The end came too soon It came out of nowhere I was obsessed one second. And just like that, it died. The familiar wave of embarrassment washes over me. I feel fickle, silly, disappointed with myself Can I trust myself again? Will I ever know love?...

I’ve been coming here for 35 years. The gentle sounds of the wooden boardwalk match the beats of my heart. When it sways, I smile. When the wind picks up, it means change is coming. For thirty five years, change was good. Until this morning, when the landscape changed from sunny warm skies to a white, cold exterior. Climate change, wasn’t real, they said. Tell that to my frost-bitten fingers....

It happens every night.

The icy hand grabs my neck.

I am trapped.

I can’t breathe.

My chest feels like it’s going to explode.

It’s getting tighter.

I may not make it.

The cold sweat takes over.

The icy hand releases its grip.

I breathe through tears

I peer into the darkness.

Don’t come back, I whisper.

I reach for the Xanax.

It’s the only thing that keeps it away....

He felt his wrist buzz- the alarm on his watch. Why was it so bright? Hold on, where was he? Oh that’s right. It all came back to him.

He missed the train, again. It didn’t matter that he ran up the hill or that he left a couple of minutes early this time. The train left as soon as he caught sight of it.

This was it. He refused to leave. His therapist told him to get “big”. “_Don’t be afraid t...

Pete came back home and set his scythe down. Today was a long day. He transitioned ten people today; most were ready but one put up a fight. The narcissists always do. It wasn’t his issue anymore. The contract was clear- he just had to drop them off at the main gate.

Anywho, it was the weekend and that meant no work for three whole days! Pete’s time off always involved the same things. He could...

They said walking would keep the demons out. So, she walked. She started with ten minutes. Ten minutes that felt like an hour. Ten minutes that took a lot of energy and did nothing. She’d start with emptiness and end with emptiness.

But, she kept at it. Ten minutes became twenty and then thirty. She did it every day, rain or shine. And one day, just like that, she felt a little lighter.

It was...

This was it. I had to get out of here. It wasn’t because I didn’t fit in- I never fit in. It was all because of the rumor. The stupid rumor that started the beginning of the end.

It was meant to be a harmless joke. I was annoyed that he seemed just so damn happy all the time. He got his work done on time with zero complaints, he seemed to have plenty of friends and then I discover his family had...

What do you do when the person you love can’t love you in the way you yearn for? They love strongly and you love strongly but you both have unmet needs that you can’t fulfill. Do you ignore it? Do you hope your needs change?

Is it like a plant that has sun but no water? Do we wither away? Or is it a like a plant that’s in a pot that’s too small? Do we shrink? Or is it like a plant that’s vines on...

Nostalgia, defined as the art of sentimental longing. Shielded behind a veil of wistfulness, it makes you ignore the present, worry about the future and yearn for the past. It has an addictive quality, innocuous at first, but once you taste its meloncholic sweetness, it’s hard to let go.

Nostalgia, the 8th deadly sin, best left untouched....

This is it. There’s no turning back now. I should know better than to time it so close.

I open the door and step into the darkness. The air’s cold and damp. I shudder and fumble for my jacket. An explosion jolts me to look up at the lit sky. I crouch and find my way to safety.

I bump into someone and whisper an apology. I find what I’m looking for and lean back.

I sigh in satisfaction as I ...