Top Stories

Stories in Humans that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.

Missing You
She opened the journal. It had been her mother’s. The black leathery exterior felt soft, almost feathery in her hands - the paper pages aged. Her mother had specifically willed the journal to her; the two had been close, but they had fallen out of contact shortly before her mother had passed.
By Jamie Rohrer5 years ago in Humans
Firewood
Firewood When Joseph opened his mouth it made a strange crackling sound, as if parts of his tongue were cracking. The wood stove had been left on overnight, and now the house was an almost uninhabitable desert, the corners of his eyes and crevices of his skin all bone dry and aching. He glanced at the end table beside his recliner and saw a large, very old, glass of water. Small white particles floated near the bottom of the glass. He couldn’t wait; it would have to do. He slowly leaned as far as he could to the side, aiming his mouth for the large metal straw resting against the side of the cup. Joseph realized that his urostomy bag was full to the point of bursting, an uncomfortable sensation as he leaned over. Still, he needed the drink. When his lips met the straw he sucked and the sudden moisture at the back of his throat made him cough.
By Ashley Wutke5 years ago in Humans
The Secrets We Keep
How did I get myself here? I asked myself as I snuck into my girlfriend’s home office, with the key to the locked drawer clutched in my sweaty palm. Opening the drawer, I took note of how the contents were arranged, to ensure that I would return them to their original state, after sifting through it.
By Alix Bret5 years ago in Humans
For my Louisa
The hell are you hoping to find out there anyway? The ranger’s words ring in my ears. Not accusatory, more a suggestion of concern. Few come out into this dusty scrubland by choice unless they have a good reason.
By boshmi5 years ago in Humans
He Was Everything
Ben wanted so badly to kiss his best friend. His best friend since elementary school. The guy who stopped him from going off the rails with other kids, and helped him consistently with his hot headed self righteousness... who got him to see things in a grounded, level and down to earth kind of way.
By Melissa Ingoldsby5 years ago in Humans
A Village Affair
She wasn’t what he’d expected. Sarah could see that straight off, from the way his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly before he smiled and opened the door wider.
By Kate Hewitt5 years ago in Humans
You little punk!
“Uggh!” My head is pounding and all I can see is blinding light through my crusty eye lids as I lay like dirty laundry on the couch. Why did I drink so much last night? Oh, now I remember. It’s because I lost my job at the book binding factory. And my girlfriend of two years left me when she discovered we only had our love of sex in common during quarantine. It’s too bad because she was dynamite in the sack. And worthy of going on this bender to honor the loss of her. Even though it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.
By Yona Vaughan 5 years ago in Humans
I Took A Gap Year In My Marriage
A gap year is typically used to describe the year high school students take to find themselves. During that time, they work or travel in an effort not only to discover themselves but to figure out what they want to do with their lives. But when we inadvertently applied that same logic to our marriage, it brought us back from almost getting divorced.
By That Writer Chick5 years ago in Humans
Trans Before, Trans After
Everyone in this world eventually kicks the final bucket. This is a fact of life. It's unavoidable. Guaranteed. However, it's the unfortunate truth that many LGBT+ folx, particularly those who are transgender, often die much younger than their cisgender and/or hetero-normative counterparts. There are many reasons for this particular fact of life, but every single one of them is just as tragic as the next.
By J. Lee5 years ago in Humans
The Boy on the Moon
Riley was bored. That was the only reason she even noticed the mysterious paper airplane on her windowsill. Her grandfather had died a few months ago, so Riley and her mother had moved in with her grandmother in the country in a house that was too big even for the three of them. Space wasn’t the issue, though. It was what to do in that space. In her old apartment Riley had had video games, movies, and a thousand other things the internet allowed. Now, without Wi-Fi, all she had was two bereaved women looking at old pictures of her grandfather, mostly from his childhood, and talking about money problems. Riley supposed everyone had their own way of dealing with loss.
By Paige Turner5 years ago in Humans
Day 76
The first thing I remember about the day that changed my life is opening my eyes and seeing fluorescent lights above me. I couldn’t turn my head in either direction without feeling an intense pain shooting down my spine, so I kept looking up at the fluorescent lights. There’s no reason for you to know this, but I hate fluorescent lights. I don’t know who created them, but I wish they stayed home that day. I remember realizing I was in a hospital, but I don’t remember how I got there. I remember lying on that hospital bed for what felt like an hour before a nurse came in to check on me. It could have been ten minutes, it could have been thirty seconds, but to me, it felt like an hour. Nevertheless, my nurse was finally here.
By Nicole Robinson5 years ago in Humans
Most Likely to Thrive.
It’s cute in a yearbook when the statement “most likely to” is used. Most likely to travel around the world, most likely to cure cancer, most likely to go vegan, etc.
By L4 years ago in Humans