Short Story

look after the children effectively. In this consideration, I remember how I would run after the kids throughout the day to ensure they were safe and that they grew up disciplined. I served as a caregiver of the eight children for two years. On the other side, many of my friends and relatives advised me to look for work; they argued that a graduate was too good to be a caregiver. In my community, jobs such as staying home with children were associated with illiteracy. Fortunately, my care giving efforts were rewarded well. First, when my sisters gained their master’s degree, they, beside my parents, offered me a scholarship to pursue my education in the U.S. Second, my nephews and nieces still have good memories of me. Now, I am grateful for

“I fell,” Madge answers through gritted teeth, clutching her calf tightly as she blinks out tears from her eyes as quickly as she can. It was just her luck that she’d fall off the wall like a complete idiot right after being told to quit. Maybe the odds really weren’t in her favor.

I married and had two children. I worked for a well-known corporate company, where I did very well earning the position of supervisor. Shortly after the birth of my second child, my husband’s job was relocated to east Texas where he is actually from. I took that opportunity to stay home with my son. When my son was around 18 months old I gave into my dream of going back to school.

After living in Alaska and Minnesota our entire lives, we longed for an environment which was not as harsh as the cold and snowy winters we had experienced. Additionally, we wanted our family to experience a new culture, different activities, and learn how changes such as moving across the country can help them develop change skills to be brave in future opportunities. As one may suspect, the children were not happy about moving. In fact, they were miserable for most of the summer. Life had suddenly changed to include a stricter budget, stressed parents, and the home they had known was being transformed to a market-ready staged shell of their

With such a sheltered life, every detail of their path practically drawn for the two siblings forced to walk, it was a wonder the two had had any mental stability left at all. To comprehend what was correct to do or even how to have grasped a job without the codependency of their parents. Maybe the praying had worked that Eve had occasionally did when they had finally found freedom, then again, her mind constantly wondered if she was actually asking God who resided in the Bible, or God who was her keeper for eighteen years. But then again, did it really matter? Did prayers matter or was someone else answering anything she silently asked when on her knees? If she could have chose a God or two to answer, it would have been the kind old

“When we opened the doors in the kitchen, we were shocked to find a door leading to the basement. Lying right in the middle of the floor, there were submachine guns, handguns and several rifles along with many knives. We also found a machine used for making false ID’s and driver’s license hidden in the basement that’s why Mathew Morgan’s driver’s license looks so real. Since Mr. Hudson lived alone, no one ever checked on him. As a result, when they murdered him, no one missed him. Pretty smart of Matthew Morgan to find someone like Mr. Hudson and replace him,” Steve said, shaking his head.

After my parents divorced in 2004, we spent four years with our mom and then our high school years with our dad and step-mother. During those years, my amount of traveling increased when going between families and outside activities. Eventually, I got used to living out of a suitcase and being ready to go. There were times where it took a toll on me, but if it did not happen, I or my siblings would not have met the people we have or had new experiences. Even my dad admits that the divorce actually was an opportunity for us to leave out of Lena. Even with the back and forth, I started working with children individually or in small groups. From my junior high years to high school, I have tutored students in math, been a teacher’s aide for a kindergarten

Jason looked at the other papers and started laughing hysterically, “YES, I found everything I needed right now!!” Jason shoved the papers in front of Gage’s face and explained pointing to the upper right hand corner, “Mateo’s face is right here!,” he shifted his fingers to the middle, “And here’s classified info that proves he’s a criminal.” Jason took the papers back and read, “Wanted for: theft, possession of illegal goods, assault, evading arrest, and the list just goes on and on.”

“Twenty-one! The Chief’s vote makes it twenty-one! And by God if that ain’t a majority I’ll eat my hat!” “Yippee,” Cheswick yells. The other Acutes are coming across toward me. “The meeting was closed,” she says. Her smile is still there, but the back of her neck as she walks out of the day room and into the Nurses’ Station, is red and swelling like she’ll blow apart any second.

Mother kisses the top of Clem's head and calls for Dad to bring her school. He sets his newspaper down and gets up. He walks over to me and kisses me on the forehead and grabs my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. This is an odd gesture to me seeing as affection is not necessarily allowed in our city. Apparently it is a form of self-indulgence, which is frowned upon in Rauhallinen.

''Aren’t Joe and Cisco going to help us?'' Asked Barry, noticing that his foster dad and best friend were still absent as the rest of the team was preparing their plan of attack back at the lab. ''I thought you guys said they were supposed to join us here.''

constantly picked flies out of my milk pail and had to be careful that one wouldn’t land in my opened mouth. I once killed a fly by smashing it between my lips. I became desensitized to the tingling of their legs dashing up and down my skin. Maybe that’s how I built up an immune system that tolerated germs and made me less susceptible to getting sick. Like how a child would hold out a finger for a butterfly to land on, I would do that same with my hundreds of fly friends. The continuous buzzing sound of the flies throughout the farm almost became therapeutic to me.

Over the years, the nature of my father’s job required him to continuously relocate from state to state. We moved to Houston when I was just 4 months old, and it was there that I started my first play school at a local community church, and where my mother continued her education at the University of Houston. When the recession hit, my father lost his job, and my mother halted her education. Struggling to make ends meet, my parents made

know what came over me, but it will never happen again.” Karen replied, “I don’t know what kind of woman you think I am, but I’m not the easy lay and what makes you think I would get involve with a convict she said with a half-smile on her face?” Then she told him their session was over today. “Can I see you again on your next visit?” he asked. Sure, it’s part of my job to assist you, she said in a girlish way. He then stood up and shook her hand and said, it’s been a pleasure talking to you.

All of their corpses lay upon the ground. At eternal rest they lay silent. The remains are bloodied and sliced to the point of no recognition. Time is still, and I stand in the room adjacent from the carcasses. My head is spinning, my breath is quick. The knife in my hand suddenly feels as if it’s one thousand degrees. The smell of iron creeps into my nose and shakes me to the core. I become so shaky that the seemingly ablaze knife comes loose and falls to the ground. A crisp three clicks fills my ear, and I suddenly am standing with a revolver to my head.