Words Set Free
Beyond the carefully tended Plot, where words grew in neat rows and ideas bloomed in orderly patterns, something stirred. The Writer had felt it for days now—a restless energy that made carefully crafted sentences quiver at their edges, as if they knew something their creator didn’t. Or perhaps they knew something The Writer wasn’t ready […]
He knew where he wanted to be, but was almost afraid to admit he didn’t know how to get there. If he was being honest, he wasn’t even sure where to start. Carnegie Hall had always been this distant dream, not just a place, but a symbol of everything he admired—of everything he wanted to […]
October 1982 – January 1983, St. Martin, Mississippi Part 1: The Insidious Secret School Agenda Before third grade, Opie had never thought of school as a place of structured learning. To him, it was more like a bustling marketplace of ideas—a vibrant forum for exchanging opinions on the latest cartoons, toys, and tidbits gleaned from […]
They lived in the spaces between order and chaos, where ideas drifted like morning mist and creativity bloomed in unexpected corners. Their days were filled with the gentle hum of language finding its way into being, each sibling adding their own particular music to the symphony of stories that floated through the air.
Friendship is a funny thing. It’s a dance of invisible rules, understood but rarely articulated, built over shared memes, late-night confessions, and the occasional loan of twenty bucks. And sometimes, that twenty-dollar bill—wrinkled and worn—becomes the unexpected marker of just how deep the trust runs. In a world where likes and replies seem to define […]
The bell above the bar door jingled, cutting through the low hum of conversation. Heads turned—more out of habit than curiosity —and the usual bar chatter fell silent as the door swung open, revealing an unexpected visitor. A horse. Tall and solemn, it stepped gingerly over the threshold, as if unsure whether it truly belonged […]
The restaurant hummed with the easygoing rhythm of lunchtime chatter. Silverware clinked against plates, drinks were poured, and conversations swirled lazily in the warm, low buzz of a typical afternoon. But as Billingsley sat across from me, asking if he could borrow my truck for the weekend, the air around us shifted. Everything slowed. The […]
All the tables near the stage were taken, so I slipped toward the back, where I found a rogue stool that, much like my nightlife, had seen better days. Awkwardly, I clutched a bottle of craft beer with both hands, cradling it in my lap like liquid life-support. This artisanal brew cost more than the […]
In the quiet heart of the realm where words were more than letters and ideas drifted like clouds, there lived two figures of great wisdom: Anaphora, whose steady presence echoed like waves against the shore—again and again and again, and her husband, Chiasmus, who turned ideas on their heads like reflections in a pool, reflections […]
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but when you’re staring at snapshots of grandchildren, honestly, the cliché buckles. I don’t personally know the current exchange rate on a word, but 1,000 seems like an insulting offer. If there’s a pawnshop for photos, and the proprietor offered me 1,000 words for these pictures, I […]