The story of the week for February 21 to 25 is…
Quiet Time by Chris Millis
CHRIS MILLIS: Quiet Time
I had this shower curtain I loved. A map of the world. He hated it. I’d sit and stare at China, Indonesia, Australia. He said that was gross: a girl spending all that time on the toilet. He’s gone now, though. Him, the shower curtain, and my favorite shovel.
Chris Millis is a bestselling, prize-winning author, screenwriter, and visual artist. He adapted his first novel into the feature film “Small Apartments,” which stars Billy Crystal, Matt Lucas, Johnny Knoxville, Rebel Wilson, and many more, and premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. He is a founding member of the prestigious Stowe Story Labs and is a professor of writing and Chair of the Department of Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.
ELLIE NIK: As simple as a hug
I know I am intentionally delaying the bedtime tonight. I want her close to me, her smell, the softness of her skin. The hug just calms me down, as simple as that. I look into her big brown eyes and draw my two-year-old even closer. “One more sniff,” I say.
Ellie Nik is a teacher/researcher who lives in Sydney, Australia. She writes as a way of self-discovery.
DEBORAH TAPPER: Breaking the Ice
He’s waiting every winter, when the lake freezes. Handsome. Enigmatic. She’s shy, still uncertain. She edges closer. Nervous, feet slipping. Kneels down, her hands pressing over his. He smiles up, mouthing words: “free me,” maybe; or “join me”—she’s not sure which.
This year she’ll break the ice. Find out.
Deborah writes at an old desk surrounded by five hundred pet bugs.
JOREE NOVOTNY: Clickbait
Matching pajamas. New menu offerings for date night! Dogs available to adopt. Looking to spice things up? Flights as low as $89! Gifts for him.
Advertisements driven by algorithms. All of them served to the person she was a few days ago, before she was alone.
Click.
Click.
Clear cache.
You can follow Joree at @joreenovotny.
AJ JOSEPH: Pluviophile
Stuck at the bus stop,
Typhoon-like winds,
Leaves afloat, they spin.
You offer your handkerchief,
I wipe away the rain,
From my body, my skin.
You follow the path of my actions on me,
Your gaze makes me vain,
You smile at me and whisper softly,
“I love the rain.”
AJ Joseph occasionally writes at Words from Sonobe and tweets very short stories as @sonobeus.
GINNY FENG: Promise Jar
Ten years ago,
You emptied a jam jar
And called it our
Promise Jar.
We wrote on paper slips,
I promise to do the dishes.
I promise I’ll stay out of fights.
I promise I’ll always love you.
Ten years later,
I’m still writing promises.
I promise you’ll live forever.
Ginny Feng lives in Tennessee, where she writes short stories and learns lots.
CHERYL SOMERS AUBIN: Mom’s Garden
She would get a cup of water,
place her finger on the curved edge of the lamp
water the garden painted on the side.
Alzheimer’s stole her mind
but not the loving care of the flowers
she’s remembered to water.
We remove the lamp,
bring her roses,
see her smile.
Cheryl Somers Aubin has an MA/Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She is the former nonfiction editor for the Literary Journal Delmarva Review. Cheryl teaches memoir writing and is a featured speaker at writing conferences and workshops. She is the author of The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a True Story, which is available at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and online. Www.thesurvivortree.com
SIMA SHARIFI: Rally
We laughed, surprised, when he clicked his camera, shouted our slogans, walked backward in the front. He gestured to the back of the crowd, shot another photo and hurriedly jumped onto the sidewalk, distancing himself. Later, upon looking closer, I saw boot-wearing uniforms standing clandestinely among the blurry trees.
Sima is Canadian, lives in Vancouver, BC, has a PhD in Literary Translation Studies, and is working on her first novel.
CHARIS NEGLEY: The Stolen Noble
The princess sat in the tower’s window, guarded closely by the dragon below. She waited every day for a rescuer, hoping none would come.
“How fare you today?” she called to the dragon, and it wagged its tail in reply. The princess smiled, content to have a friend at last.
Charis Negley is a Delawarean getting her BS in professional writing at Taylor University. She is currently working on her novel and evaluating manuscripts for IlluminateYA. See more on her blog.