Smatterings of Fiction

Brienna’s heart raced as the elevator lurched upward. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ she thought frantically. “I can’t do this, I just can’t!” she muttered under her breath. The ding announcing each passing floor made her wince. She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed gently. ‘I can’t even... Sign in to see full entry.

Chapter 5 Denise cleared the dinner dishes and began running the water for the pots and pans. Mitch sat on the couch watching the news, smoking and drinking a beer. He flicked his ashes in the general direction of the ashtray, missing it completely, and exhaled absently. He started channel surfing... Sign in to see full entry.

Chapter 4 Andrew rode with Shelly and Bob in silence for the first few minutes of the trip, but then he had to speak out. “So, I hate to be nosey,” he said, “but what is Mitch and Denise’s story? I mean, she seems so unhappy. Why has she stayed? Am I missing something?” Andy had so many questions he... Sign in to see full entry.

Chapter One It was bright and cheerful that Saturday morning with unusually mild weather for mid February in New England. Elizabeth Grant opened her first floor apartment windows just enough to allow the crisp clean winter breeze to permeate and cleanse the stale interior air. This brisk surge... Sign in to see full entry.

Chapter 3 It had been two weeks since Denise and Mitch’s horrendous fight, and Denise felt that he really was trying to be better. Shelly and Bob were coming over for dinner and a movie that evening, and Denise was really looking forward to having company. She was preparing a pineapple-glazed ham... Sign in to see full entry.

Chapter 2 For the first few months, Mitch’s demeanor continued to be pleasant. He brought roses to Denise at the office for no particular reason, and took her out to dinner several times a month. He jumped whenever she attempted to lift even an empty laundry basket, and took over the cooking... Sign in to see full entry.

“I’m sure it’s only due to stress,” Denise told Anne on the phone that evening. “Stress can delay it up to two weeks, or skip it altogether, right?” “You could be right,” replied Anne calmly, “but it would be better to take a test and be sure.” “I suppose you’re right,” Denise sighed. “I’ll pick one... Sign in to see full entry.

I am only here because my parents and teachers think I am a threat to myself or others. I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I was trying to open the bottle of pain killers and it spilled. They don’t believe me, though. So, here I am. I’m on the pain meds b/c [think about injuries and insert one here].... Sign in to see full entry.

Oh my gosh! I can’t believe she brought me here! What if someone sees me? Like Brad? I would just die if Brad saw me at IHOP with my aunt! I thought we were only going to the movies. Aunt Patty didn’t say anything about lunch. Maybe I can just fake it. So far, so good; no one I know seems to be... Sign in to see full entry.

She caught my eye the moment she entered the IHOP. An older woman accompanied her – perhaps her mother or an aunt? The girl didn’t seem terribly pleased to be out, or perhaps she wasn’t pleased with where they were. She slouched slightly, suggesting that she might be self-conscious or shy. She... Sign in to see full entry.