love
All you need is Love, and Love is all you need.
Number 16
The grains of sand crept through Vanessa’s toes. She walked slowly back and forth over the same spot several times. She was caught in the memories of the times that she and Gerald spent their summers at this very beach, on this exact spot. It was almost sublime, beside the rock formation that caught everyone’s eye. Passersby always slowed down to walk across, to take in the view from the rocks. It had spots that were a little slippery, but if you were careful it was a nice place to stroll or sit and take in the world. There was even a tree at the end that seemed to not really belong.
By Alejandra Mora Hendler5 years ago in Humans
Notes on How to get Ahead
I could have watched her for hours. However long it felt like, I knew it had been only 47 minutes since Becca had started reading. Still, it would be pretty normal for me to expect at least some kind of reaction in that amount of time. To this point though she had been implacable. So, I sat, watching and waiting, as transfixed as she was. With time somehow going stubbornly even slower.
By Ric Rogers5 years ago in Humans
Sorrento Pizza
I just got back. It was about 5:31 pm. Sweating like a sauna. I burst into the hotel lobby; having spent the day gloriously climbing Mt. Vesuvius. Tomorrow: Pompeii. I was 28. I’d wanted to see Pompeii since I was seven. Ever since I passionately did that school project on it. It was within reach.
By Simon Seline5 years ago in Humans
Moving On
David peered up at the final box, resting on the top shelf of the near empty cupboard. The box filled with his past. He closed his eyes. The rest of the flat now stood in neatly packed boxes in the living room, waiting for the early call of the removal van. Only this one, final box remained to be sorted. Keeping his eyes closed, David reached up and placed a hand on each side of the container. As he brought it above his head, David felt something slide off the lid. There was a slap of leather, as a book landed on the floor behind him.
By Niall James Bradley5 years ago in Humans
Black Sheep Revelations
Jayce stepped off the bustling Main Street pavement and through the open doors of Black Sheep Books. He inhaled deeply and smiled as the bibliosmia hit his nostrils. Bibliosmia was not yet featured in any dictionary, but it translated roughly to “book smell” in Greek, which Jayce liked. That sweet smell of wood and smoke always made him think of good times, like the afternoon he’d spent at Atlantis Books this past summer.
By Zachary Bennett5 years ago in Humans
LITTLE BLACK HOLE
It was 12:35 am, July 2018, I was in my bed, when the ground began to move sideways. It's California, have you seen San Andreas. Well, I thought 2 things: this is going to pass or this is it. Sure enough, it stopped. However my heart could not stop pounding. I decided to do what all Californians should do, and prepare an emergency bag just in case. You should always be prepared. Here I was, packing my emergency bag and I decided to look into my old box of pictures and memories. Decided to pack some of that too. Even packed my little black book.
By Jocelyn Sida5 years ago in Humans
The Fountain Pen
Henry had always relished his fountain pen. He'd endured gentle ribbings from friends and the occasional injunction to "get with the times" and use a computer, but still he persisted in his singular ways. There was something about the fountain pen that connected him to himself, as though each stroke was a meditation. Maybe it was something about how the ink bubbled up on the page and took a moment to dry: a sort of harness that reigned in his penchant for impetuous writing. Then again, maybe it was the smell of the ink sopping into the course pages of his little black writing book. There was something physical, even temporal about it. The tip of his pen was shaped like a diamond, and Henry liked to think about how both diamonds and ink were made out of carbon, black as his notebook. Like the glittering diamond he'd purchased for his fiancee, the vows he'd written her were born out of intense pressure. But Henry had never read those vows, at least not to Olivia. Some things happen so suddenly and unpredictably. He was stationed in Stuttgart. He didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.
By Wesley Hall5 years ago in Humans
My World
Everyone passing by thought I was mad. I didn’t care. I was so close to finding out the truth. Maybe at this point I was mad. At least a little manic. It had been days since I last slept and I’m sure the dark circles and rubbed mascara didn’t help my overall appearance. Some people stopped me in the street to ask if I was okay. Some even tried to pull me from the ground. But I wouldn’t move, even if it meant putting on my craziest face and yelling at the benevolent strangers. Even the birds were making sure they were flying nowhere near me as I sat on a patch of grass next to the sidewalk, covered in dirt, digging up the answers I’ve been searching for.
By Morgan Lewelling5 years ago in Humans
The Hat Box
It was a cold and grey morning as Melody sat on the floor combing through her mother’s belongings. It had been a week since the funeral but it was all a blur. She couldn’t believe her mother was gone. There was still so much she wanted to say to her. She didn’t feel like she had enough time with her and just like that, she was no longer here to hug or hold or ask advise. She smelled her mother’s favorite blue blazer, the one that made her mom’s blue eyes sparkle. She was overcome with heartache and sadness. She sobbed into the pile of her mother’s clothes and let the unbearable feelings wash over her. She emerges only to take a breath. She looks over at her precious baby girl sleeping in her rocking swing. A Beethoven song plays and lulls baby Rose deeper and deeper into her sweet slumber. Melody takes a deep breath. Through teary eyes, she sees her mother’s flower hat box. She slowly pulls it closer. She knows her mother kept all of her most special memories in that antique keepsake. Melody opens the hat box and sees her mother’s tattered journal, her little black book. Her mother loved to write and had many journals throughout the years, but the little black book was special and contained all of her mother’s biggest hopes and dreams. Again Melody is overcome with sadness and she lets the tears flow and fall as she hugs her mother’s dream journal. She opens the journal and an envelope falls out. It has her name written on the front in her mother’s perfect cursive handwriting. She opens the envelope and there is a check for $20,000 dollars in it. Melody is shocked because all of her mother’s savings was spent on hospital bills. She reads the note her mother wrote, she can hear her mother’s voice so clearly. “My dearest Melody, you are my greatest gift and my biggest accomplishment. I am so proud of the woman you’ve become. Your perseverance and positive attitude are such a strength in this world. But you are stubborn like I am, and you take care of everyone else and forget about yourself. So I need you to promise me that you will use this money to follow your dream and open a dance studio. Children need a safe place to dream big and know that their dreams matter. And your dreams matter. I’m sorry if I didn’t tell you that enough. Please tell my granddaughter her dreams are special and worthy of a life long pursuit. I am so proud of you my sweet Melody. I’ve admired you since the day you were born. I love you forever and always and beyond. Until we walk in heaven together, hand in hand, I’ll be watching over you and baby Rose. Love, mom.” Melody let’s out a cry and baby Rose wakes up. She picks up her precious baby girl and holds her tight. “We’re gonna be ok. We’re gonna be ok”.
By Jenna Fuga5 years ago in Humans
The Duck Pond
It was a sunny Tuesday morning. Warm, for March. A little early for ducklings, but they chirped and splashed anyway, three small yellow-brown fuzzy balls who resided in the small pond in the park. They were Cole’s favourite thing, at the moment, the best part of his week as he walked to his appointment with Dr. Lassiter, feet heavier than his head.
By Ayasha Kawakita5 years ago in Humans
