Latest Stories

Most recently published stories on Vocal.

The Service
“When you walk into the room…” “Wait, should I write this down?” “If you need to, I guess.” “Be right back.” “Don’t write it down, just listen then.”
By Glenn Brown15 days ago in Fiction
How to fill a hot water bottle. (Or, How to get through the night.)
1. Go to the cupboard where you keep all the towels and sheets. It's at the top of the stairs. Take a deep breath and roll your shoulders back. For this will take some effort. Reach up and dig into the mountain of materials. Past the scratchy towels, the creased sheets, the mismatched pillowcases, the marooned sock. Keep feeling until you find something somewhat soft. There might be a bit of matting from lack of use. With a slight hardness underneath. Grab onto it. Firmly. Begin to start pulling it out of its hole. Like a game of Jenga, don't let the mountain get on top of you. It helps to use one hand for steadying the mountain and the other hand for gripping on to the hot water bottle. Carefully slide it out. Take your time.
By Sarah O'Grady15 days ago in Fiction
I Stopped Chasing Motivation and Focused on Systems.
Motivation feels good. It also fades fast. You wake up inspired one day and stuck the next. I learned this the hard way. I waited for the right mood before I worked. Progress stayed slow. Results stayed random. Everything changed when I stopped chasing motivation and built systems instead.
By Wilson Igbasi15 days ago in Journal
E Ala Mai!
My arm flails in the direction of the alarm. Who knew a sound could be obnoxious. With a swipe of my thumb, it was snoozed. My head droops back into the coolness and comfort of the silk covered pillow. Wait, did the clock say 6:45 am? The first step out of bed is always the hardest. My toes wiggle into the carpet as I push myself up. Now at the doorway, I glance into the hall. The keiki are still asleep, I sigh with relief. Mm, some alone time. A rarity for any mom. Turning into the bathroom I feel along the small textured bumps of the wall. The lights flicker on. My eyes blink on cue. Reaching for the faucet, I mentally prepare for the shock. My hands join together in a cup shape, the cold-water pouring in. The anticipation was right. I shook at the jolting sensation as the drops trickled down my face. I head towards the kitchen. In a quiet moment of gratitude to whoever invented the Keurig I savor the roast scent as the coffee droplets fill my cup. It read, “But, first coffee,” as if it was personally preaching to me. Black coffee, with a shot of espresso. The network of nerves in my body start to buzz. I call out to the keiki, my voice echoing down the hall like the first ripple of a wave, e ala mai!
By Keola 15 days ago in Writers
Professional Expectations for Safeguarding PHI
Introduction Protecting patient information is essential. PHI includes sensitive health data. Trust depends on confidentiality. Privacy supports ethical healthcare delivery. Regulations require strict safeguards. Compliance is a professional obligation. Breaches cause serious harm. Financial penalties may follow. Reputational damage can occur. Patients expect protection. Professionals must remain vigilant. Every interaction carries responsibility. Digital records increase exposure risk. Paper records still matter. Strong safeguards reduce vulnerability. Consistent practices protect patients. PHI protection reflects professionalism. Accountability is not optional. Privacy failures damage credibility. Safeguarding PHI supports long-term organizational stability.
By Abdul Mueed15 days ago in Journal
Salt Bricks: A Wellness Solution for Modern Spaces
Salt has been used as an alternative healing method for a long time, but has gained much more popularity recently due to the beautiful pink color of the stones and the wide variety of wellness uses. Most people know about salt lamps made from Himalayan salt, but now, salt bricks are even more popular. These can be used to make your home, office, or spa a wellness sanctuary and can last a long time for a one-time use. These are an excellent, low-effort option for a long-lasting solution to improve your space.
By Emily Rosie15 days ago in Longevity
Expert Banking Digital Signage Energizes Customers
I'll never forget walking into my local branch last Tuesday morning, dreading the usual 20-minute wait just to deposit a check. Instead, I was greeted by a vibrant digital display showing my wait time (3 minutes!), current mortgage rates, and a helpful video about mobile banking features I didn't even know existed. That visit took seven minutes total, and I left with a new savings account. That's the power of banking digital signage done right.
By Jerry Kane 15 days ago in Education
Smart phones, Humans and Aliens.. Top Story - January 2026.
WARNING. I will be tapping into one of your favorite creative tensions: The absurdity of humans worshipping their glowing rectangles as if they were tiny oracles. There’s something deliciously poetic about that contradiction, and it lends itself beautifully to an instructive proviso.
By Novel Allen15 days ago in Poets
A Bright Ribbon in Darker Times
A flower in a pot, a card and Heroes sweets in Morrisons brown paper bag warm the spot behind the door. I pick them all up, stunned, after reading his message, “I dropped a little something on the doorstep for you.” We are not lovers, not even friends.
By Moon Desert15 days ago in Fiction
INFJ — Carriers of the Unspoken
INFJ — Carriers of the Unspoken INFJ: Born Fluent in Meaning They walk softly through loud rooms, listening for what isn’t said.
By Flower InBloom15 days ago in Poets
Occult Linguistics. Content Warning.
The Hidden Architecture of Sacred Language Occult linguistics occupies a distinctive intellectual and spiritual territory where language is understood as an active, formative force rather than a passive vehicle for meaning. In this framework words, letters, sounds, and symbols are treated as living structures capable of shaping perception, consciousness, and reality itself. Language functions not only as representation but as participation, embedding human thought within cosmological, ritual, and metaphysical systems that have developed over thousands of years. Across esoteric traditions language is regarded as an extension of creation, a medium through which invisible principles become perceptible and operative.
By Marcus Hedare15 days ago in BookClub
Adding Tech to Ed
Technology is reshaping education in ways that were unimaginable just a generation ago. While access to quality learning was once limited by geography, income, language, or physical ability, digital innovation is steadily removing many of those barriers. Today, technology is not simply enhancing classrooms—it is expanding who education is for, when it happens, and how it is experienced. By increasing flexibility, personalization, and inclusion, technology is making education more accessible to learners of all ages and backgrounds.
By Dennis Muizers Lovejoy15 days ago in Education