Love
Alone
Isaac’s feet pound the sidewalk as he sprints down the street, eyes to his running feet that seemingly glide across the neglected cement below. From cracks bloom flowering weeds, from loose stone turns dust. Isaac feels himself breathing heavily and tries consciously to control and maintain an equilibrium as he pushes himself harder. ‘Run, RUN’ reverberates through his head. The streets before him are desolate, cars littered about without pattern. As if the drivers had tired of doing just that, so pulling the handbrake, they step out and away from this lonesome street. Shop fronts are painted black with the memories of a fire, the once bustling CBD now a relic of all lives lived here. Running still, glass crunches between the soles of his shoes and the brown stained pavement. Feeling himself tiring Isaac puts everything he has into this final sprint; his clear mind brings him a delightful moment of solitude as his feet beg him to stop. Violently panting his legs begin to shake beneath him until he slows himself allowing a deep inhalation and a satisfactory release. Pulling his wireless headphones out of his ears as he looks upon a converted parking lot, military vehicles abandoned and countless bodies lay alone in black bags, stacked atop one another, and scattered without a care. From the headphones Isaac still hears Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Spring, the stunning strings and chaotic sunshine energy ring out through the empty city streets. He wonders what he did to deserve such a beautiful sunny day.
By Wade Villani5 years ago in Fiction
The night that shines brightest
In the depths of nature, and far removed from the traces of civilisation, there was a rare purity. Creatures meandered through their serene, frosted landscape without concern for time or space. The air carried the essence of the wild and the lushness of the vast forestation seemed to resound vitality. At the base of the stark mountain range, the hills rolled out to a small clearing. Nested among the surrounding pine trees and deposited upon the snow, there was a charismatic, wooden cabin. Smoke puffed with slow repetitiveness from the chimney and rose to a higher atmospheric level.
By Emma Donovan5 years ago in Fiction
Donovan's Barn - Part Seven
The story continues! Donovan's Barn is now in its seventh part. Please enjoy! Here are links to the other parts, in the event you would like to read how the story got to this point: part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, and part six.
By Julie Buchy5 years ago in Fiction
Love is in the Painting
"Come on!! Hurry!" Little Jessica Raine shouted at her best friend Scylla. Scylla let out a laugh, running a few paces behind Jessica, clenching their ice skates. Scylla wore a thick jacket that kept her body heat inside, keeping her warm. She could see her breath. Her boots stomped against the soft white powder as they ran towards the small pond that was on the edge of town, which froze during the winter.
By N. K. Barclay5 years ago in Fiction
The Drive
Do not ask how they ended up working together or how they became friends. But if you do get either of them to reminisce, they’ll talk about the time the man they were hunting fell into a frozen pond. But that was a long time ago. Today, they are driving.
By Petrichorincolour 5 years ago in Fiction
Our Norway Pond
The air horn blared and all at once the fleet of box sleds began their uncertain descent down the hill towards the frozen pond. The bumble bee sled rolled over right at the beginning of the race and the airplane sled started to spin uncontrollably down the hill. The race car sled had the lead, it's wide, low profile allowing speed and stability. Jay and I watched as children got thrown from their poorly made cardboard contraptions, their parents failing to run to their aid, slipping down the icy slope. Jay was nearly in tears laughing, pointing at his younger brother's sled, barrel rolling down the hill, taking out all other sleds in its path. The race was over within minutes, Jay's younger brother the victor, by literally crushing the competition, emerged from his beaten sled in tears and covered in vomit.
By Mollie Harrison5 years ago in Fiction
After Ice-Walk
All my life I’ve tried to walk across the ice, out over the middle of the lake and on to the far side, daring the meandering micro-fractures that spread out from my heels to connect, wishing for them to create a fractal breach that will give way as I take my next step. All my life I’ve done it: daring, hoping, taunting, swaggering, trembling and finally revelling when I make it to the other side, victorious.
By Conor Darrall5 years ago in Fiction
Lullaby
The tender pangs of longing find her in the dark. Nights spent staring upward are quickly becoming a trend. The drugs are there if she needs them, but she finds it hard to let herself fall. Life's grind is no major hardship on her. Work sucks, but she knows that the benefits outweigh the stress and the expended time. Dragging her hand through her blonde hair, right down to the black roots, she sighs and turns to the left.
By Mack Devlin5 years ago in Fiction
LIP SERVICE
Lisbeth opened the front door to Jonathan’s home, expecting him to be ready for their long planned date to discuss the wedding reception and get in a couple of hours ice skating before dinner. Instead, he was watching football with his buddies Dick, Bruce, and Theo, surrounded by beer bottles, pizza, hot chicken wings, cigars . . . at 11 am.
By P. E. Zaccardo5 years ago in Fiction
Pluto and Proserpina
My legs move themselves the second I realize it. I’m pregnant. I can’t get to nursery quick enough and I start crying as I sprint into the room we have prepared for the baby we so desperately wanted. We have been trying and I am so excited but it’s too soon. I haven’t told everyone I truly love Pluto. I have been putting it off for years, but I knew I would do it eventually. I thought I would have more time. I have no time. This baby is on the way and everyone is going to hate me and hate my wonderful husband even more than they already do. They are going to hate my baby.
By Angie Seminara5 years ago in Fiction
