Young Adult
The Portrait of Matteo
Seventeen-year-old Manny got off a public bus at a busy intersection in downtown Philadelphia. When the bus released its brakes and passed his narrow view, he checked whether the art museum across the street was still there. He had been visiting it every day that week but wondered for a second the veracity of its presence. Now, the spring sun betrayed its gray highlights, giving it a warm glow.
By Paul Aaron Domenickabout 2 hours ago in Fiction
An Apple Orchard's Gems
The summer was hot, and every day the sun blazed. Some evenings it cooled by 15 degrees, which gave a bit of relief. Then there were the ongoing roasting weeks of no rain, no shade, no clouds. Even the insects were quiet and grounded, no buzzing. The birds hid in the scattered trees' leaves or flew off to the forests. Everything slowed down to survive the unusual heat in a climate usually comfortable.
By Andrea Corwin about 22 hours ago in Fiction
The Overnight Bus Where a Random Man Explored Every Inch of Me in the Back Seat (True Story). Content Warning.
Hi… it’s me, Lila. Twenty-five, sitting here in my little apartment with the rain tapping the window, thighs pressed together just thinking about it. This is what really happened on that long, sweaty overnight bus from Toronto to Montreal last summer. I never thought I’d do this. But my body betrayed me the second the engine started rumbling, and I couldn’t stop it if I tried.
By Chahat Kaur3 days ago in Fiction
My Oasis
I ran my fingers through my hair. The drinks were slowly taking over; I grasped the railings of the balcony and stood still; or so I thought. She walked over to me, watching me sway like a cosmos in the wind. She was something I couldn't make sense of, until recently.
By Rushali Prasad3 days ago in Fiction
AI Interrupted
Kristin loves AI. Ever since AI became a thing, she has been on the phone or using it on her laptop, uploading photos and stories to her social media. It’s like it was made for her. It’s brilliant and perfect in her eyes. She can escape the daily grind of high school and other trivial matters thanks to AI. She spends her days creating things like an image of a goat eating at a diner with a monkey as a waiter. She proudly shows it to all her friends. Her friends seem to love the wild ideas she comes up with. They even insert their own ideas at times. Anytime there’s a new assignment due, she is thrilled because it’s an excuse to improve her AI technique.
By Meredith McLarty4 days ago in Fiction
taking the train to the sea
Stranger Danger The clanking steel wheels crash against the hot, expanding metal of the rail track as puffs of steam engulf the station. The clouds in the sky swirl like blobs of paint mixed in water; the faint sprinkles erupt as if struck by a paintbrush. These scattered showers dance across the sky as they splatter against basalt roof tiles and voluminous oaks. People dressed in heavy jackets depart from the train car, stepping past me, past the concrete squares that litter the ground. Like salmon, they push on unimpeded, past everyone around them on their way to work.
By Thomas Bryant7 days ago in Fiction
“Very Dark Times” OF USA
Ray Dalio Warns: The United States May Be Heading Into “Very Dark Times” Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has issued a stark warning: the United States may be heading into “very dark times.” His concerns are not based on short-term politics but on long-term historical patterns that have shaped the rise and fall of global superpowers.
By Wings of Time 8 days ago in Fiction
