May 25, 2019 The Great Divide On the curb outside of Pine Elementary School, Annabelle sat tying her shoelaces. Her hair remained in the braids her mother had put in earlier that day. Over her shoulders, her backpack carried more textbooks than the day before, but for a rather exciting reason: it was the last day of fifth grade.
May 18, 2019 I Free Sally and All Her Friends “Hey, can you pass me the salt, Sam?” Dad reached over with a hand, not bothering to look over as he scrolled through his phone. Across from me, my stepmother, Carol, was also glancing over her emails and not at all interested in talking. I sighed, passing my dad the salt. Then I went back to ignoring everyone and eating tonight’s mediocre carry-out dinner.
May 11, 2019 The Power of Words As children, we spend much of our days dreaming. We wake up, daydreaming about last night’s fantasies of candy houses and fairy tales. During class, our mind wanders away to worlds unknown and situations unseen, thinking of another time. And then, we return to our slumber, to our special worlds that only we know, until we have to wake and reenter reality.
May 4, 2019 What Friends Are For It’s weird to think that a little under two months ago, I was living in Taiwan still working as an English teacher. And now I am in Florida, working and mostly settled into a new pattern and a new set of routines. While so much has changed, I was recently reminded that really, when it comes down to it not that much has altered.
April 28, 2019 Reunion on Marbella Pier I was at my usual place. Sitting still on the edge of the pier, I dangled my legs into the water. My toes dipped into the cold saltwater. I opened my mouth and could taste the seawater on the brim of my lips.
April 21, 2019 A Little Bit of Chemistry “Now we are going to talk about the chemical equation for Sodium Chloride. Anyone care to offer the answer?” My chemistry teacher, Mr. Anderson, rambled on and on about chemical equations. My eyes were glued to the back of Luke’s perfect head of hair. It seemed like every curl on the back of his neck turned upwards at just the right angle. How did he have such perfect hair? My hair barely did as it was told even after using the straightener.
April 14, 2019 Kymopoleia’s Assignment This night, like every other, was exactly the same. I stood idly on the edge of the sand, watching the waves as they connected with the shoreline. Each crash comforted me, encouraging me. Don’t leave. Not yet. Another wave lapped upon around my ankles, shooting chills up and down my tired body. More reassurance. It’s nearly time.
March 31, 2019 Lost Dreams High above the tops of the trees, the sun shone down upon the pack. Their chests rose and fell, deep in slumber. In the middle of them all, Amber lifted her tired body. Rubbing her eyes and tugging her long hair from her face, she took in her surroundings.
March 24, 2019 The First Encounter “Penny! Wait up!” I turned on my heels. Behind me, a girl with vibrant auburn hair and bright blue eyes bounced up to me. Pushing the glasses up the brim of her nose, she handed me a piece of fresh printed paper.
March 20, 2019 Changing Tides “Louise, can you pass me the sunscreen?” Jane, my best friend, held out a tanned hand, not bothering to look over from behind her giant sunglasses. Reluctantly, I snatched the pink Coppertone bottle and gave it to her. I waited for her reply, but as predicted, there was none. “Do you think Nick is coming today?”
