Short Stories
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Publication Update: The Sacrifice
Nine years ago, I began a story—a story that kept me up at night, that made me sick to my stomach, that sent me down weird Google rabbit holes. It is a story that I could not forget and have revisited every year since. It is, I believe, a necessary story. I am pleased to Continue reading
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Protocol: A Short Story
It was colder in the ICU that morning than usual. Doing her best not to shiver, Dr. Matthews attuned her ears to what the hospital director was saying: “You can’t do anything.” It was a gut punch, too sudden and direct to absorb. She was familiar with these bleak words, often pronounced over flatlined patients. Continue reading
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The Sacrifice
I recently revisited and revised this old story for a competition. To my horror, multiple rounds of editing and two different spell-check programs failed to catch a few typos. For my own peace of mind, I’ve decided to share the corrected version here as the typo-riddled version is already awaiting adjudication. Typos aside, I feel Continue reading
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Pruned: A Parable
In a garden in the desert there was a tree. She was beautiful, lush and healthy and growing with a swiftness unknown to most desert plants. She had been planted in good soil and her roots drank deeply from a nearby stream. One day, the Gardener was walking along the stream. As he went, he Continue reading
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The Sacrifice (Part 5)
The school nurse left Mrs. Mendall’s classroom with both mouth and eyes running. Worried and teary, she rambled on, around, and beside the point as she delivered the news that Bethany was not getting better. Resentment tore at Mrs. Mendall’s chest. How could the girl’s parents send her to school like that? She wanted Continue reading
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The Sacrifice (Part 4)
The alarm sounded unexpectedly, but the students filed outside, holding their ears or shouting, unfazed, across the hallways to friends from other classes. They were glad to escape the bland light and chill of the classrooms and to feel the morning sun on their faces for a few minutes. The teachers followed behind, twirling Continue reading
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The Sacrifice (Part 3)
Eight weeks into the semester, Mrs. Mendall entered to find her students clustered once more around the CM2029. Bethany was at the heart of the group. Pale and thinner than ever, she seemed to be shrinking even as the subject in the artificial womb was growing, now at a rate of a millimeter or Continue reading
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The Sacrifice (Part 2)
Mrs. Mendall filled another cup with lukewarm coffee and exhaled heavily. The hours on her feet were not as kind as they once had been, and she gratefully sank into a seat opposite a younger teacher. “How’s your first day going?” Mrs. Williams, the younger teacher, smiled shyly. The older teacher considered her Continue reading
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The Sacrifice (Part 1)
Dear Reader, I began writing this story when I was sixteen. I had something important to say, but could not think of any better way to say it than through story. Soon, I became discouraged with my own work (as I so often do) and put it away to develop on its own. A few Continue reading
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The Woman, The Well, and the Wedding
Samaritan Woman at the Well 6th century Mosaic Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna Continue reading
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“The One”: A Short Scene
People still meet the old-fashioned way. It was a startling realization, but sweet. Elliot-Anne smiled back at the boy across the café. She thought maybe he had been smiling at her earlier, but their masks had made it difficult to tell for certain. Now, though, seated many feet away, their mouths confirmed what their eyes Continue reading
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Honey Oat Latte, Hot
Recently, a small vignette of mine was selected to be shared by CaféLit, a site that pairs stories with beverages. As such, I am not going to share this little scribbling here, but will link to the site in case any of you are looking for some coffee-shop reading this lovely October afternoon. This piece Continue reading
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