The first pet the little girl owned was a hamster. She was ten at the time. She named it Simon, loved it and took care of it as she was told. One day, her cousin, Lil’ Jo came to her. He took her up the stairs to her room and shut the door. Then he […]
I ran into the church. No surprise, it was empty, had been since it was abandoned in the nineteen thirty somethings. The pews looked half eaten, taken by mold. The carpet was matted and old, withering away like the decaying walls. The windows were stained and the whole building stank of time and abandonment. “Kessa!” […]
They welcomed her into the center with smiling, plastic faces. The nurses all looked alike; they were all Astro brand. Fair skinned, brown eyes with hair that stopped just above their shoulders. Their little white hats and dresses matched the walls and floors. Katherina got up from her seat when they called her name. She […]
The television blinked to life at the press of a button. The next would switch the VCR on. A little green light appeared and one more button started the sixth tape in their home movie marathon. It was a walk down memory lane and he, the Operator. The screen came to life with laughter. The […]
Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a tower, guarded by a dragon. She was fair and kind, the prettiest in the land and awaited for her prince to save her—at least, that’s what the king told his son. “There’s a girl. She’s fair and kind. She lives in a […]
You’re driving. The car is a black Honda Civic and you’re going seventy down route 22. It’s a warm summer night, but you leave the windows rolled all the way up. It’s stuffy and hot. Sweat trickles down your face, your back is damp and your palms are slippery against the wheel. You press harder […]
She peeked into the darkness of her room and saw the silver reflection of her cat’s eyes. But when she turned on the light, she found her child sitting there instead.
The sun set in a valley of waste. The skeletons of buildings that once stood tall stuck out of the dry dirt, like crooked fingers, reaching for the sky. The house on Ninth Street still stood. It didn’t have a roof anymore. The stairs led to empty space where bedrooms once were. The tiles of […]
Takke went down to the shore, where the docks creaked above slow churning waters, as cold and grey as coming storms. He knew the path well, every bush and tree. When the breeze blew and salt touched his tongue, he knew to leave the path, and cut through the line of trees, whose bodies […]
There was only one hour till the end of the world. She had her black and blue, flowered suitcase on the bed, half filled with clothes falling out of it. A red top that dipped low and was silky to the touch draped over the side along with her favorite pair of black shorts. […]
Zo Grimmwood 