In such an odd place? My reason is exceptional. Sexual intercourse is my stress reliever. It takes my mind off particular things that trouble me. I know it comes off as slutty but what people don’t know won’t hurt them, right? Especially my brother if he ever found out I was having casual sex, or sex period he would-
By Madison Charmaine5 years ago in Families
