literature

Families and literature go hand in hand; fictional families to entertain, reflect and inspire.

The Legacy
My mother used to say, “Bad luck always comes in threes.” As I stood in her empty bedroom thinking about the last two months, she could not have been more right. My husband had injured his back at work over a month ago and was suffering while waiting for surgery to be scheduled. My hours at work had been reduced due to the economic downturn, and we were scraping by on his meager disability payments and my pathetic paycheck. Worst of all, Mom was gone.
By Penny Harding5 years ago in Families
What It Entails
Naomi was restless. After her father passing, she was put on the role of cleaning out his possessions. It didn’t feel right to her. She could hear the yelling of her father as he scolded her about touching what wasn’t hers. But she knew he was gone. Gone and in the ground.
By Dennis Chung5 years ago in Families
A Grandmother's Hopes
As the funeral car pulled away, Jack couldn’t help but think of his inheritance. “Wonder how much the old woman has left me” he muttered to himself. The thing you need to know about Jack is that he was a selfish soul with very little regard for those around him, especially his Grandmother who was now being whisked away in a box to be put in the ground. He had no time for her you see. He would always be too busy to take her shopping or sit with her to have a cup of tea. And now, it was too late for any of this but he didn’t seem to mind. He went about his day with the thought of how much inheritance at the forefront of his mind.
By Faye Smith5 years ago in Families
A Twenty Thousand Dollars Notebook
A TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS NOTEBOOK. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what if life gives you a black notebook?
By Catalin Cojocaru5 years ago in Families
The Little Black Book
The blaring of her alarm awakened Eva Banks with a start. Even after 8 hours of sleep, she was still bone weary. It was Saturday, her day to volunteer at the senior center, but all she wanted to do was stay in bed, wrapped in the cocoon of her thin but comfortable blanket. "Oh well," she thought. "A promise is a promise, and after all I've been through, I can't simply break the one I made when I signed up for this." She reluctantly got up, took a shower, got dressed, then steeled herself for the mile long walk to the center. Leaving her shabby apartment, she quickly glanced up and down the street, checking the weather, but also looking for any sign of HIM. Seeing none, she sighed with relief, then started her long walk. As she walked, she thought about her life, and all of the things which had happened to bring he to this place and time. She knew she shouldn't think about those things, because she was desperately trying to begin a new life, one devoid of fear, heartbreak and loss. So intent was she with her musings, she abruptly found herself stumbling over something lying on the sidewalk. Coming back into the moment with a jolt, she looked down at the thing which almost sent her sprawling, and saw that it was a book. A little black book, to be exact. She picked it up and opened it, thinking that it might be a novel she could read on those nights when she couldn't sleep at all. But all she saw on those slightly yellow and worn pages were letters and symbols which to her seemed to be some kind of foreign language or codes. Not being able to figure it out, and already running late for her duties at the center, she put the book into her purse, and promptly forgot about it.
By Diana R Dukes5 years ago in Families
DECEASED DAUGHTERS YORKIE
God, I hated this little dog from the moment my daughter said "THAT ONE DADDY" at the pound. Laughing to myself, I began thinking, now I have to sit for two hours signing paperwork for this little shit who's going to be barking at everything. You know the saying though, "what ever baby girl wants, she gets.”
By ShareefAllmanTV25 years ago in Families
The little black book in the mausoleum
Anna pulled into the McDonald's drive-through. The staff knew her by name and usually had her order waiting. One day I should surprise them, order something else, she thought. Oh who are you kidding, Anna, you're as likely to do that as stick up to your witch of a boss at work. If only she had made a similar impact on the staff at The Area News in Griffith. Sadly the staff at the newspaper she had recently become editor of neither respected or liked her. Anna blamed herself. She had made the mistake of coming in as the new boss with the aim of making friends. She also was of the belief that the editor was in charge of what was printed in the paper, not the office manager - Tracy - who had taken this on as her call.
By Monique Patterson5 years ago in Families
Whispers of Cloves
“Phara, why can’t you be normal? Like everyone else?” What did that even mean? I’d usually press for clarification when faced with such statements. But not now. Not anymore. The responses never seemed satisfying. If anything, they left me even more confused about who I am and who I am meant to be?
By Pascale Joseph5 years ago in Families
Worn Out Pages
I was sitting in my apartment on the kitchen floor staring at a stack of overdue bills. I grabbed my notebook and turned to the next blank page. I scribbled Debt at the top followed by:
By Trish Felecos5 years ago in Families
How To Be Invisible
Naomi tapped on Bertie’s bobble hat. “Look Bertie...” she said, pointing to a little black book under her arm. The young boy squinted, trying to make out the silver letters against the black fabric. “What is it?” He couldn’t tell what it meant, but he had a feeling that something good was going to happen. His elder sister never smiled unless she was getting something.
By Chloe Gilholy5 years ago in Families
The Arrangement
The door opens behind me. The ornate office is filled with the soft hum of his wheelchair as he pulls around to face me across the fine oak desk.
By Stephen Johnson5 years ago in Families
Secrets that lay within
I open my eyes to hear the footsteps of our governess coming up the hall, I look to the ceiling between the old rotted wood and chipped paint I see a rat chewing on the beam supporting the roof of the 18th-century house where I was abandoned to as a baby. The door swings open as our governess stands in the door, She is wearing long robes the expensive type surely paid for by neglecting our needs, she wears her hair like Dracula, Pulled and puffed up as if she used a house full of hair spray to keep it from moving in the wind. Then it starts, the yelling as she always does, her treatment of us is criminal not that anyone would notice with neglected orphans.
By Tegan5 years ago in Families