humanity

For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.

Dead Men's Shoes
Adrift The water was coming over the side of the boat. It was so cold. With his hands, Mo tried to bail as much as he could back out into the English Channel but he sensed it was a losing battle; they would soon be drowned.
By James Taylor5 years ago in Humans
Of art and legacies
“The shadow still isn’t right,” Peter mumbled to himself as he compared his pencil sketch of the Foro Romano to the real thing. He’d anticipated this would be a quick sketch, but the shadows were proving particularly tricky, and he found himself obsessed with getting the details right. After softening the shadow with his finger and deciding it was still not good enough, he turned the page on his little black notebook and began again.
By Shanna5 years ago in Humans
Very Good Notes
It was just shortly after dawn when Robert opened his eyes to the amber sunlight trickling into his Toronto Apartment. He laid in his bed staring at the ceiling waiting for his brain to fire up. He had been up late last night, and even later the night previous. Had been studying for the last exam of his undergraduate university career.
By Steven-Paul Graham5 years ago in Humans
Decisions
The sun peered through the broken blinds, highlighting her face. Anna wiped her brow and peered out across the parking lot taking in the stillness of that moment. She sat down on the edge of the bed. The must filled her lungs. She looked down at her worn shoes and took a deep breath. She was tired. Tired of working so hard and getting nowhere. Tired of cleaning dirty hotel rooms. Tired of where her life seemed to merge at this very point.
By Nicholas Wilson5 years ago in Humans
Rescue
Turning her face slowly back and forth, Sally examined every wrinkle and flaw as she stood in front of the mirror. She stopped and shook her head slightly in disappointment. Her dull hair, pulled back in a thin ponytail, did little to improve the sad, tired face looking back at her. She sighed and pinned her name tag on her drug store uniform shirt.
By Jennifer Loveless5 years ago in Humans
Six Words to Live By
It was an average night for Jackson who was getting out late from the bar. He didn’t like biking at night but the forecast predicted rain so he wanted to hurry. As he was peddling on the side streets, he was pondering his life’s path and the choices that manifested in his life to find him where he was now. Deep in thought, he didn’t notice until it was nearly before him. In the middle of the side lane on its side was a large briefcase.
By John-Robert Horville5 years ago in Humans
Lost and Found
I left the third-floor office in a rush, I was late for work. The doctor said it was a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness, irritability or frustration, and even angry outbursts. She said it was common with everything going on right now. The world was facing a new challenge and something almost nobody in our lifetime had seen. Pandemic. The word hit me like death. This is something you only see in movies or read about in futuristic novels. The doctor said I should try to stay off social media and stop watching the news so often. Not so easy for a 20-something to do these days.
By Taylor Johnson5 years ago in Humans
Taking a Page from My Book
Leo's scent slithers by my nose as I pull another one of my sun dresses from the plastic storage bin. Carmel brandy and ocean salt settle in a greasy cloud around my head. Typical. My own clothes smell of him. Impressionable linen never stood a chance against his penetrative charm.
By Ro Roquemore5 years ago in Humans
Full of Promise
FULL OF PROMISE: THE OUTSIDER EIGHTH Susan P. Thomas No one saw me. No one heard me. And no one suspects anything is out of the ordinary.
By Susan P Thomas5 years ago in Humans
Theodore
It was a little black book of Life. I found it at an estate sale in an impoverished neighborhood, in a tattered cardboard box, jumbled together with a heap of rubbish and frayed, yellow folios of handwritten sheet music. A radiance emanated from its leather cover, seemingly iridescent amongst the refuse, and, from the moment I touched it, I knew it was precious—or, rather, had been meant to be precious.
By Sheldon Dustman5 years ago in Humans
743
Most would say that a global pandemic has completely destroyed life as we know it. Me, however, actually takes glee in the fact that my human interactions have been severely limited. I am an introvert. And by an introvert, I mean completely and utterly uncomfortable in social situations. Prior to the world chaos, the thought of a work gathering sent me to the bathroom with stomach cramps and not a little case of the runs. But now, I can sit happily at home, laptop at my small kitchen table, and work without not having anyone slide over to my cubicle to 'chat' about nothing. Most would find a one-room apartment prison-like--I find freedom.
By Kellie Chapman5 years ago in Humans
A New Beginning
This Christmas Eve was just like any other: the snow didn’t show, but Uncle Jack Daniels sure did. After too many drinks, they all gathered in the living room and sat on the carpet for their traditional game of white elephant. This was always the precursor for whatever charade of pointing fingers would occur over dessert. It was one of the reasons the holidays always left a bitter taste in Ellie’s mouth-- not that the Jack Daniels helped.
By Carole Hodorowicz5 years ago in Humans