Five dollars in his pocket, he ran as fast as he could. He knew the girl wanted to go with him. He didn’t ask. He didn’t want to. He couldn’t. He ran alone. Once he reached downtown, he slowed and walked along the busy street. Cars sped away, people hurried home. Those who lingered had no place to go. He, too, had no place … Continue reading runaway
I used to envy my little brother. He is a boy and will succeed the family name. They indulged him as such, and he got his way most of the time. When our grandparents came to visit, they brought presents for us. I waited for mine while my brother first got his, a toy airplane. They handed me a stuffed animal. A pink horse. … Continue reading a pink horse
“You shall receive anything you desire,” she said. “Anything?” I queried. “Yes. A big toy, a small toy, anything.” “… Anything I want. …” “Anything. But, you must choose only one.” “I have one.” “Well?” I whispered the word into her ear. “But, you know what you’ll lose in exchange?” she studied my face. “Yes.” “Are you sure that’s what you want?” “Yes.” “Then, … Continue reading the only one
“Young people nowadays….” “What about them?” “They are ignorant, irresponsible.” “Young people tend to be bold and brave.” “Nah, they are wimps, weak. They can’t handle any interference. They just get frustrated.” “Like you do? When they upgrade the system?” “Hmm….” “They’ll get old enough to critique the next generation. We seem to keep that tradition, though nothing else stays the same. Think of … Continue reading grief, grit, and grace
“He didn’t make it.” “Not all of us do.” “Not in this freezing temperature. Alexa, get us out of here.” “Okay. Cortana, show me the map.” “I’m sorry I can’t do that.” “Okay. Siri, show me the map.” “I’m not sure I understand. My apologies.” “Google, what’s going on?” “There is a technical problem downloading the map due to the extreme weather, Watson.” “Climate … Continue reading arctic intelligence (A.I.)
I hear cracking and crashing under my feet but can’t look down long enough to find out on what I’m stepping. I have to keep my eyes ahead to see where I’m going. Beads of sweat form on my forehead and trickle down on my cheek and neck. I keep pushing my way through the thick damp foliage that absorbs the cry and dodging through … Continue reading memory lane
They say that I had a hard life, but I wouldn’t know what an “easy” life is. They say that I will be safe and have a better life, and everything will be okay. As I board, three men stand in front of me, grab me, and take me outside. They say that there has been a problem and I’m not going. I have left … Continue reading layover
It started when he asked my friend and me out for dinner. His friend came along. Double date, I guess. Then, he asked me out. Only me. He was leaving town, and we got married. We went on our honeymoon six months later. We had no major catastrophe brought upon us and just enough money to survive. We quarreled and comforted. We came to understand … Continue reading in a flash
She looks up, and eye drops fall and sting her eyes. Her ritual, whenever she works an all-nighter. She wipes the tears and puts the smile. Half asleep, already tired passengers start to pour. Some look suspiciously awake at this time of the wee hours. Once everyone is onboard, the plane takes off, briefly breaking the hush of the nocturnal world. Just another day at … Continue reading red-eye
She neatly creased the paper. “What are you doing?” her granddaughter gaped at the intricate piece by the grandmother’s hands. “Origami… I’m making a crane.” “Aw…” the five-year-old frowned. “You fold paper like this and like this, open it like this, and voilà!” She produced a crane made of a green square sheet of paper. “Wow…” “Do you want to try?” She placed a sheet … Continue reading an origami crane
What does nelkumi think? 