It was too much. It was all far too much. She could not hear over the sound of the drums, the screaming, the echoing rowdy fans, and the piercing headache. The gym was packed as the ladies spiked the ball over the net. Janine lost sight of the ball on the screen in front of…
Month: September 2023
Don’t Mess with Cravings
She needed sugar. It was something feral within, something deep inside her that raved and clawed beneath her skin, craving something sweet as if it were life blood. She tore through the pantry in search of anything that would suffice. She found boxes of brownie mix, cake mix, frosting, and a full sugar bag. The…
Homework Meets Burnout
The motivation was missing. Chores to do, assignments to complete, plans to make, and no energy to do any of it. There was only a void of darkness where there should have been inspiration, motivation, energy, or something else to get her moving. Instead, there was nothing. There was no way to get anything done…
Fall Tree
It was that time again. The leaves were starting to turn brown, the winds were beginning to bring in cooler air, and the clothing being worn was shifting to longer sleeves. The teens pulled out the decoration buckets out of the attic and spread them around the living room floor. Mother hung the recently purchased…
Mentally Ill
There had always been something different about her. She had been a quiet child until her younger siblings came alone. Where with other babies her age would have forgotten items once they were out of sight, she always remembered and wanted them back where she could see them and know for sure they were still…
Bye Bye Princess Hair
Just because it was pretty did not mean it was pleasant. Her dark hair was thick and heavy on the back of her neck. Whenever she washed it, if she did not brush it her hair would curl in elegant waves. Every time her hair was noticed she would receive compliments for how beautiful her…
Nightly Reflections on Rooftops
She was dressed in a grey T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. She walked out of the back door and approached the wooden fence surrounding the backyard. She effortlessly climbed the fence and balanced herself where a corner was formed in the fence, near the lower end of the roof to the garage. She sat there…
Trapped in the Mirror
The sky was dark, the clouds were grey, and the car roughly pulled into the driveway. The house was wooden and rotting, every window hinges squeaking. The car engine shut off and all five passengers filed out of the vehicle. One was the father, one was the mother, followed by two daughters and a son….
Sweater
The fire crackled lightly in the fireplace. Curled up close by, wrapped in a fluffy blanket over her woolly sweater, sat Dahlia in the wooden rocking chair. Purring contently, as Dahlia ran her fingers over his fur, was a grey tabby cat laying over Dahlia’s blanket covered lap. Dahlia pet the cat’s head once more…
August
His life was a joke. It had to be. All around him, the world projected who he was in mocking. August was brunette, dressed in orange and brown, surrounded by orange and brown falling leaves. When he lived in the southern states, he would be sweating at this point in the year wearing long sleeves;…