humanity

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

One out of the box
Charlie pushed the door to his room closed with his back, his hands carrying the heavy box. It had been a draining afternoon. He could hear his mother in the kitchen, making the sounds she made when she had lost heart with the world.
By Claudia Meg5 years ago in Humans
SAMUEL
No words, just the relentless city and the vapour of breath. He led me, in slow motion, just like he blinked and spoke. With a fat plastic bag in one hand and rucksack on his bent back, he walked round the corner into the condemned shopping mall. He wouldn’t let me carry. His head panned calmly left and right, absorbing; blue-eyes circled by cropped grey hair and stubble; his acute consciousness palpable, because of what I knew.
By Martin Kirby5 years ago in Humans
Paper Wishes
Kaylee paused from her brisk lap around the park, trying to catch her breath and idly watching passersby; a couple across the way, a family with their dog, and the small woman just now careening off the bench. Starting as though she could catch the woman, Kaylee relaxed as it became clear that she was in fact, stable on her feet. Stooping to collect another leaf Kaylee looked back at the bench where the woman had been sitting; there, left neatly behind her was a notebook. Rushing over to grab it, she desperately tried to catch the lady’s attention.
By L Johnson5 years ago in Humans
The Weight
My father was a bitter man. He was convinced the world was desperate to deceive and deprive him of all he was owed. Every neighbor with a nicer house or more expensive car was laughing at him. Every day spent at work was one stolen from his life. Every meal my mother made for him was just ash in his mouth. I remember once he likened his dinner to soil and accused her of trying to bury him in an early grave.
By Wren Chambers5 years ago in Humans
Little Stars, and Dancing Spheres
The stars never cease to fascinate, as they have done the many tens of thousands of generations our species of modern humans walked the earth.
By M. K. Dockery 5 years ago in Humans
Worth
I never considered how my life would end. Living day by day made time seem infinite. There was always another bridge to sleep under. Damp blankets in the back of homes. Stray cats to cuddle up to. Time finally started to appear short, blackened by the blood streaming down my face. Head pulsating. I desperately reached outward as if to find options. There were none.
By Karleigh Adams5 years ago in Humans
Up for Air
Kelly’s a petite blonde, but she seems smaller, more fragile today. She swings away abruptly, brushes blonde hair off her cheek and straightens her shoulders. Cath is a classic beauty with a long silver ponytail tied high on her head. She used to be called… Swany! That was it. Once I’d met the ‘ugly duckling sisters’, the old nick name made sense.
By Melissa Campbell5 years ago in Humans
Halfway There
Ali Believe you can and you’re halfway there ~ Theodore Roosevelt Ali studied the words on the page for a moment, then looked up at the woman walking away. The older lady hurried through the gazebo and turned slightly to her left, quickly moving out of view and into the darkness.
By Kirsty Lee Hutton5 years ago in Humans
Step One
Isabel was very, very angry. She clutched her big, blue bear protectively, as if it were a shield between her and the hurtful words that Paul had spoken. It had been such a nice day at the fair, scoffing candy floss and hot dogs, like over-excited children. He’d taken her hand, as they’d watched the brightly coloured stalls and rides melt into the sky, from the lofty heights of the big wheel. Then, he had declared that he wouldn’t rest until he’d won the blue bear for her at the shooting gallery. It had taken many tries for him to accomplish his mission… So many, in fact, that she suspected he’d spent far more money on tokens than the bear would have cost in a shop. However, the expression of exalted triumph on his face, when he’d presented her with the garish and ungainly toy, had been so beautiful as to stop her breath, for just a moment.
By Lorelei Russell5 years ago in Humans
365 Days
My alarm blares like a siren and shoots my heart rate to an unprecedented level. I reluctantly peel off my eye mask, fumbling to obliterate the source. I don’t really need to get up, I tell myself. I am drenched in sweat, despite the cold temperature, and I can visibly see the cloud that is my breath. I remind myself that this living situation is temporary, one way or another.
By Sara W5 years ago in Humans
A Simple Pleasure
The elderly man looked like he needed a good dusting, as usual. Nelly handed him a coffee in a reusable mug, along with an apple muffin. As he perched on his plastic milk crate, the top padded by newspaper, the rest of the world passed them through relentless drizzle in relentless commuter rush.
By Ramona Janssen5 years ago in Humans
Hear All About It
The Little Black Book I saw it fall out of his pocket just as we were being shoved and pushed along the aisle of the sky-train. No one else seemed to notice, so I quickly reached down and grabbed the little black book before it was trampled by the rushing passengers, eager to get home to their television sets, their diverse families and takeout dinners.
By Tyrone Morales5 years ago in Humans