When once we sat in an impossibly tangled web of connections, holding us all together in its embrace, now axes have been taken to the strands of that web. Some are still as strong as ever, but some lie in shreds, the split ends reaching towards the floor with nothing else for them to hang onto ( Read more... )

Where once he would have flashed a shy smile at her, he only stares dispassionately back.

When she reaches for his hands, which had held her close just earlier that day when she was terrified by a letter written just for her, he pulls away from her touch.

When she begs him to tell her what happened, her heart stops beating as she wishes he would take ( Read more... )

We built Wonderland with our own hands and painted it shades of blue, purple, and gray. There we played for days, escaping from reality to that magical place where we sang nursery songs and buttons rained down on our heads. It was a good place, filled with friends and laughter; a few tears too but those always passed away into smiles after a while ( Read more... )

Her teeth chew on her bottom lip as her fingers type out a frantic pattern on the arm of her chair. One leg bounces ever-so-slightly under her skirt, betraying the tension inside her. Her eyes are glued to the screen, narrowed to pick up every detail of the video playing for her. As the video plays on without revealing its secret, she leans closer ( Read more... )

A phone rings and, like a well trained dog, I respond to the sound. Holding the phone to my ear, I call the usual greeting: Hello, Safe Ride?

“LISTEN, SAFE RIDE, I HAVE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU.”

The voice, a female trying (and succeeding after much practice) to sound male, goes right to the heart of me. It’s a voice I haven’t heard in so long! My ( Read more... )

How far would you go for a friend?

We’ve all done little things: walked them back to their room, gently reminded them of that paper they need to finish, let them cry on your shoulder when their world is falling apart around them. But that’s just a pop quiz; here’s the real test.

Would you lie for them? Be their alibi?

Would you help them cover up ( Read more... )