Acroama

I walked back through the forest towards the city. As I got closer to the city the trees became more and more black – like they had been charred in a forest fire.  When I kept walking forward I could see a large net obscuring my path. It was a trap that did not feel very subtle at all. It extended far on either side. I was unsure how long I would have to walk to get around it.  As I got closer to the net — suddenly the ropes came to life and wrapped around my limbs. They held me tightly and began pulling me slowly up past the tops of the trees. When I cleared the forest, I looked out across the valley and was astonished by what I saw.  I first noticed that the city had been completely leveled. There wasn’t a building in sight. Large rivers of green water flowed through the barren black valley surrounded by mountains in the far distance. The air was filled with white birds, and most surprising of all, I saw massive ships sailing through the air alongside the birds — flying...

Honestly I’m pretty upset. And that’s rare for me. This is Faje by the way. I’ve had tons of friends, who mean a lot to me, suddenly start acting all weird around me. They usually made fun of my little mandibles; and though that does hurt my feelings, the thing that makes me the most upset is everything that’s happened with the rat. Or as they call it, the “rant.”  The other roaches don’t think I pay much attention to the human world. And though I’m no pollentician — I pay more attention than they think. And one thing I distinctly know — is that the fuzzy long-toothed creature with a werm for a tale — is called a fr-eaking “rat.” Sorry, I’m usually not this upset about stuff, but everything that’s happened recently really rubs me the wrong way. I’ve lost all my friends. And worst of all, they say it’s all my fault.  NOW THAT ALL THE humans are gone we’ve gone outside of the house a lot more. We found a lot more food and that’s good, but now that there are no more humans we’re ...

Maximus the bull was beloved by many. People frequently would come and adore him in his pasture from afar. One day a man named Marcus came to see the bull.  Marcus owned an antique store in town, and though few people came to see what was there, he owned many precious things. Decorated throughout the store were old books he’d never read, some cool records from the 80s, ancient arrowheads, and much more. Marcus even had some china dishes that dated back as early as the Ming Dynasty! As Marcus observed Maximus behind the crowd, he was shocked to see the bull make direct eye contact with him. As soon as Maximus noticed Marcus, he became extremely excited.  Maximus the bull had been tired of the same old thing day after day. He wanted a life more than was given to him inside the pasture, even though he loved it dearly. He had heard some people speak of Marcus as a man of great culture and charisma. He wanted to become like Marcus. So when he saw him that day – he went to go meet h...

After Sadie was taken from me, I ran deep into the woods across the field. I ran until my legs shook and I couldn’t take another step. I was filled with panic. I had just lost the only thing I lived for.  A great hole that already lived painfully in my heart, was torn open and split in two. I was broken; Numb. I fell asleep on the forest floor in exhaustion. When I woke I saw a dirt road. I began to follow it. Eventually the road led me to a cabin. I could see there were lights on, and I wondered if anyone was there. The cabin was black, and though it was in perfect condition, it looked like it had been charred by fire.  I knocked on the front door. No one answered. So I tried to turn the handle. It was locked. I thought it was painfully ironic to have come all this way, happening upon shelter – just for the door to be locked. It seemed to fit into every other part of my life, so why should I have expected anything less?  I was afraid to break-in. There might have been pe...

Katelin knew her parents didn’t like her going into the forest alone. People stronger and smarter than Katelin often did not come back. Yet she went anyway; all the time. Katelin had long red hair that flowed in curls, over her shoulders and down her back. She usually had her hair tied up, but today was special.  But it wasn’t her hair that alerted the wolf that she had returned that day– it was her smell. Katelin was the village midwife, and she had just delivered a baby yesterday. Though her hands were scrubbed clean, the wolf could still smell the blood from at least a mile away. He wondered if her hair would be down or not. He began running as fast as he could to her.  Katelin knew the forest was dangerous. And truth be told, that’s one of the reasons she came so frequently. But what she told herself was that she came for the flowers that only grew in the wild forest. It was a tradition of hers to give them to the women who had just delivered their babies. Whether they wou...

The day Xavier appeared I was waiting for my daughter, Sadie, to get out of school.  As I sat on the curb waiting with our dog Kilo, a great darkness covered the sun. I felt that something terrible was happening. Kilo began barking and I felt a horrible feeling in my gut that everything was about to change.       The bus would arrive any minute. I was filled with an intense fear. Dark clouds filled the sky and obscured the dark mass, with surprising speed. I sighed with relief as the bus came around the corner and screeched to a stop. The driver frantically opened the door and my little Sadie came bolting down the stairs. She tripped on the last step but I caught her. I began running towards our home with her in my arms.       I lived alone with my daughter in a town home I inherited from my late father, 10 years ago. It felt like an incredible stroke of luck when it happened. My dad and I never saw eye to eye, I was sure he hated me. You can...

The year was 1895 in Dromore, Ireland. America had been teeming for over a century and almost everyone yearned to travel there. Among the dreamers was a young girl named Jennie-Lynne. Jennie-Lynne lived with a wealthy family, she had many siblings and two good and righteous parents. Though her parents had a bit of a temper, they had the biggest hearts and the sharpest minds. Being just over the ripe age of 16, and the oldest of her siblings, Jennie-Lynne often found it her responsibility to tell her younger brothers and sisters what to do. She did her best to rule over them in kindness, mercy and justice — but when her younger brother Daniel stuck his wet hard candy in her hair it all went out the window. However, Jennie-Lynne knew if she yelled in anger her father would come down and snap at her. So she found another way to seek her revenge on little Daniel.  One evening after Daniel had drawn a picture and went to her seeking validation, she said rationally and relatively calmly,...

Towards the end of the joyful summer the king died. As the funeral was being arranged the son would occasionally see his father's dead body. Every time, he was shocked by its lifelessness; the body and face so peaceful—so deafeningly quiet and still. It felt to him like looking at a painting, or a statue made out of stone or clay; something slightly other than human. The son had seen dead bodies before — but to see his father's felt so foreign. It did not seem like his father — yet he knew it was him.      The son cried. He cried so frequently that the muscles in his eyebrows and face ached, and his skull and temples throbbed with a dull headache throughout the day. When he would cry in the past it felt more like a choice, but this tragedy had crippled his fortitude—he could not control his emotions. Every time he thought of his father's goodness and the weight of this loss hit him, whether by himself or with others, he could not help but weep.       W...