fact or fiction
Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about our family dynamics, traditions, and if there's such thing as a 'perfect family.'
The Mouse and the Barn Owl
Carrie was sick of the snow. Two days of shivering and nearly starving were plenty. Had she not skillfully removed the cheese wedge from the mouse trap, she would have starved. She could tell by the cramps and pains that labor was close at hand. To add to her misery, a barn owl had made its way into the barn.
By Jim Clevenger5 years ago in Families
Lost and Found
My wife was struggling through labor with my daughter. The doctors told us it's causing too much stress on our little girl who was to be born, and that one of them will not make it. I didn't know what to do or how to stay strong for my wife while she was battling to keep them both alive. I stayed by her side the whole time, it gave her the strength needed. We had a child, Sova.
By Sonny jacobs5 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 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
Blood Jewel Hills
MAGIC ISN'T ALWAYS FAIRY DUST Boozizi woke up before the sun peered over the hills. The tiny chi-mah-shas chirped loudly from the window, echoing their soothing songs throughout his room. Chi-mah-shas were colorful songbirds with chirps that harmonized eventfully; during mating season their songs were celebratory and soothing like a symphony. Boozizi took a deep breath and stretched. His bones cracked, releasing tension.
By Jalisa Moonstone5 years ago in Families
The Tiniest Mouse meets mrs Too
I am going to tell you the story of a little mouse that lives under the seat in our garden. It is not an ordinary seat but a row of garden slabs propped on a small wall of bricks and then against the house extension. It ended just before the kitchen door on the right and where the bricks met the wall there was the tiniest of holes and this is where Mrs M lived with her husband and babies.
By Suzanne Harvey5 years ago in Families
Bold Silence
The silence of night’s eerie nature brings forth a desire to take a stroll down the paths commonly used by cyclists and joggers during the active day. As I walk along the path that leads to the park. I use the time effectively, and while relaxing I consider the options and opportunities for me to evaluate in my life. Walking with focused thoughts on how I should cultivate my ambition further than what I am currently doing.
By Natasha P.5 years ago in Families
Kristen's POV
"ANSWER ME!" I yelled as I ran over to Kailey's seem to be, lifeless body. "What did you do to her?" I asked as tears began to roll down my cheeks. John and her mother were completely quiet. I looked up at them only to see that they were in utter shock. "Did you guys do this?" I asked, almost screaming. "We didn't mean too." Her mother said, "she was being so disrespectful and she was cursing at me, and then one thing led to another." She explained. "I don't believe you," I said as I looked around the room only to see Kailey's phone leaning against the door. I crawled over to it to call for some help and saw that someone was already on the line. I looked back and saw that they were watching me, so I got up and told them that I'll be right back. "Okay," they answered, almost in sync. I went outside to talk to the person who went by the name of Aunt Chelle. "Hello?" I said. "Hi, what is going on? Is she okay? Who is this?" She asked, with complete fret flooding her voice. "I'm her best friend, Kristen. No, she's not okay...she's unconscious. I have to call the cops. I can't leave her any longer up there with those people." I said, almost ready to click the end button. "Alright, I'm gonna take a flight. I'll text her phone, let me know if anything else happens." She says. "Okay, gotta go!" I said as I hung up and called the cops. I waited patiently for them to answer. "Hello, what is your emergency?" The guy on the other end of the phone asked. I quickly told him what I saw and the address of the house and then hung up. I quickly ran upstairs only to see them standing in the same position, staring at Kailey. "What are you guys just standing there for?" I asked in utter anger. Not a word came out of their mouth. I shook my head and sat on the floor next to her as I pulled her up to the point where her head can rest on my lap. I stared at her as I began to cry. "Everything is gonna be okay. I promise" I whispered and continued to cry. Shortly after, I heard the sirens. I was so happy. In just two point five seconds, two men ran up the stairs taking Kailey away from me. I got up and ran down the stairs with them. As I was walking out of the door, another man stopped me. "Hey, miss. How are you?" He asked. "Not so good, her mom and her fiancé are upstairs. I'm pretty sure they did this. Hurry!" I said while wiping my tears, and off he went and another one followed behind him. I continued on my way to the ambulance truck and sat in there with Kailey and the doctor. It almost felt like years went by before we finally reached the hospital. Everyone was moving so fast; almost like a movie scene. I tried to keep up with the doctors. While they were quickly running into the emergency room, I received a call. It was Chelle, Kailey's Aunt. "Hello?" I said "Hey, I'm in New York. What hospital am I meeting you at?" She asked "Brooklyn Hospital. See you soon!" I said in response, "See you soon." She ended the phone call. I locked my phone and continued to the ER that Kailey is in. The door was closed, I couldn't go in. I slid against the wall and began to cry. "How can one hurt someone this bad without any remorse? And then try to lie and get away with it!! I cannot believe this, she's done nothing wrong!" I exclaimed to the old lady right next to me. She looked at me as if I were crazy and walked away. I concealed my head into my knees and continued to cry. Only about twenty minutes passed by before I heard someone whisper my name in an unsure tone. I looked up only to see a pretty lady with long beautiful hair, who almost resembled Kailey. From there, I knew she had to be Aunt Chelle. "Hey, you made it!" I said as I got up and walked over to her. "Of course! How are you, honey? Is everything okay?" She asked as she pulled me in for a hug. "I don't even know. She's in that room, they wouldn't let me in, though!" I said, almost about to cry. "Why would anybody want to hurt someone as sweet as her? She did nothing wrong, I know she didn't." I continued. "Hey, hey!" She said as she gently pushes me back and holds on to my shoulder. I looked down because I didn't want her to see me crying. "Look at me, Sweetie." She said as she gently pushed my chin up, "don't cry, she's gonna be okay. Trust me. She's a fighter, she's strong. We just have to have faith!" She explained as she wiped my tears. "Okay? Just have faith." She concluded. I nodded my head and smiled at her, "Just have faith." I repeated. She nodded with a half-smile. And together, we waited until someone allowed us to finally see her. Thirty minutes have passed and Chelle and I fell asleep out of nowhere. We were sleeping across the room that Kailey was in. My head was rested upon Chelle's shoulder while she used the wall to rest hers upon. "Excuse me?" An unfamiliar voice spoke. We didn't answer. "Ladies!" He said again. Chelle and I slowly woke up as we realized that we were sitting on the hospital floor. "Uh, hi." Chelle said, "Hey, are you guys here for Kailey Miller?" He asked. "Yes," Chelle and I said in complete sync. We looked at each other and then Chelle continued, "uh, is she okay? Can we see her?" "She's fine. You guys may go in, she's waiting." He said with a smile. We smiled back and continued into the room. There she was, smiling at Chelle and me. "I knew you guys would come!" She said with excitement. "Aunt Chelle, I missed you!" She said as she opened her arms for a hug. Chelle walked over at a fast pace and fell into her hug. They both laughed as Chelle said how much she missed her as well. "Kristen, come here!" She said as she let one arm out to invite me into a group hug. I smiled as I walked over to her and fell into her arms. "I'm so glad you're okay! We were worried sick about you!" I said as I hugged them tighter. "I know, I know. But, I'm okay now. That's all that matters!" She smiled. "You're right." Chelle said, "you're completely right." Suddenly, silence began to overpower the room. It wasn't an awkward silence though, it was more like a calming silence. Shortly after, the hugging was done and the silence was broken. "Where are they?" Kailey asked, almost wishing that she hadn't. I didn't know what to say, so I looked over at Chelle. "Well, we don't know, honey. But they don't matter anymore..." Chelle said, "Why would say that?" Kailey asked, curiously. "Well, because...um, she's not... " her voice died out As she looked deeply into Kailey's eyes, "forget it, there's just no need to worry about her or her fiancée anymore. You're moving to Florida with me." Chelle concluded with complete hesitation. It almost sounded as if she was hiding something and she wanted us to catch on. "She's not...what?" Kailey asked with complete confusion flooding her voice. "She's just not important anymore, Kailey. She doesn't matter. You're living with me now." Chelle exclaimed. I looked over at Kailey and saw how confused she was. "Oh, okay," Kailey said, giggling. "Well, when can I leave? I don't wanna stay here anymore." She continued. "We can leave right now, get your clothes on," Chelle said. My eyes began to water because I realized that I was losing the only person that felt like a sister to me. "I'm gonna miss you, Kailey," I said, as I walked over to her and hugged her. "I'm gonna miss you too, don't worry though. You can come to visit sometimes, right?" She promised as she looked over at Chelle for assurance. "Yes, of course." Chelle said as she walked over to me, "I'll see you soon, honey. Don't worry!" She continued as she hugged me. Suddenly, the door opens and we all looked back, assuming that it would be the doctor but we were rudely mistaken.
By Steph Mathe5 years ago in Families
Second Oldest among Three kids
I'm the second oldest. When my sister moved out, she had responsibilities to help around the house and go to work. While the two youngest are at school. Since she moved out, all the responsibility landed on me. It was a big struggle for me. Even though it's a struggle for me to do both at once, I was able to manage to do it all. Then later on in this month, I quit my job so I can focus on my brother. I had to help my brother with his homework he gets from school. Even though I am the one who mostly. I have to take care of him during the day.
By Shalini Gounden5 years ago in Families
The Dream
"AAHH!!!!" I yell as I hop out of my sleep with bunches of sweat streaming down from my face. I looked around only to see my mom standing at the doorway. I wheezed at the sight of her. "What is wrong with you? You woke me up, you know." She said with an irritable tone. "I'm sorry, mom. Just a terrible dream." I said. "Yeah, well go back to sleep. I don't wanna wake up to the sound of you, once more." She said as she exited, slamming the door with every ounce of force she had in her body. I let out a huge sigh and laid back down as I attempted to forget about it. Soon After, I began to slowly fall back into my slumber without a bad thought going through my mind. It was entirely forgotten. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my mother's voice. "Yes, Thank you!" She stated to the person on the other end of the phone. I could only wonder what she was saying "Thank you" for. While attempting to come up with an explanation as to why she'd be saying Thank you, I almost forgot about having to meet my father at the bus station. I looked over at the clock and realized that I only had twenty minutes left to get ready before I was too late, I guess I can say that my mother was just my alarm. As much as I didn't want to go, I quickly got out of bed and got ready and before I knew it, I was already out the door. Finally, as I arrived at the bus station, where he was. I beeped the horn so I can get his attention and as soon as I did, he quickly made his way over to my car. "Hi, Kailey." He says as he occupies the passenger seat. I stared at him as my eyes started to water. The sight of him brought me back to the past. I shook my head and whispered, "Why did you want to see me?" In confusion. "I thought you said that you never wanted to see me again... why?" I continued as tears began to roll down my cheeks. He didn't have one answer to give me, so I continued. "I wrote you letters, hoping that you would talk to me. I asked you so many questions, why didn't you write back? Dad, I needed you. I needed you way more than I thought I did. Why couldn't you be there for me?" I stared at him for clarification. "I don't know, Kailey. I don't know. "Seriously? " I paused and looked at him until we made eye contact, and continued, "You know what, I had a dream last night. It woke me right out of my sleep, I screamed. You know what it was about?" I asked him. "What?" He replied in concern. "You and the look on your face when you didn't even help me that night. I screamed for your help, Dad. Why didn't you help me?" I asked as I sobbed at the unwanted images of that night. "I'm sorry." He said in distress, "I wanted to help, but I just couldn't." "Why not?! You're my father! As a child of yours, you were supposed to do everything in your power to see if I was alright. Do you know what you did? ...Do you remember, dad? You left me and the last thing you said before you left was that you never wanted to see me again as if it were my fault for what happened that night." I mentioned, as my crying turned into yelling. "Look, I don't want to talk about this, right now. Stop!" He said with utter anger. "I'm sorry for what I did, Okay? I'm sorry. Could we move on from this and enjoy our day?" He asked. "Enjoy our day? Are you serious? Dad, I don't even think I wanna be with you at this moment. Can you give me some time, please?" He looks at me with such a painful look and the only thing I was able to do was to look down with utter sadness. "I'm sorry, Dad. But I cannot deal with this right now. I thought that I'd be able to see you again after finally getting over it, but... I just, can't." I continued as I looked at him for confirmation. "I understand..." He responded in a gloomy tone, "Do you promise to call me whenever you're ready to talk?" He asked with a strong hope in his voice. "Yes, Dad. I promise." I said in return as he pulls me in for a hug. "I love you, okay? Please, remember that." He continues as he pushes me back gently and cuffs my face. "I'll try," I answered, as my voice began to crack while I tried to hold my tears back. He leans in to kiss me on my forehead and makes his way out of my car. He looks back and says "See you soon." And continues to walk away before I can even answer back. I watched him depart as he began to shrink more and more; the farther he got. I sat back and thought to myself, trying to understand if letting him go was the best thing that I could've done. I question myself if he meant it; that he was sorry. I thought and I thought and the flashbacks started to creep back into my mind. The images were so unbearable that tears began to pour down my cheeks. I couldn't understand why he thought that leaving me that night was okay. He says that he loves me, but how little can one love someone to leave them at their weakest moment? I troubled myself, trying to figure out an answer. I began to give up, little by little when I finally came to a decision and thought that it'd be best that I go back home and try to forget about today. As I approached my driveway, I saw the last thing that I wanted to see today; My mother's Fiancé's car. I forgot he had plans to move in today. I swear, my day couldn't get any worst. To my surprise, as soon as I stepped onto my porch to reach for the doorknob, a flashback of him was thrown right into my face. I stopped right in my tracks and tried to get rid of the unwanted images of the past. As soon as I was able to get past it, I walked in only to be greeted by him. "Hey, Kailey. How are you, honey?" He said with a fake welcoming smile. I roll my eyes and continue to make my way over to my room. Before I can place my foot on the first step, my mother decides to greet me as well. "Kailey?" She walks over to me "I didn't see you walk in. Hey, Sweetie." She continued as she went in for a hug. I shook my head at the amount of fake love blooming in the air and turned around to continue my little journey up to my room. As I'm walking up the stairs, I can hear them mumbling things about me, So, I roll my eyes and slam the door behind me and fall directly on my bed; flat on my face as I begin to cry. I wanted nothing more but to fall asleep, and never wake up again. Finally, as I felt myself falling into my slumber, my phone started to ring. I looked at it and saw that It was my best friend, Kristen. "Hey," I said with an utterly gloomy tone. "Hey...Uh, are you okay?" She asked with concern drowning her voice. "I'm fine," I said, trying to hide the fact that I'm pouring my eyes out. "I don't believe you," she said in response, "I'm coming over, right now." She said as she clicked the send button before I can let a word out. As soon as she hung up, I quickly got up, wiped my tears, and turned the television on, just to pass some time. About fifteen minutes later, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. It was Kristen. "Hey, your mom let me in. She told me that you've been in here ever since you got back home. Is everything okay?" She asked as she made her way over to my bed and took a seat right next to me. "Yeah, everything's alright," I said, hardly convincible. She looked at me as if she knew I was trying to avoid the conversation. I thought for a second and thought it was time for me to let someone know what's been happening. So, I turned and faced her and from there, I began to tell her. "So, last year... I was with my dad and my mother's boyfriend; at the time. His name is John." "Okay... And?" She said in response, waiting for me to continue. "And, he was drunk.." I tried to continue but before I could, Kristen cut right through before I could finish my sentence. "Who?" She said in complete confusion. "John" I continued, "He was drunk, and so was my father. But, my father wasn't as drunk as John." I stopped in the middle of my sentence and started to cry at the thought of that night. She pulled me close and gave me her shoulder to cry on. "You don't have to talk" she whispered, "It's gonna be okay, Just let it all out. I understand" she continued, barely trying to hide how hurt she was at the thought of what might've happened that night. "Why me?" I ask rhetorically, trying to find a possible answer. She continued to rub my back, in an attempt to comfort me, but it wasn't working. "Thank you for coming by...I needed this." I said as I stood up from her arms, "But, it's getting late, I think you should go home." I suggested. By the face Kristen had on, it showed that she didn't want to leave but she agreed that maybe some time alone was all I needed so, she hugged me and said "you're gonna be okay." And out the door, she went. I looked at the time and read Six-Thirty. "Damn, where the hell did the time go?" I asked myself as I quickly jumped out of bed and went right into my bathroom. A nice long, warm shower was all that I needed. Twenty minutes later, I grabbed my towel as I stepped out of the shower and threw my nightclothes on. As I tried to fall into my slumber, I heard an unfamiliar bang against my door. "Come in," I said as I waited for the person to show themselves. The door opened and in he came. My eyes grew so big and my skin began to crawl.
By Steph Mathe5 years ago in Families
