love
All you need is Love, and Love is all you need.
The Hunt
The Hunt As Atreya walked through the inner city gates on his way towards the Great Hall, he could barely contain his excitement. He felt as if he were vibrating with energy and possibility. Beneath all that energy however, there was fear. He may have been training for tomorrow for the past eight years, but that didn’t change the danger he was about to find himself seeking out. But the fear was easily swept aside by the rush of other emotions swirling through his body. As he got closer and closer to the Great Hall, Atreya’s mind began to focus on the activities of tonight’s Hunt ceremony. He thought of the Matriarch that would lead him and the other Hunters through their vows and protection rituals, he thought of the look on his parents face, his sister’s face as they watched him from the crowd, and then, as it always did, his mind settled on Celia. He was still daydreaming about her when he walked directly into a spice cart.
By Tyler Hall5 years ago in Humans
The Swamp
I wake up and there are times where I always keep telling myself that its just a dream, but there are some that believe that dreams can be visions of the past, present, and future. Then there are some that believe they can be an open door for communication for both the living and the dead. Since the death of Max, I have been having the same dream every night I close my eyes and it’s almost like I can’t wake up and I feel frozen. I’m in the swamps of Louisiana and its eerily foggy its so thick I can’t see how far out the swamp goes. As I’m walking through the bog, I get a deep urgent sense to find something and then I see him. . . “MAX”! I run to him and his back is turned away from me and just as I approach him and I reach to grab him then I wake up. Then reality hits me and I feel the sharpest pain in my chest that my own heart is breaking to the point it feels like stepping on a frozen pond, the ice is cracking and you just fall right through into the unrelenting, freezing water. I never thought that something like this can happen to me, one second my best friend is here and the next minute he’s gone. For the last 2 weeks I have been struggling to face the fact that I will never see him again. Then one day I get the call from a mysterious man named Mr. Jackson and he asks me to come to Oil City, Louisiana saying that they might have found something that has to do with the drowning of Max and proceeds to tell me I should be expecting to receive the funds in my bank account within the next couple of hours that should help cover my travel expenses. He also tells me I would receive double that after my stay was done for my troubles. It actually was less than an hour after I got off the phone with him and it’s so strange just out of the blue there it is $20,000 in my bank account just to come to Oil City to find out what happened to Max. My first thought was why give me a large amount of money just to come solve Max’s death. As I’m driving, I have an overwhelming feeling of dread and my thoughts are racing and I’m wondering did Max do something to get himself into trouble or did he know something that this Mr. Jackson wants. Making the long journey from Clearwater, Florida has definitely taken its toll because I’m to the point where I could easily fall asleep at the wheel, but I got to keep going. I finally see the sign for Oil City, and I take a quick glance to look at the swamp and I can’t help but feel like I’ve been here. Then I turn back to watch the road and then I see him, Max in the middle of the road. I frantically throw my foot on the brakes and immediately stop, by the time I get out of the car he’s gone. I get back into the car and head off to finally meet this Mr. Jackson and for him to tell me what he knows about Max. He insists that we’d meet at the edge of the swamp. As I’m approaching him, he is not what I was expecting he reminded me of one of those brash fraternity boys. I am both uneasy and anxious at the same time because anything that can help bring me closure and peace with Max’s death will give me the courage to keep moving forward.
By Joanna Blaze5 years ago in Humans
Blue Skies
“I have my people,” he said with a smile. She grinned back at him, slowly closing her eyes and breathing up towards the sky. It had been a while since she felt such warmth on her skin. Somewhat delayed, she inserted her witty response. “Ah yes, your ‘people.’ The ‘weather people.’” Her hair wisped around gently.
By Charlotte Delpit Hacke5 years ago in Humans
Delilah's Winning Love Story
Everywhere she turned Delilah kept seeing ads for the little black book. She could hardly believe that if she wrote a book about a little black book she could win the grand prize of $20,000. But what would she write about, how could she possibly write anything that would impress the judges over the many other contestants. There had to be thousands, maybe even millions of stories containing little black books and coming into $20,000. How could it not be, Delilah had seen the ad hundreds of times herself. Every time she logged on to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and every website. Delilah wasn't sure if it was good marketing or it was a sign that she should enter the contest. At first she thought the contest was cool and how awesome it would be to win $20,000 for writing a book. But it was just a thought. She continued on with her day-to-day life. Seeing the ad for the contest more and more, Delilah started to daydream about all the many things she could do with the prize money. She could buy a car. She could give her mother some money. She could give her siblings some money. She could pay off some old debts. She could donate some to her local church. She could buy her daughter a bed set. She could help her family with funeral cost from the losses they faced due to the pandemic. She can invest in some property to help other homeless veterans as she had been helped when she returned home. As she thought of many ways the prize money could help in her life, she began to get discouraged as she thought of all the many contestants that could have far better reasons for the prize money. What if there was a single mother with four kids sleeping on a family members couch and in far more need than her. What if there's a family with a sick child who needs the money for medical bills. What if there are hundreds of contestants with far better stories than she could ever write. So she set the idea of winning to the side once more and tried to continue on with her life. No book, no prize. But no matter how hard she tried there was a part of her that felt she was destined to win. Why else would she keep seeing the ads for the contest? Why else would the contest winner be announced on her birthday? Why else would she have such a crazy yearning to win the prize? With the due date nearing and a panic in her heart, she decided to at least try. But what to write about? Should she write about her life or a fictional story? Where to start? Her rollercoaster childhood? Her mother's struggles as a single teen mom who raised four kids? Her time in the military? Her struggle with depression and suicide and how she overcame it? Her time after the service? The loss of her aunts, grandma, and great-grandmother? Becoming a first time mother and raising her daughter ? or even life through a pandemic? As thoughts raced through her mind, time continued to tick by in the blink of an eye . Just as she was about to give up the thought occurred to her "you'll never know, if you never do" and " you have to walk by faith not by your senses". So she decided to meditate and envisioned submitting her finished little black notebook. Seeing the judges loving her story. Seeing the judges choose her story and announcing her as the winner on her birthday. She began to imagine how she would react to the news and how it would feel to win the $20,000. Seeing the money in her account. Feelings of excitement, joy, happiness, and accomplishment began to overwhelm her. She truly felt grateful for the opportunity for it had pushed her past her fears and limiting beliefs and showed her she was capable of so much more. She had so much life and so many stories in her that she wanted to share to help so many others to realize how fear shows up in our lives time and time again, and not allowing it to overtake you and becoming more than a conqueror over your fears and limiting beliefs. Anything is truly possible, good or bad, what's important is whatever you choose to focus on is what you get more of in your life. And with that epiphany Delilah rose from her mediation, wrote and submitted her story, and continued on to write 3 best-sellers, and 5 short stories that she entered into other contest and won first prize on the vocal platform.
By Dhaneyea Hoosier5 years ago in Humans
For the Love that lingers
I never thought he would die. I had never expected that one day I would be here, clothed in black, staring at a coffin knowing his body was inside. Even at 96, Grandpa had never seemed old to me. He had been such a strong and vigorous man, spending his days attending parties and functions around town, and gardening.
By Suzie Harper5 years ago in Humans
The Palette of Paris
George was staring at the stipple ceiling above his bed when silence was broken by the postman. He pulled his stiff legs to the bedside and rose slowly, his hips creaking with strain. He donned slippers and shuffled from the room. Cold air caught his breath as he made his way down his front steps to retrieve three newspapers.
By Jane Lynch5 years ago in Humans
Wipe Your Tears
She sat at the bar with an elegance that could not go unnoticed. The classic black dress that hugged her figure, her long raven hair that fell to the middle of her back as if it were silk. Her black stilettos with the notorious red on the sole of her shoes. She held her Dirty Martini with her perfectly manicured hands. I approached her with admiration. I was dying to know how she was going to change my life.
By Luz Elena Aguilera5 years ago in Humans
Love, An Essay
“Your intuition knows what to write, so get the hell out of the way.” -Ray Bradbury The night was calm, the air was dry. Standing next to her was like all the energies in the world coalescing into one glorious interaction. As if the winds of fate had shifted, sending me on a collision course with life. Slated for the unending adventure, the collection of memories, and the creation of lifetimes. Though, at this point, it was all speculation, I was just high on the idea of love, the feeling of love.
By Michael C. Lafferty-Shockency5 years ago in Humans
