Tag Archives: fear

Isolation: the only truth

Posted on by under Short stories, Writing Prompts

By Jack Joseph

This is my response to the fear prompt. It’s meant to be from someone’s perspective that doesn’t realize that he or she is living in fear. Contains barely any mature language.

_________

I left as quickly as I could. I hadn’t said anything, luckily, but I could still feel all of their eyes on me. Why can’t they just let me suffer on my own? It’s bad enough as it is without them laughing behind my back. I know they do it. Even if I try to spend the period with my head down while I doodle in my note-book, their attention gravitates towards me. Oh, they’re subtle though. I rarely see them stare at me directly, but I know that they do it. Those clever assholes have had years to practice.

The walk home is blissful, even though I know I have homework, projects, presentations, finals, interviews, applications, tests, and quizzes all hanging over my head like the Sword of Damocles. I finally had time to be away from those bastards and just breath (which, coincidentally enough, is what my biology presentation next Thursday is about — breathing, I mean). I didn’t need to worry about the cars passing by me on the sidewalk and what the drivers thought of me. Why should they? I’m nothing to them! I am a bystander in their lives. I play such an insignificant role that anyone could do it! The blink of an eye and I’m gone. Just like that. Never really needed to be there in the first place. God what a beautiful kind of life. No one peering into you, asking questions about what you think, who you look up to, or what kind of ice cream you like. Continue reading →

January/February Prompts

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

This month’s prompts are:

Tell us about the experience of being outside, looking in — however you’d like to interpret that.

The Other Side by Christian Theodossy

Write about fear or being lost.

Time by Angela Guo

Thoughts Before Sleep by Nick Kaufman

Spiders by Alan Osmundson

Isolation: the Only Truth by Jack Joseph

Describe the one decision in your life where you wish you could get a “do-over.” Tell us about the decision, and why you’d choose to take a different path this time around.

Write a post that includes dialogue between two or more people — other than you.

You’re at the beach, lounging on your towel, when a glistening object at the water’s edge catches your eye. It’s a bottle — and yes, it contains a message. What does it say?

Valentine’s Day

Lantern Festival by David Xie

Dangerous Love by Maya Asregadoo

Untitled by Michael Lutzker

spiders

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

A dibble dabble in the stream-of-consciousness style, by Alan Osmundson. All  punctuation errors are intentional

——

they skitter, they skitter around, they make the sound of a thousand clicks and a million clacks in the quietest room, clicks and clacks and ticks and tocks draining away, sucking away the seconds minutes hours of life. they click and clack and tick tock with the spiny legs the legs that are long like the ocean and sharp like knives, like pushpins ready to be inserted into the wall, the skin. do they bite or are they sneering, do they pinch or is it a caress like the devil the devil whispering murder bloody murder into my ear, murder for your own sake crush the opposition like a gnat under an elephants foot. i want it away I want it gone but how does one approach a thing that cannot be human but only malice only the embodiment of the worlds hatred sitting standing stationary at the corner sneering not biting not yet. will it go away if I leave it, if I shut my ears and close my mouth and sleep will it still be there in the morning will it sneer will it bite me in my sleep and if it does will it hurt like the knives and the pushpin in the wall but will I even know. but I don’t cover my ears and I dont close my mouth and I am wide awake and its hatred comes into me and I hear the whispers and I crush it like a gnat under an elephants foot and it sneers but it doesnt bite