Remembrance
Remarkably I found myself cleaning out an old closet space. Full of past present and today's current events. Unlike any other soccer mom I was determined to transform this space…[...]
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Remarkably I found myself cleaning out an old closet space. Full of past present and today's current events. Unlike any other soccer mom I was determined to transform this space…[...]
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The day was hot and sticky and with a hint of hot air blowing in from the south, and it promised to become even brutally hot before cooling down in…[...]
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The morning began like any other. The metro line rumbled with its usual rhythm, carrying office-goers to distant parts of the city. The cars sped in opposite directions across the…[...]
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I was born a girl in India in the 70s—a healthy 7-pound “Lakshmi” in the making,to my parents-a banker and a housewife until I wasn’t.. My mother had gone to…[...]
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Unspoken, UnforgottenThe café was almost empty that rainy evening, a hush of porcelain and steam that made everything feel closer than it was. I had a book open in my…[...]
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2049 Saanvi walked happily, her high heels click-clacking on the road, two shopping bags hanging from each hand. As she walked, she gazed at the roadside shops selling fancy accessories,…[...]
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Sometime after the British India Company started advancing its control across India, there lived a young nawab of the Mughal court. He was a prince out of the fairy tales;…[...]
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The stench of cheap beer and regret fills my nostrils as Gavin presses me against the Kappa house bathroom's marble tiles. His hands fumble with my shirt buttons while I…[...]
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The temple bells had been quiet for three days when they finally rang for her.Ishaan felt the vibrations through the marble floor before he heard anything, a thrumming that seemed…[...]
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I am devastated.My parents have left me at the age of 25.As I stand next to the funeral pyre, tears falling, I feel an eerie breeze brush against my skin.If…[...]
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The thing about stories—real stories—is that they give you something to believe in when nothing else will. Maybe that's why the Greeks turned heartbreak into myths. They knew what falling…[...]
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“Where are we going?” Nusrat questioned, her voice groggy with sleep and curiosity. “Just a few more steps,” Rafiq reassured while covering her eyes from behind. He guided her slowly…[...]
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I was only ten when the kites stopped flying in Lahore. Before "partition" was a word adults whispered, Lahore still felt like it belonged to all of us. Our gully…[...]
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CW: Addresses abortion, emotional abuse, and themes of oppression. My mother was a twenty-four-year-old woman with a bright red bindi between her soft brown eyes, dark hair flowing down to…[...]
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Don’t forget to defrost the meat.Last time you set it out too late.Make sure you wake up early and do it this time.Samira repeated the instructions to herself, burning them…[...]
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Khalid had never seen so many different kinds of steel before. The textures were so visceral; the copper, the stainless steel, the cast iron and the latest carbon steel, they…[...]
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I wake up knowing I am eighteen years old.I know this the way you know your own name, the way memory settles into bone and refuses to leave, even when…[...]
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The plate is empty when it starts to burn.Not the food—the thing I left too close to the flame. A corner of paper, curled and blackening, the smell thin and…[...]
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Brown the onions, and don’t fry them like last time.Fahim stirred the cubes of onion, watching them slowly take on the warm brown hue his mother always insisted on. Behind…[...]
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Kajol scraped the last smear of molasses from the pot, the wooden spoon warm from the stove. He rinsed the remaining sticky, brown filling and packed the rest of the…[...]
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It was raining harder than usual.Jay sat at the bus stand, his foot tapping against the damp concrete. Water crept in from the edge of the roof, darkening the ground…[...]
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As he walked on to his home from the school (don’t get him started about the pains of being in high school), he had to pass an alley on the…[...]
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Today I’d like to read to you the story of a boy whose first experience with life was watching me take his mother away.Allow me a moment to find the…[...]
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Fahim sank further into his seat, in a classroom with fellow STEM majors sitting upright and diligently taking notes. He doodled drawings on the margins of his notes, away from…[...]
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“Oh, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed as her cup of tea brushed against mine by accident. Her words took my breath away. It had been a while since I had been…[...]
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The corner of Fulton Street was always busy- clamoring with a stampede of New Yorkers exiting the G train station situated at the corner. There were always honking cars deadlocked…[...]
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Fahim glanced over Samara’s shoulder, careful not to wake her. The clock had just slipped past two. Her neck rested comfortably on his arm, her breathing slow and even. He…[...]
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05/23/2026 — 7:45 pm Dear Diary, I know I said I’d write consistently, but here I am, after almost two weeks. I don’t usually carry you around with me, but…[...]
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Naima let the oil heat up on her cast-iron skillet slowly. The rustic stovetop grew old with a charred cast but withstood the test of time over the last three…[...]
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The daffodils had opened overnight.I noticed them while walking back home, the sun was unusually generous for early spring. They leaned toward the light, bright and unapologetically yellow against the…[...]
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Mahin knelt in front of the suitcase carefully organizing his essentials. The suitcase rested on a weight scale with the dial measuring just over three pounds. He continued packing clothes…[...]
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Initially, I’d held my head high in the deep green, silver-bordered saree I was wearing. But walking through the gargantuan crowd of hundreds of students in the school lobby, every…[...]
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They can sense our fear. Keep your spine straight. Don’t be afraid. Don’t hesitate to look them in the eye. And in the worst case, always remember to pick up…[...]
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The Wedding Pact -- By Neelam Chohan-Jagait Chapter 1: The Dinner Party A warm drop of sweat trickled down Samira’s spine as she poured herself a generous glass of chilled…[...]
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Aroma of ginger and cardamom lingered in her daughter’s living room. Saraswati was sitting in her usual chair, a small table on her right-hand side, with a steaming cup of…[...]
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The sink is backed up. Again. That’s the life we live: a bowl of shaving cream and soap that drains slower than the water we pour into it. I think…[...]
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Rishi sought the itinerant guru he heard was traveling through the area. The guru went by the name Guru Ved, which was almost sacrilegious in itself, except for the rumors…[...]
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Click. “Chin up,” commanded the photographer. Rani confidently raised her slender, recently-threaded chin. Click. “Okay, now do this,” ordered the photographer. He set his camera aside and contorted himself into…[...]
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I drift up the mahogany stairs, the colour of freshly brewed tea. I slide along the pristine floors until I come upon a room. Her room. Our room. Once. She…[...]
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Dawn. Tara walks to the well outside the village, a pot in her hand. Two years into adulthood, her green bangles clink as the pot bounces against the side of…[...]
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I think it had started to happen a long time back—bit by bit—but I only noticed it this morning. Gravity was dead. Like Queen Elizabeth. Both of them. Yesterday, it…[...]
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Your eyes pour the moonlight on my path as I turn my back to you. In the dead of the night, I walk with my family, away from my home,…[...]
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“Intercultural Book Club. Join us! Every Sunday 6pm.”The poster hung alone on a blank wall in my dorm building. As someone who had just moved in and loved novels it…[...]
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I didn’t notice the exact moment you began to disappear. That’s the problem with people who have survived for too long. They fall apart quietly. No drama. No warning. Like…[...]
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The morning sun blinds Tom Watkins when he steps out on the back porch to toss a leaky garbage bag into the old, dented metal can. He has been cleaning…[...]
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The apple tree had been there longer than the house. She had watched the road arrive one summer, a scar cut through the field that healed into habit. She had…[...]
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As Kevin entered the water alone, in the dark, with no sound but the small waves crashing on the shore and the wind blowing peacefully around him, he realized the…[...]
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Destination to Somewhereby Spartacus Lawrence— — — It’s Friday evening, and there’s a holiday on Monday. I’m in my car in bumper to bumper traffic — my old blue Buick,…[...]
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Rui “Ray” Chang was an immigration and real-estate attorney in Fort Lee with a tiny office above a karaoke bar a stone’s throw away from the George Washington Bridge. But…[...]
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TadGhostal asks: How do I train my dog to lick things? Should I use peanut butter? ->GromitsGF1990 3mo“Kisses” is an easy enough to teach. I did it for my dog…[...]
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The warmth of the state park cabin made it easy to forget the bitter winter waiting outside the frosted windows. My soon-to-be husband, Nephets, had chosen this rustic sanctuary for…[...]
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Before we entered your home, I was warned that it was unpleasant there. That there were ants crawling across the floor. And that I shouldn’t take it personally if you…[...]
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It was an overcast November morning in the port district of Newark. Clouds pressed down on the living world like anvils. A haze filled the Newark streets. The air was…[...]
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Fashion Journal Ad Section. April 6th 2026 Looking for one Julie Dawson- -Female -5’6 and a half (the half is apparently important)-Strawberry blonde -Green/ Blue eyes (lighting dependent) -Unapproachable when…[...]
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Soot fell from the sky as the heat subsided. It fell upon his cheek as if the sun had radiated against his face, but was slowly pulled away, the callous…[...]
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I learned at a very young age that life is hard, unpredictable, and sometimes unfair, but I also learned that love — even imperfect, messy, late‑arriving love — can carry…[...]
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I was the last one out of the the nest. If you could still call it that. There was no cosy padding of parents and family meals and coming home…[...]
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Her breath comes in slow gasps as she pushes through the maze of tangled branches. Her control is ripping apart, and she uses what little strength she has left to…[...]
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May 16 I think the mistake was made before we even missed the bus. Not logistically.Emotionally. The actual missing of the bus only took about eight seconds. We turned the…[...]
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The Hidden Door The winter was long; the snow was falling at an alarming rate. Every inch of my backyard was covered from top to bottom. I would only open…[...]
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Gary never took the bus. He preferred to walk, tracking long, gentle paths down narrow streets in Tirana. He passed bakeries opening their shutters, the smell of warm bread wafting…[...]
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Date: May 29Time: 05:58From: AdministrationTo: All StaffSubject: Bernard’s PassingBody:<Attachments: BernardOBrienMemoriam.jpg; roses.gif>It is with the heaviest and saddest of hearts that we announce the sudden and tragic passing of our Chairman…[...]
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La Mort Encore 12 MayDear Diary. Today I was talking to some of my pals from school. I can’t believe that I’m graduating this soon. I’m gonna attend the university,…[...]
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“Maddie, look! Down there, “ he said, excitedly pointing at something in the lower depths of the leaf- covered pond at our feet. “Something glittering. Like gold. But it’s so…[...]
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I remember when I first met Sylas. It was in 1898. He was a dirty little waif about eight years old, wandering the streets of Soho. Back then, he reminded…[...]
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This contains mention of gunshots: Mara learned that sacrifice did not always announce itself as a grand, shining thing.Sometimes it looked like a woman standing barefoot in a dark kitchen…[...]
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The Scent of Candles Manuelo was only 32 years old when he retired, but even at that age he was thought to be the best of his time and that,…[...]
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THE ARCHITECTURE OF SILENCEA Masquerade in the Periphery of the StormThe air within the grand ballroom did not circulate; it stagnated, a viscous, heavy draft that tasted of rusted iron,…[...]
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The grandfather clock in the rest-house hall had stood stopped at 2:17 for five years, the hour the flood took her mother. Then the dead clock struck once, its hands…[...]
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The first customer disappeared from the website at 2:13 a.m.Miriam knew because the website told her.A white box sat on the homepage where the summer sale banner should have been.ONE…[...]
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‘More coffee, sir? Alfred the butler, or man servant as he preferred to be called, attempted to gain his employers attention.‘Sir?’ Alfred receiving no response from his employer, began pouring…[...]
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The Hero in the Shadows “Now that I’m eighteen, you’ll tell me what happened to Dad, right?” Emma’s mother turned the water off and turned away from the sink. The…[...]
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May 26, 2018Northern TexasThe gym is not grand. It smells overwhelmingly of teenage-boy sweat and degrading rubber, an odor so ingrained in my brain I know I will be able…[...]
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This story contains themes of child neglect, addiction, grief, family trauma, and discussions of custodial responsibility. Patricia is explaining something about temporary placement and emergency custody, her voice steady and…[...]
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Cold Does That Sometimes By one in the morning, Nara had read the breakup message often enough to memorize it. The message had arrived at 11:07 p.m., so calm it…[...]
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Monday 20 April 2020Voicemail message 117:19The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep."I know you are never going to hear this.You would…[...]
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My dear Callum, I’m painfully aware we made an agreement to not speak anymore. But it is mid-to-late October, and I find it remarkably hard not to think about you…[...]
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The Bathtub DiariesBy Robert J. Williams When I got home one weekend, I found my mother in the kitchen chopping carrots with ferocious intent. Without looking up, she told me…[...]
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Lucy parked her car in front of her old childhood home. .The front porch was almost obscured by an over grown shrub. Lucy stood on the walk and stared. “Excuse…[...]
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Diary Entry – 20th May Today is about a million degrees. The banana trees my mum planted are swaying – and singing – in the breeze that rises up the…[...]
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The glued wing He used to pronounce the letter s as a t; for example, he would call my uncle “Tayyid” instead of “Sayid,” and just now said “Tiniorita” instead…[...]
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**This is a story about a traumatic birth. Based on a true story. Names have been changed. Claire stretches, her blond hair cascading down her shoulders. She locked her work…[...]
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The Creation Connection Young man sits on top of a mountain silently glazing upon the midnight stars. Deep in thought the young man is suddenly disrupted by a nearby voice…[...]
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Echo awakened with a start. Another dream! It was so real. How can this be? I haven’t seen Harris in a year. And now all I can do is dream…[...]
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The Accident Arguably and obviously, it was no real way to live... An Italian author, Cesar Pavese, once said: "We do not remember days, we remember moments." The protagonist of…[...]
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SAMTuesday, June 6 2012 5:15 pm Hey, what is for din tonight? We were going to stop by Chester’s and get the cheese pizza, hadn’t had it in a while…[...]
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The first warning came from a man Yaa barely knew."Be careful of Adwoa."Yaa laughed when he said it.If there was one person in Accra she trusted completely, it was Adwoa.The…[...]
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