Short Story

She was seated at a garden table set for two and looked at the menu. All she wanted at this point was a small cup of coffee and nothing else. She looked out onto the streets of Rome as she watched the people walking by and the lovers surrounding her. As she took a deep breath of the freedom she felt from exposing the secret that was hidden for so many years, she also smelled a familiar

Veronica walked into the kitchen, fresh, clean, and free from the dream of earlier. She wore only a casual outfit of jeans and camisole top. No need to dress up if she had the evening off. She brewed a pot of extremely strong coffee and ate a slice of dry toast as she waited. She never was a huge breakfast eater. She saw an open box of cereal with loose cereal pieces on the counter. She rolled her eyes as she cleaned up the mess and put the box away. The open box was one of her biggest pet peeves.

Jenna was thinking about Aubrey. She hadn’t meant to but she was now. She sat with her back against her pillows, legs tucked in to her chest. Her warm mug burned her hands as she held it between her knees, waiting for it to cool off. A novel and some textbooks lay at her feet but she didn’t feel like reading them. She looked out the window through the rain, tucking a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear. It was pouring and the sound of it tapping against her window comforted Jenna and made her relaxed. She felt the most at ease she had been in weeks. Finally she could stop pushing down everything she was feeling, and start reflecting. She thought of Aubrey and realized that she missed her. She wondered if Aubrey was still upset;

While the numbness slowly left her fingers, Grace placed her order at the counter, chatting casually with the woman working. Taking the coffee and muffin, Grace turned around to find a seat only to see the face of someone she had never expected to see in this town. She almost dropped what was in her hands, but quickly steadied herself and walked to a table near the window.

Camila’s stomach knotted up at the excitement of seeing her girlfriend later that afternoon. They were rarely apart longer than a few hours. When hours went to days it all seemed very torturous to the pair. She wasn’t much in the mood in the mood to talk at the moment, still not sure if she was awake or continuing to linger in dreamland. She replied to the older girl lovingly with a kissy cat emoji, before rolling herself up in her large purple comforter and relocating to the couch in her darkened living room on the lower level of her house.

“Alright! Here you go sir. Thank you for shopping with us today! Also, be sure to stop by Tuesday nights. That’s when we host our game nights and I know for a fact there will be people around willing to teach you how to play Dice Masters”, he cheerfully tells to his customer.

Packing his briefcase with some of the folders of paper he heard the familiar whirring. The paper smoothly came out and a smile graced his face. “Hey Santiago go home already, I promised your brother I go easy” Turning to see a woman with a smile and a bottle of soda. “Ok thanks Lacey” He said and closed the suitcase. “Don’t worry Gabe it’ll get better, tell everyone I said Hi” She whispered as he grabbed his jacket off the

It was now around 9 o’clock and the morning rush had died down so she began to clean up her little shop. Being the sole owner and employee, she was left to clean and make every drink and pastry alone. She was her own boss and proud of it. Wiping down the coffee grinder, steamer, espresso maker, and everything else that fit just perfectly in her ten by ten space that only had enough room for herself. Suede then remembered she had just gotten a shipment of coffee that morning and went into the back to bring it up front. Her arms stacked with 4 large bags of coffee weighing more than she does in total, struggling to keep a steady hold on them as they were borderline covering her face. As she walks through the doorway she suddenly feels weightless, like every second passing as an hour as she tried to catch her balance but couldn't. After what felt like an eternity she was on the concrete floor with an aching knee surrounded by mountains of coffee beans. She

After throwing water on his face and brushing his teeth, he knew he needed coffee to get through the day. He blew a sigh of relief when he didn 't see Lucy sitting at their usual table. His smile faded, and he felt a pang of sadness when he saw the woman he had been longing for standing in line waiting to order.

Hunter Cole welcomed the man with the angry eyes to Dal-Mart. When this man stared at the snake in hell tattoo on the inside of Hunter’s right forearm and then told Hunter to have an especially great time himself, it gave Hunter chills down his spine, especially how he stared at the tattoo on his arm. Most mostly those words and how he said it...

I press my face against the icy cold window. I watch one by one the snowflakes fall in the moonlight. I can tell it’s Christmas time even though nobody here says anything about it. It’s as if the ward tries to drag us away from any traditions a normal person would do. I think about the Christmases I spent with my kids.

Driving back to my Grandma's had become the norm due to the lack of wi-fi at my house and minor, yet constant disagreements between my stepfather and I. Owning a gray Jetta that sparkled once it hit sunlight, had an aux cord to play music that changed as much as my mood, and worked perfectly fine filled me with gratitude every time I started up its engine. On May 11 my dismal playlist blared from the partially rolled down windows in the car as a few humble tears rolled down my cheeks. This day pressed hard on my chest knowing my biological father should have turned another year older, not stuck at a young 32. Life happens and you have to keep going; however, I could have never predicted singing "If I die young" by The Band Perry and having

Montague La-Rose stepped into the darkness. A cold wind screamed from the belly of the mountain, carrying black sediment that thickened the air. Rain from the surface dripped down through the cavern’s stone ceilings. With the dwindling light of his torch, he listened to the black space around him and followed the running water, knowing that with each step he was descending closer to the core of planet Naan, where an underground network of tunnels reached across the lands. This network was connected to the heart of the planet where a message station, created long ago by entities of the Higher Dimensions, enabled communication with the heavens and the other four known worlds. Each planet had been equipped with these intricate machines, as

Once upon a time animals could talk. When god gave Adam and Eve the privilege to roam around the garden and to eat off any tree except for the tree with the apples, he gave animals the same privilege except for, he gave them something extra. God gave animals the right to talk and walk, but under one condition, he said “You disobey me once then I take one of your privileges away”. All the animals were good and respectful to God and obeyed all his wishes except for one which was Mace the monkey. Mace the monkey felt like he didn't have to listen to anyone but himself, he didn't want anyone controlling him, Mace wanted to take god's spot so he tried to think of a plan on how he could do so.

As we enter the cafe, the clatter of dishes and a low din of chatter penetrates my ears, while the scent of pastries mingled with fried food imbues my nostrils. The warm air saturates my clothing, filling me with gratitude to be out of the cold. Beside me, Alice flattens her windswept hair as she searches for a free table. A smug smile caresses my lips. Before we left, I tied my hair back in a messy bun to prevent the menacing wind from ravaging my hair.