Excerpt
Solitaire
The wind whipped my hair up and around my face. The door slammed behind me with a heavy thud, startling me and my boss who was shocked to see me out there. I grabbed at the clumps of hair stuck to my recently applied Cherry Boss lip gloss. I had stood in front of the employee bathroom mirror applying layer after layer of lip gloss planning for different scenarios. The request could go all manners of ways. Well, here we go. I strode over to her with purpose. She stared at me with her arms crossed with one bare hand holding her just lit cigarette and the other gloved hand hugging herself tight. She took a deep inhale, squinting at me.
By Lianne Giffin3 years ago in Fiction
The Last Window of Apollo. Runner-Up in Behind the Last Window Challenge.
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room... She glanced down at the papyrus on her lap. The hot flames bit at her nostrils as she struggled to finish her inscription before the fires finished their consumption of Troy.
By Emily Marie Concannon3 years ago in Fiction
The Underwood Dragon
Lilly is on school holidays; she went camping with her parents. She is sitting in her new Landcruiser, her parents assume there is enough space inside the Landcruiser to sleep and eat. But Lilly knows there's not enough space in the car. Lilly has a dog named Jeffy. He is coming to camp. Her brother Jordan does not want to come because Jeffy licks him and then Jeffy’s saliva comes out of his mouth and dribbles on Jordan's pants. I know that is a bit disgusting anyway, but Lilly’s parents decided that they were going to Underwood Island. In stories and news Lilly heard there are volcanoes, which are big and black. It has fire in it. Lilly said she is not scared of volcanoes if they do not erupt during my school holidays.
By Syeda Tamseel Fatima3 years ago in Fiction
LONDON SHARK: CHAPTER FOUR
you can find the prologue and all previous chapters here C h a p t e r F o u r THE MAN WALKS WITH PURPOSE, his hair (slightly shaggy, definitely auburn dashed with peroxide tips, I see now) lightly bouncing on an exposed white shirt collar that’s peeping out from his peacoat. The purpose in his gait is one of freedom, of vigour. This is because he . . . he has the remnants of Hannah’s fingerprints still wrapped around his own digits, while the loveless clamminess I feel balled up in my fist is probably sweat, although, with the pressure I’ve been squeezing my fingernails into my palms, it’s quite possibly blood.
By jamie harding3 years ago in Fiction
Squirrel
I’m standing in the field, only this time it’s spring. There’s small green shoots all over the place making their way through last year’s dead growth. The breeze flicks my hair across my face and the sun warms my bare toes. There are fluffy clouds slowly making their way across the sky.
By Jolene Poulin3 years ago in Fiction
The Horizon of Life: A Voyage of Endless Reflections
The sky was a canvas of vibrant colors as the sun set on the horizon. Its rays stretched out like delicate fingers, reaching out to caress the earth below. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves rustling like a thousand whispers.
By Vicky Tenth3 years ago in Fiction
10 Comic Books Deemed Too Hot to Handle
10 Comic Books Deemed Too Hot to Handle The name of the 1954 book by psychologist Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent. It wasn't a love story or an erotic thriller, either. He argued that it was an exposé of a product harmful to young people's mental health worldwide. Those violent and suggestive comic comics were his preferred target audience. He asserted that by exposing their young readers to violence and sex, these scandalous journals fostered misbehaviour. He bent facts and other data to match his idea when they contradicted it. Although his accusations were absurd, his assertions concerned parents, educators, and politicians. Publishers started to filter their titles so that the contents would be deemed acceptable by the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which was established in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America, and they also contributed to the comic book industry's voluntary self-policing. Surprisingly, some publishers, including the biggest and best-known in the business—Marvel Comics and DC Comics—continued to censor their own works even after publishers voluntarily withdrew from the censorship programme. These 10 comics were thought to be too hot to handle. They were consequently censored by their own publishers.
By Paul Smith3 years ago in Fiction
How Do We Tell My Kids, I Believe in Santa Claus?
*Only Semi-Autobiographical* Santa Claus is Holly Jolly and all of the fixins. Never does the man fail to put a smile on a deserving child's face. Spreading joy and wonder throughout the many realms. Unceasing the man is, perhaps to a fault. He is neverending, some say he existed before humankind even walked the planet and roamed with the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs celebrating Christmas never really got that big. Could you imagine a Jurassic Christmas Parade? The awestruck feeling left behind on that paleontological Yule Tide festivity. The holiday has been a fixture of many cultures for a Millenium, offering consistent Christmas cheer. A constant fixture many people look forward to, some all year long. This holds true in my house. Quinn and Gypsy love this time of year and celebrate with enthusiasm.
By FRANK? Piccolella3 years ago in Fiction
