Natella2020

She turned her head toward him as they lay together on the grass.

“Danny?”

“Yeah, sis?” he replied.

“Are you okay?”

His return gaze unsettled her.

“How do you mean, Angie?”

S…

She pushed the door shut against the wind and set the groceries down with a huff.

“I’m freezing!” she said, “Hey, Kyle. What’s up?”

“Just making smoothies, Mom.” He dropped some oranges i…

Trace the bloody path of the sun through the sky

With your finger.

Now gulp down its rays

Allow its fiery blaze

To linger

In your gut

Now push it out

Thrust it

Through y…

It was 3:00 am.

“Yeah?” she answered groggily.

“Tomorrow, you will live.”

“What?,” she asked, wide awake now. The phone went dead.

Helen tossed and turned the entire night.

“I ha…

I rode my stallion to the edge of the world,
his padded hooves gracefully galloping
across the rough sand.

My fingers eloquently slashed the resisting air;
fierce winds fought to glove t…

“Mikey, I’m scared,” Sandy panted. She stumbled on the hem of her tattered skirt.

“We’ve got to keep moving, Sandy. Come on.” Mikey pulled his sister to her feet and urged her onward.

“M…

I stepped into the fluorescent light and studied the room. Round, white tables were spread across the checkered floor. Several characters occupied the red-backed chairs, hunched over their meal…

Red gold orange green
Hearts drop from on high to their
Final resting place

Beneath bare branches
Spreads the regal carpet of
Opportunity

For tree to slumber
*As children gat…

A journal is an outpouring of one’s thoughts, as well as a place for self-discovery. It may be that writing puts things in a fixed perspective, or that a penned word is more lasting than a flee…

A cool breeze glided past my window as the afternoon sun lounged behind a cloud. It was June again, another summer.

I spread the warm honey on some flatbread and filled my glass with apple j…

Stan descended into the valley; the villagers’ efforts to dissuade him fed his curiosity. The place was believed to be cursed, and ancient stories of a deadly feud gave it a wide berth.

If …

Nur turned to her older sister and asked, “Mina, why do you sometimes just sit like that, staring at the wall?”

“I’m admiring Dad’s handiwork. You don’t think he did a good job painting?” M…

“Sir, we’re surrounded. Our enemies are preparing to fire. We don’t stand a chance.” Stratz choked in his terror.

Colonel Phearson slammed his fist against the table. “How did they discover…

Red and blue lights flashed over the night-time scene. The harsh wind tugged at my coat and face. The motions of people before me were brisk and hollow, reflecting their hopelessness.

Shrill…

Brittle panes of sorrow, cracked
By the sun’s white rays
Moistening the glittering prisms of your eyes
Melted rainbows in the heart of a friend.

_A splatter of mud on the back of his head drew the boy from his thoughts, as he turned to witness the delighted snickers of his friends atop the barren hill. The boy hurried to retaliate, grab…

“Shoes off,“ Ellen said as I made to walk into the kitchen.

“Right,” I replied, kicking them off and throwing the shovel down. It made a satisfying clunk.

“I’m glad you’ve taken up gard…

Everest looms before me
Axe in hand, and all alone
A tiny rock had killed Goliath,
But what if Goliath
Was made of stone?

Icy winds bear harsh whispers,
Telling tales of misplaced fear…

“Forbidden fruit, I see,” I said as Randa strolled into my room.

“Always the sweetest,” came her reply.

“Surely your infatuation with fruit will have left you some modicum of sight or lit…

Racing up the wooden stairs,
Of our tower, tall and fair,
Upon our thrones to sit, a pair
Of princesses, you and I.

Bearing books and cookies, too,
Telling jokes and stories new,
Dreami…