Melanie arrived at the cottage first. She worked it out so she worked half a day and so she could arrive before her friends. She opened the windows; she let the breeze flow through the wide-open windows and wake up the cottage. She walked to the kitchen and placed her…

Hanging laundry on the line is very therapeutic. My grandmother was the first woman I remember hanging clothes on the line. To me it seemed like an extra chore as the dryer was right next to the washer and the clothesline was in the backyard. Something thought about hanging the…

Previously published in Bella Grace Magazine. Sunday’s are like molasses. We wake, stretch, roll over,lay still, and take our sweet time before our feet him the floor. We move in slow motion. We make a nice relaxing brunch. Coffee is french pressed and time stands still. Homemade french toast is…

Melanie gathered the items she had at home that were required to perform the annual ritual to wake the dead. She bagged them up to take into the woods. It was all hallows eve tomorrow. The night where the dead came back to life for one haunting night. Melanie was…

When Covid hit in March 2020 I was handling my anxiety ok, until I was not. I went from oh this is just a viral thing, to oh crap this is a deadly thing in about a nano second. I am sure I am not the only one. We thought…

Being vulnerable is uncomfortable for most of us. It is a place where we feel weak. It is where heartbreak can happen, where pain is allowed in, and when others can take advantage of us, but it takes mountains of courage to stay open in this state and just sit…

Debbie Watkins “You thought he was dead, but he is right in front of you, on the street, smiling at you.” We buried you! It came out more of a question than a statement. What are you doing here? I bought the coffin; I bought the plot. We lowered you…

The light hit the ground as my feet hit the trail. I hiked in silence listening to nature wake as I enter the woods. Deer were just scampering to their feet. Birds were playing a musical symphony for my ears only. …

John and Joan met three years ago while apple picking. Every year they go back to the same orchard in the north Georgia mountains to celebrate their anniversary of meeting. This year would be different. This year John was going to propose to Joan. He rented a cabin in the…