This story begins with a song.

That’s how it almost always begins, does it not?

One simple melody that draws someone to you.

But often we don’t even know it at the time.

Decades separated us.

For I was old. The years had worn themselves on my skin, etched in like broken seams. My beard had turned white, and my eyes were all that hadn’t wrinkled on my face.

But _her?_

The years had yet...

Lingering fumes cover the ash-covered ground, my shoes now covered in ash. The smoke in the air leaves an acrid taste in my mouth, burning my throat.

Where my former house stood, now sits a pile of rubble. Rough and jagged edges of brick stick out from the rubble. A bathtub stands out, like the lead actor in a crowd, and my heart plummets into my chest. It isn’t just a bathtub, it was _my tu...

NOVA

“Money must be tight, Nova. Thought you’d left all of us and this life behind you.” Detective Kahn paces in front of the stainless-steel table I sit at, his shoes making a gentle thump on the concrete. I give him a shrug. “I did too, but special agent Nova has such a nice ring to it. Just not ready to give it up.” I add after a beat “Money too, but everyone has their own reasons.”

Detective...

Bella Bonavieve was our third new hire this month. No sooner had I dutifully finished training Benjamin and Dakota the week prior, they both chose to skip their first full shifts, neither of them to be seen again. Training felt pointless. It felt insincere to show such fabricated energy and enthusiasm for a job that under paid and forced you to endure unfit working conditions. But what choice did ...

GARION

The loss is unfathomable.

From the moment I learned of her existence, my life’s expectations all shifted.

What I had foreseen for myself altered.

What I had seen for us, had been altered.

MANDA

The loss is unfathomable.

Clothes I’ll never see her wear are stacked away in boxes in the closet.

I’ll never know what color her eyes would have been.

There are so many things about her t...

You’re walking down the sidewalk when you notice everyone around you has a collection of zippers holding their skin together. ...

There’s something to be said about falling in love with a momma’s boy. It’s not inherently bad, just that it’s a fine line.

Jeremey was different from other men. He rode the line perfectly. A considerate son who loved his mother, while making his love for me known. Both women in his life were happy.

I was blessed – I already had a healthy, loving relationship with my own mother, and now I was ...

“Renee, right? You’re Renee Waters.” Glancing up from her novel, Renee glanced up at the stranger staring at her. “Wow, I can’t believe this!” He grabbed the metal pole for balance as the bus came to another stop. The seat beside her was empty, and she hoped that her purse sitting there would deter him from asking to sit beside her. Her stop was a few blocks away and she was so close to making it ...

Fantasizing about how I might die used to bring me comfort as a child. I used to believe that if I could make a list of every option, I wouldn’t be as scared. Having a list was like having a sense of closure. Dying in a nursing home with regrets was certainly on the list – number six if I recall correctly – however, it should have been number one on the list.

Bernard was my best friend here in t...

Carli’s Pros and Cons List:

Having one arm, I literally have to do everything at half the speed of everyone else. (Con)

Having one arm means constant staring from the likes of everyone. Literally everyone. (Con)

Without my dominant arm, I’ve lost my ability to continue my passion. (Con)

Cute guys help carry out my luggage to my taxi for me. (Probably pity, but I’ll take it - Pro)

Shutting my ...