The story of the week for July 10 to 14 is…
Let Me Mourn by Chidi Young
DEBORAH TAPPER: Nana’s Remedies
Nana had a cure for everything. Arnica for bruises, yarrow for bleeding, comfrey for sprains and broken bones. And she taught me about poisonous plants, what to avoid.
I remember her words as I select fresh leaves and flowers for a salad, broken arm healed but stiff, new bruises aching.
Deborah writes at an old desk surrounded by five hundred pet bugs.
CATE COVERT: Survivor’s Guilt
She rescues children, puppies and kittens, sunstruck basil, and five-legged stick insects.
A raggedy beggar at the gate asks for jelly with his peanut butter sandwich.
They loved jelly. Jelly made it bearable. They’re gone. She remains.
She blushes. How could she forget? A glass of cold milk to atone.
Cate Covert hails from sunny Idaho, U.S.A. She has been telling stories since she could talk. Cate has been a Christian pastor and teacher for 25 years, speaking, teaching, and writing bible class curricula. She is a gardener and amateur herbalist, plays guitar and piano, and loves baking bread and making beaded jewelry. Most of all, Cate Covert loves to engage her reading and listening audiences. You can read her frequent inspirational writings, poetry, flash fiction, and humorous stories at Cate Covert on Chadashah.org or her Inspirational essays and Bible studies at Pastora Cate’s Corner on Substack.
LESLEY BUNGAY: Filters
The artist places the unfinished portrait on the easel.
“Your decision,” he says.
Esme stares at the flawless features, feels a yearning for this vibrant youth – her face full of expectation.
Yet what is a life lived without the experience shown?
“Paint every line, every blemish, every scar,” she says.
Lesley Bungay wrote this story.
BEN REID: Urban Decay
The park is no urban oasis.
There’s five of them waiting at the entrance. Focused.
As they creep closer you can tell they’ve been doing this for a while. They’re hefty. Thug-fat and cocky in their glossy coats.
The squirrels demand their toll, and I forgot to bring my nuts.
Ben lives and teaches in London. He is sad that coffee no longer works the way it used to.
THOMPSON EMATE: Young Hearts
He wondered why they couldn’t see the big picture. He marvelled that they were void of dreams. He was astonished that they were caged in narrow realms.
“Where is the way?” They asked.
“Miles from where we stand. Through the woods. Over the mountains,” he replied.
“Don’t bother,” they chorused.
Thompson Emate spends his leisure time writing particularly poetry and prose. He has a deep love for nature and the arts. His stories can be seen In Voice.club, Fairfield Scribes, Friday Flash Fiction and Reedsy.com. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
AC BLAKE: Peace Bridge Shuffle: Memoirs of a Dual-Citizen’s Tug of War
Crossing the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, NY, and Ontario, Canada, I navigated my parents’ loyalties. Mom sighed with relief entering the US, while Dad cheered on Canadian soil. Caught in their tug of war, I found solace in the middle of the bridge, embracing both countries and my dual citizenship.
A.C. Blake is a Canadian-American illustrator and writer who has created numerous works for publishers like Harcourt and Macmillan. Her work is inspired by her journey through a childhood filled with art, theater, and constant movement. Currently, she balances her time between teaching, writing, illustrating, from her home in South Carolina, with her husband and two cats.
AMANDA LE ROUGETEL: Beyond Capacity
Remember in May:
Those pin-neat rows
go rogue in summer heat.
Fine beauty in June.
Come July, gay abundance.
Next up, chaos.
By September, I look no more.
Aficionado of the planning,
I am caught by the glory of the seeds
in January catalogues,
the tilling and toil never mentioned.
Amanda Le Rougetel wrote this poem.
CHIDI YOUNG: Let Me Mourn
Flowers, cards, and hugs arrive with visitors. Tears well up. Friends and family quickly dab them off, hugging you closer. As the condolences ebb, the last mourner leaves, and like a broken dam, you let the tears flow. The pain you’ve housed opens the window.
Now you can mourn him.
Chidi writes from Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. He loves to read and write short stories.
STORY OF THE MONTH: June 2023
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for June were:
The Librarian and the Time Machine by Chelsea Allen
Mother’s First Breath by Nina Miller
We Call It Home by Heather Haigh
Perennial by Jann Everard
More Than Sleep by Laura Besley
The winner of the June 2023 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
The Librarian and the Time Machine