The heat had stopped being unbearable after a few minutes, giving way to the overwhelming dread that only those who have lost pieces of their heart can understand.

“Splinter, no…” The words tumbled from my lips like bile. “Please don’t-! Don’t! Please don’t do this! We can still make it!”

The ropes dug into my wrists as I pulled and pulled and pulled, only succeeding it making the helm stutter a...

When you are running a kingdom, it is important to be important.

Do not let anyone talk down to you. For example, I had a servant who always made a disgusted face and held the platter of sandwiches as far from them as they could as they brought out breakfast. If your own staff is disgusted by your choices, you should not keep them around. I sentenced their execution swiftly and did not heed the...

‘Two go in and one comes out’

“Jamie! C’mon!” Baxton, a gap-toothed boy with shaggy blond hair pulled at young Jamie’s arm. “I wanna catch frogs!”

The boys wandered through the trees, their excitement growing in time with the sounds of the rushing river.

‘The water’s cold and fast, no doubt.’

They cup their hands, giggling as frogs leapt between the gaps. They pushed at each other and s...

Tell me everything,

Give to me your burdens

That I heard about from

Someone else.

An invitation ushered

Through panicked lips.

Callouses form and break,

Lines form under

Continued weight.

Second to work,

Second to dinner.

First to help,

First to crumble.

Rest, my friends,

For I do not mind

Being placed in the drawer

When the shelf

became too crowded.

Shelter in the fact that

Regardle...

“AAAAGGGHHHH!!!”

Screaming hurt my throat. But so did breathing, now. In fact, the list of parts of me that didn’t hurt would be a much shorter list than those that do.

The small, orange creatures made in the image of a rat on an acid trip hissed and scattered. Bastards, all of them. Chewing up my bloodied clothes and pulling whatever scrap they could from my constantly dwindling rations.

It ...

Death surrounded Andrea.

By the age of 19, she started interning at the local vet clinic. She took care of the animals; feeding, cleaning, and occasional transport. By the end of that year, she couldn’t count the amount of deaths she witnessed. Every one would tie her stomach in a knot and leave an empty ache in her chest.

And yet… with every death came a boy. He wore a hoodie and baggy black ca...

Water flows through splintered beams,

Haggard cracks within the seams,

Rocks and mud within our home,

A loss of warmth betwixt the dome.

Pulling up a book to read,

I realize I’m without a need.

Between the wreck of shale and tree,

There I sit while others flee.

Screams and cries,

And sweetened lies,

Yet here beneath the awning I wait.

Even if they do arrive,

I made my peace that they’ll be too l...

For a moment,

All I can see are stars

Bright, hot, and burning

The rumble of the cheap stage below me,

Threatening to collapse with every boom of the mic.

Handprints sear my shoulders,

Ushering me forward for the inevitable piercing of eyes.

All on me.

All deliberating.

What I wouldn’t give for a warm fire,

The only light being a lamp in the corner.

But all I can feel is cold,

Curtains shifting...

I sighed, combing my fingers through the stiff, gelled hair my mother had so desperately styled for tonight. My collar felt too tight, suffocating me in my own cologne.

“Carson,” I stiffened at the call of my name, turning to see yet another well-dressed woman. She was dressed exquisitely—as most everyone here was—a concerned and… determined look on her face. “Are you quite alright? You left in s...

Silent as we enter,

Silent as we leave.

Together at a gathering,

Our silence a reprieve.

Casual glances,

and subtle nods.

A bond between us,

No one can see but the gods.

My only hello,

My only goodbye.

Grant me again your presence,

You know I’ll never pry....