Ahote: A Short Story

When I hit the water, I feel every bone in the lower half of my body snap. Blood floods out of my mouth as I descend to the bottom of the numbingly cold ocean. Looking up, I see the fire still illuminating the island, giving the water glass-like features. I hit the hard, rigid bottom of the ocean and let out my last breath. Water fills my lungs in excruciating agony and I begin to regret my actions. As I scream, more water pours into my lungs. My eyes gently

My name is Mitch Houle and I am in your managing quality class at 6:00 PM on Monday. I just wanted to let you know I am under the weather and will not be able to make it to class today. I looked at the syllabus and it looked like we are just lecturing and two groups are presenting. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

She grabs me hard her icy hands are like a brand I look at her in surprise she's never rough with me. Her warm brown eyes are filled with fear and ringed with black; her once sloped nose crooked and bloody. I can't help but look at her long thin arms and pale bruised face and know that in a few years this will probably be me. When her grip tightens I look up again she tells that something bad is going to happen and that I need to protect Sam. I already know this. i knew something bad is going to happen when i saw Rob's truck pull up and, i know that as bad as dad gets rob is still worse. i also know i need to protect Sam. I know he's all i have except for her and, I know that he is going to get out of here if it kills me; I have always known that. When I open my mouth to say I knew this she stops me. She hands me a role of money and tells me to keep Sam safe. When She starts to cry, i'm confused she always said never to cry she said that it showed weakness and made you prey. i look up at her expectantly waiting for something instead she just grabs me and pulls me to her chest i can feel the sobs racking her body as she pets my hair down, and whispers that she loves me and that she's sorry. i don't know what she is sorry for but now i'm scared.

“Siiiiiiiiiiiip siiiiiip.” The pieces of chicken from the caldo de pollo dangled from besides her nose and everywhere else. Her shirt was damped with chicken broth that had previously dripped from her spoon as she slurped. As she ate the next spoonful of broth, she brutally licked her lips in order to get that miniscule piece of rice that had escaped her mouth as she held the spoon close to her mouth. Gracie was poor and all her abuelita could afford was chicken, and today she had decided to make the chicken into soup. Gracie enjoyed her pleasant, warm food, but she had a different definition of “enjoying food.” Her definition of enjoying a meal was to eat a meal at any cost including using her hands and licking every single finger. Gracie

He was scared, he was suddenly all alone with no one to go to, and no place to call his own. As he continued his journey, his strength gradually deteriorated, he was starving and he couldn't find food or water. Instead of looking for more, he gave up. He walked around aimlessly, not bothering to care about anything. Food, water, rest, nothing mattered anymore. So he just keep putting one leg in front the other. Until, he suddenly stepped in water. He looks up and sees a pond. It was an odd pond, it didn't have any lilypads, it was free of weeds, and the water was clear as

The first few days back for Emily have been busy and I haven't stayed true to getting my email out daily. I will be consistent from here out in getting information to all of you and apologize for the lack of communication her first 3 days.

“Will—I’m afraid you’ve caught me at an awkward time, I—“ he heard shuffling sounds of fabric, Hannibal’s breath rushed and then a muttered curse. “Will—could I trouble you to ask where you are at the moment?”

I love to swim. In any season, on any day. But almost evey time I swim I nearly drown myself, by diving further down than my lungs will permit. And now I fear that I've dove too deep. Because as I desperately try to breakthrough the surface, I can see the light. And how happy and full of energy it looks as it dances and shines down through the water. A light that I can never reach. And so I sink back to the bottom of the abyss, surrounded by darkness and feeling of nothing but how frigid and still everything is. Perhaps I sink due to the weight of the past or am I being lured down, by an enchanting siren, only for it to show me it's horrific face and to be devoured by it, time and time again. And I know that all I have to do is to let go

I pulled into the gravel driveway and Harolt hopped out of the passenger side of the old black 1969 Dodge Coronet. She popped open the back of the car. Grabbing the bags full of fattening food, she dragged them into the hidden house. I closed the back and followed her through the rusty door. “Where do you keep syrup?” hollered Harolt.

“My name,” she snapped sharply, ”is Loriel….as you well know.” She paused, then drew in a slow breath to try and calm herself. To everyone else in this room, fighting and injuring and being injured and killing and watching others be killed and capturing and being captured might be old-hat; to her, it wasn’t. Now that the adrenaline and euphoria of this situation was wearing off, the strain of the predicament she was in was starting to get to her.

There, sitting on the ground, she turned her head around as she heard something “To…Toshiro?” she stammered.

As the world whistled in his ears, John felt that the world was crumbling underneath his feet. His dreams for his people and himself had come to an end as the hard and cold hands of the judge forcefully put the handcuffs on him. All the life lessons and education he had received in the North had not been enough to help him change the view of the people in his hometown, Altamaha. John Jones was persecuted for the murder of the son of the judge and sentenced to death. He was to be hanged at sundown; meanwhile he was placed in jail away from any contact from his family.

Mio picked up his phone and opened up the music application, and pressed the shuffle button before placing it back into his pocket. The lyrics were slightly muffled through the fabric, but he could hear them clear enough. He smiled, leaning back in the armchair, this is my favorite song, he commented, noticing that the goo in the corner seemed to be collapsing along to the rhythm of the song. His smile faltered slightly as he thought about just how blue it was: deep, drinkable, and dark as the bottom of the well where he’d fallen down as a kid and gotten stuck for days, eyeing the sky through its reflection in the water as he pulled his knees to his chest. He’d always been scared of drowning and heights ever since then. The mass undulated. Mio shuddered as he felt a nausea rise in his lungs, that slowly swelled to encompass his entire

It smelled like there was a human and some small animal inside the boat. Easy meal. My hunger overcame caution so as soon as I smelled the human I bolted over to the slim boat. I hear the small animal grow and bark. Then, I quickly rammed into the side of the boat, trying to shake the human and the other animal off. I went for a second ram --- Nothing... I went for a final ram, this time with all my energy. The little animal inside the boat fell into the water. The small animal tried to swim for a close by island, but when the human called out to the animal, “ Afa, hie (go quickly) here!” The small animal quickly changed its directions and started heading for the boat. I spun in a circle, trying to gain some speed and then attempted to lunge at the small animal ----- but instead I was met with a sharp spear in my

Taehyung silently eyed Jimin before edging closer, pressing his fingers tips against the wooden high table as he looked in Jimin’s oddly warm eyes. Taehyung does not know Jimin. Jimin could be the stereotypical head bitch in charge that slept with the manager for the best treatment. Jimin could be the whore that want Taehyung off this ‘high’ that everyone claim he was. Jimin could be the worst person in this place, worse than a killer and rapist combine, but for some reason Taehyung felt… like he could trust him enough to ask for advice or bond with him, even if it was just for tonight. Call Taehyung crazy, but sanity left his body once he got his first body count. “I can’t bring him profit, Jimin. I feel disgusted even being here. I can’t