Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
What I Have Learned From Pinocchio About Being Real
There is something about being “real” that both amazes me and disgusts me. In my four decades of living as a human being, I think I’ve never heard of a phrase used as often as “being real” or “being me”. We seem to be obsessed with the idea of “finding our true selves”. How many times have we criticized people for being hypocrites?
By Jocleyn Soriano4 years ago in Psyche
A date with Willpower.
“New year, new me!” has never been a motto that I used too often. I always intended on being the same me, but better. Truthfully though, I was affirming that 2020 had my name all over it and I had big plans! I remember sitting on Hollywood Beach on New Year’s Day with my eyes closed, visualizing the year ahead. Faint Bachata music played in the distance from the live band, the sand beneath me kept me grounded while in thought, and every gust of wind felt like it whispered; “You got this.”
By Abigail Jean Jacques4 years ago in Psyche
I Thought I Was Over My Mother's Murder
Hello, readers, assuming there are any readers actually out there. I started writing about my life – anonymously – a few months ago. I did it partly on the suggestion of my shrink, who knows I enjoy writing fiction (in fact I have an account on here that is not anonymous, in which I write short stories.) I've found it incredibly cathartic and in fact was even thinking “hey, I'm not even sure if I need to go back to him anymore. That's how good I feel!”
By Mytoxic Family4 years ago in Psyche
The Terrible Fog
I remember lying on the living room floor on my side, the worn, smooth wooden planks pressing into my cheek. I felt heavy, leaden, and each breath was a struggle – like my chest was sandwiched between two brick walls. My arms limp in front of me, my legs curled up to my stomach, I was simply staring at myself in the mirror we had nailed horizontally on the wall to make the room seem bigger.
By Davia Buchacher4 years ago in Psyche
Speak the F*** Up
Giving slack. Staying quiet. Telling myself, He’s going through so much, I don’t want to add to his frustration. The line he just crossed can be overlooked this one time. Or maybe this second time. “Shut the f*** up”, he says as a lighthearted joke. I ask him not to, but he says it again.
By Lauren Opal4 years ago in Psyche
It's Trichy
It all started one summer with the quest to find that perfectly imperfect hair. I searched mostly for the odd, rough-textured ones. That soon turned into a search for the ones with a bulbous white root (bonus). This newly obtained odd little habit eventually led to some gray hairs at sixteen (WTF?). It soon turned into thinner hair. Then the bald patches began to grow. That was when the comments, the questions, avoiding haircuts, and the internal shaming began.
By Jenna Heartgrove4 years ago in Psyche
