He shifted and squirmed trying to relieve his aching limbs. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, everything hurt. The ground beneath him was solid and punishing; it provided no comfort, no respite from the pain. In fact it only heightened his agony. He stretched, unfurling from the awkward ball he had been curled into, wincing as his muscles pulled and stretched, felt like they were tearing. His head ached and he knew, he didn’t...

It was a tragedy that he died, It was a tragedy that she died, It was a tragedy that the train derailed, It was a tragedy that the van overturned, It was a tragedy that the car veered off the road, It was a tragedy that the tornado created so much damage, It was a tragedy that the monsoons returned as usual and so many lost their lives. It was a tragedy. What is life but one long tragedy? Do we even understand the meaning...

The Call It comes as a shock – when you glance at the clock, it’s an hour that no one should call, but the name on display gives the caller away – so you answer the phone after all. The voice you detect isn’t who you expect and your slumberous brain starts to clear as the desperate tone that you hear on the phone sends a message no parent should hear. That message, though short, is a tragic report that’s so thunderous, vi...

Lover’s Leap Annabelle had cast a spell on the one she’d grown so fond – her feelings clear since their junior year, as seniors – and beyond. Little Joe, as friends would know, had found his love for life and soon he’d tell his Annabelle – she’d make the perfect wife. He took her to their favorite view – a place called Lover’s Leap, where legend told – a shattered soul had sought eternal sleep. Was not the first she’d bee...

They are Destiny’s children. We had no say in the matter. Children of Destiny are called for at birth To die, before their time And move on to a better place. Because they were not our children Twenty of them did not belong to this Earth They were not ours. They were God’s, if you believe in God Or they were Fate’s. But they were not ours. Sometimes, our lives are long And we work hard for a death in peace But sometimes,...

Cerise rode home quietly that night, and Mike glanced at her. "You OK?" "Yeah. Tired," Cerise replied, and looked forward. It had been an odd night. Some of the customers had come on a little strong, and so had the singer. Yet at the same time, Cerise had felt something come back to life inside of her. She was not certain why, but it gave her hope. She stared out of the window as they drove through the dark night, and he...

Cerise Adams stood in front of the worn mirror that was leaning against the wall of her room, staring at the clothes that she wore. It was a pair of black shorts and a bright red tee shirt that boasted the name of her uncle's bar in Portland, and it was her new job. Frank's. It was simple and the name of his father, who had run it before her uncle Mike. Mike had turned it into more of a club, featuring music and dancing o...

The Ballad of Nicholas Hughes Suggested by the prose pieces of Sylvia Plath and writings about Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. The name Nicholas Hughes Doesn’t ring many bells … His reputation didn’t stretch very far … Except he was the son of two poets … And one of them wrote The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath was his mother’s name, His dad was known as Ted Hughes, Both scaled the heights of fame, Both were dogged by the blues. Aft...

The Day Our Innocence Died By midnightraider61 Based on the song “American Pie” by Don McLean “The Day the Music Died” was February 3, 1959, the day Buddy Holly’s plane went down in a corn field. Don McLean wrote and recorded this song in 1973; at the time it was the longest single in popular-music history because it had so much to tell. For all the people who lived through September 11, 2001 and can remember that day. Th...

“Hello.” I continued to chop the coriander, cradling the phone against my shoulder. “Yes… it is she. How may I help you?” The knife clattered to the ground as the news I had just been given knocked the air from my lungs. “No. No… it can’t be. There must be some mistake…” There had been no mistake. I listened in silence as the person on the other end continued to feed me details in a clinically efficient voice, convincing...

by Tony Radford It was early fall when he hit the mall – a year past Y2K, at a jewelry store on the second floor – was a final bill to pay. He’d bought the ring that he planned to bring to his love – a big surprise, some wine, a rose, romantic prose – then a question would arise. They’d set the stage at an early age – on the playground after class where he won her hand with a plastic band and a diamond made of glass. Agai...

“I’d like to thank all of you, very, very much, on behalf of Jason and myself. You’ve all been a terrific help to us, and let me once again apologize most sincerely to you all. Tonight is our way of saying thanks and sorry, so please eat, drink and enjoy – on us.” “Cheers!” Everyone raised their champagne glasses as Brad smiled and sat back down in his seat at the head of the table. This was the happiest I had seen him in...