Beads of sweat trickled down Greta's spine and her heart hammered so loud in her chest that she could barely hear herself think. You're almost there! She thought, eyes set on the winding, leaf-littered path ahead. All too soon, the scorching sun slowly lowered beyond the horizon. Greta knew she had to pick up the pace, because if she didn't make it home by sunset... "Grrooowwwwlll!"

A low bon...

“Buzzzzzz!” A swarm of angry bees swallowed the campsite, tearing through it’s bushy terrain. Campers were everywhere, their petrified shrieks swallowed by the menacing buzzing.

I searched for the cause of this havoc, only to find little Joe - a younger camper- on the ground, covered in bubbling bee stings and irritated welts.

Allergic.

On one side of him lay a stick, the other, the mangled...

Rotting flowers can still smell sweet,

Like I can seem fine when I’m falling apart.

And if I choose to hide it, you will fall for my deceit,

Because you never looked hard enough.

Maybe you’ll realise when cuts mar my skin,

From emotions that grew too dark.

Or you look through the trash in my bin,

And find the notes that made deeper marks....

Thick, black smoke singed Heidi’s sinuses as she watched the enemy’s village burn from afar, the desperate pleas of its people barely audible over the booming thunderstorm that brewed in the distance.

A small smile crept onto her face.

Her twisted, broken heart relished the sight of a once great kingdom destroyed, the sight of her former home burnt and stricken bare.

Although, the kingdom had n...

He knows.

Those two words whirl through my head like a hurricane, thumping with every heart beat, gasping with every breath. A knot of dread writhes in my stomach as I bolt through the bustling markets, desperate for an escape from my captor.

His huffing breaths draw unbearably close. Hurriedly, I kick over a barrel and a small smile creeps onto my face as I hear him collide with it.

The smell o...

Scraps.

My favourite word, meal and quite possibly my will to live.

The smell of them waft up to where I sit perched precariously above a human food court, luring me like bait to where they sit.

I swoop down to collect the delicious treasure and slurp their gooey contents in a way that humans might find “grotesque” or “repulsive”. Luckily the judgy creatures barely glance my way— privilege of ...

Words are dangerous.

Not in the way most things are— weapons draw blood and pain, whereas words draw emotion, meaning. For me, it was hurt that they drew. With just two simple syllables, I lost the one person who stayed.

“He’s dead.” I wasn’t sure if the words had come from me or someone else. The hospital reeked of death, sounded of sorrow. Even as unushed tears filled my eyes, they never s...