humanity

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

Black Book
Suddenly the world felt dark. There I was sitting alone with nothing but this small black notebook to remember him by. Why do we live only to die? Why do we love only to lose? How can this kind of change ever be sweet or accepted by us creatures of habit? I jolted suddenly at the sound of his laughter, but before I had turned around to catch a glimpse of his smile I remembered the reality. There’s no way it could be him. I lifted myself up off the park bench and walked through what now looked to me like a haunted forest, the sun was shining but I felt no warmth. I placed my hand on my heart and attempted to acknowledge my pain tenderly. Today I had lost something and had no idea how I was ever going to get it back.
By Dilara5 years ago in Humans
A Moment on the Camino
“Hay alguien sentado aqui?” A man asked. “Is someone sitting here?” He asked again with crisp and perfect English. The boy looked up and shook his head, and moved his dusty bag for the stranger. The old man eased on the wooden stool with a groan. He had approached the table from out of nowhere. The boy did not know this man. He wore faded shorts, a dirty shirt, a brim sun hat lined with dried sweat - the look of a traveler without the traces of wear on his face. He placed his hat and a black book wrapped with a felt leather strap near his tall glass of dark beer and looked up at the boy with ease only familiarity or confidence could provide. The boy did not know this man. He did not tell him to leave.
By Equals5 years ago in Humans
Call of the Black Book
There was something always so mysterious about a little black book. When I was young I would see them in movies clutched by fashionable women in a classic dress with chic Bulova Swiss wristwatches as the notebooks accessory and not the other way around.
By M. K. Dockery 5 years ago in Humans
A Fair Trade
Twenty criticisms. That’s all. You have to bear twenty criticisms and you’ll get $20,000. That was the deal that came to you in a dream last night. At least, you thought it was a dream till you woke up and saw it on your dresser: sheafs of hundred dollar bills, crisp and green and... slightly glowing. It was tangible and real. There was absolutely twenty grand in your hands. The glowing was odd—though, you suppose, no odder than having it in the first place. But that is what the dream-being had said would happen: If you could endure twenty insults in the span of the next twelve hours that $20K would stop glowing and you could spend it. It wasn’t cumulative, the dream-being made sure to mention. It wasn’t a thousand bucks per insult; it was all twenty for twenty grand or nothing.
By Lavanya Narasimhan5 years ago in Humans
Kings and Generals
CARGILL avoided new people at the park thru a calculated use of placement. His seat near the center of the public chess boards ensured a new guy would have to wander thru a maze of exterior games before even getting to him. That they usually took the nearest open seat, saved him the trouble of learning who they were. They mostly stayed in their circle after that. Cargill managed rebuff by withholding the invitation to move generally offered with a glance, a nod of the head or a smile. But once in a great while, a man braved the mass of stone tables and the trail to the center of his kingdom without an invitation.
By TH Hernandez5 years ago in Humans
Not EXACTLY Birds of a Feather
I love mysteries. As a child, I cut my early sleuthing teeth on a little known set of books called The Happy Hollisters. I read and reread those maroon colored hardback books until the spines hung on by a thread. In my late Elementary and early Junior High years, I progressed to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Many nights I devoured one of these "thrillers" until my eyes grew heavy with sleep. The next morning, I shoved the books into my backpack and if I ever had free time in class, I read one of these classic mysteries. Even today, I love a good whodunit. In the Summer and Fall of 2020, I stumbled upon a cardboard box of over 100 Agatha Christie mysteries at a garage sale and am currently reading through the novels one at a time. But, not only do I enjoy reading mysteries, I also love watching them. One of my favorites is "Monk" starring Tony Shaloub.
By Bryan R..5 years ago in Humans
My Biggest Regret
"…and to you Jim, how's it lookin' out there?" "Well, Katy, it's coming down and it's coming down fast! The sky has ripped apart out here. We can't stress this to you enough folks, get to your safe places and stay there, and let me remind you…"
By Jeremy Pappas5 years ago in Humans
A Generous Gift
Larissa closed her car door and began walking toward the restaurant. She had her apron in one hand while the other held her little black notebook used for taking customer’s orders. She padded her top pocket to make sure she had her favorite gel, fine ink pens. Phew! And of course, sported her four pieces of flair on her shirt as part as her uniform. She made her way to the back door, and strolled over to the computer to log in, smiling with her eyes and nodding to her fellow coworkers. She punched in her code and looked at the clock. “One shift closer to paying off my student loans,” she said softly under her breath as she greeted her first table.
By Whitney Norrbom5 years ago in Humans
L***
Not everyone goes to the park to find hope. She did. Her father, a preacher, held his hope in the sanctity of the cross. But to her, the congregation seemed more hopeful. To her, the souls devoted religiously and those only there on occasion, seeking a hope that had been battered, brutalized, or altogether lost, they were the people who held the hope. She saw their presence as a testament to their expectancy, being ready at any moment to rightfully receive God’s reprieve and restoration. Parks felt like a similar kind of sanctuary. A meeting ground for people who otherwise might never be seen in the same place, all presently seeking a moment of relief.
By epek proportions5 years ago in Humans
Worlds Without End
The man and the boy crept up to the crest of the hill and peeked over, looking down at the mouth of the cave. The boy turned and looked at the man, who consulted a little black book, its cover worn and creased. The pages had long since turned yellow, the binding slowly losing its integrity, the book was held together with a pale blue rubber band. The man turned the pages quickly, brushing gloved fingers over the familiar leaves. Reaching the correct page, one filled with star charts, equations, and notations on the principles of various gas laws, the man glanced at the sky, then back at the page, then to the mouth of the cave. He turned to the boy and nodded his head.
By Natalie Jaeger5 years ago in Humans
Dirty Underwear and Scarves from Elvis
My grandfather never told me how he came into possession of Elvis’ scarf. The pale blue scarf was in decent shape lying on the kitchen table next to a faded yellow advertisement of the 1975 New Year’s Eve show in Detroit, Michigan. Beside the scarf were two Hummel figures, a hiking boy and a girl sitting with an umbrella. Dan, my older brother, ate cereal against the counter with a smile on his face.
By Jason Wallace5 years ago in Humans
Repurposing Time and All Else
How do I begin to express how disoriented I feel? This was much less demanding of a task when I was young and instead of jotting notes down in this black leather journal with specific intent, my outlet for teen angst was a locked diary coated in blue fur. Almost so much blue fur that it hid the face of the cartoon animal which inspired me to begin each entry with "dear panda friend."
By Fenêtre D'alexy-Smith5 years ago in Humans