When the pages come alive

Remi Weaver has a story to tell. A story that's a part of her. A story she's been writing forever. It's the story of a chosen one who ruins his destiny and turns against a prophecy. And although it means the whole world to her, she has yet to find anyone who will publish it. After being turned down by yet another publishing company, Remi is feeling defeated and crushed, until her main character...

“I’m sorry, it’s just not really what we’re looking for.” The words fell from her lips and hung in the air. I felt their heavy presence in the pit of my stomach, deep and aching. The crushing weight was familiar but no less debilitating due to that fact.  Sympathetic eyes met mine, full of regret and helplessly awaiting my reaction. Cathy Price, editor and longtime friend of my father’s,...

There was a ringing in my ears and a buzzing in my head. Everything around me was hazy, out-of-touch, surreal, and dreamlike.  I shook my head, attempting to pull myself out of the fog. I reached for the window frame in a desperate attempt to regain control over my reality. Despite the obvious indicators that such a statement couldn’t be true, I knew it was.  It was the pull in my gut and ...

The words echoed in my head on a ceaseless loop. As if I had hit a brick wall, the stark reality of the commitment I had just made slammed into me, staggering and heavy.  “Really?” There was tangible hope in Dagan’s voice as he also questioned my previous statement. Feeling increasingly powerless to my own impulses, I softly nodded my head. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.” “Brillian...

Tires crunch on the loose gravel of my driveway. With an emancipated leap, I bound from the steps towards my deliverance: the red van.  A week that felt like a year comes to an end as the van door swings open.  He is home, and his name escapes my lips with fervor.  “Aaron!” His arms hold together the fragile pieces that threaten to break. I am not strong enough alone, but now that he’s home, I am rei...

The thick blanket of night blissfully obscured my view of the crippling desolation that we passed through, but as the sun slowly inched its way past the horizon, it cast an unwelcome glare onto the decaying world.  Bria and Dagan maintained stoic expressions, refusing to let any sliver of vulnerability slip through the cracks, but one look at my own face gave away my heart. It was breaking at the...

The unadulterated panic that flooded through me in ruthless torrents matched the synchronized chaos that met my eyes as we scrambled onto the street.  What had previously been a population of migrants escaping potential peril was now a storm of refugees fleeing the destruction that followed at their heels. They were no longer simply desperate but rather consumed with a ravenous determination to ...

“There you are,” Bria leaned back, inspecting her work.  Gingerly, I reached up to brush the bandage she had applied over my cheek. The dull pain that resulted from my gentle touch was a reminder of how serious the situation could have been—how lucky I was that the only remnant of my foolish attempt at bravery was a mere blemish.  “Thank you,” I replied softly, not daring to establi...

It was as if the once lost pieces of a puzzle were slowly piecing themselves together, forming a picture that could barely be deciphered yet. That picture lingered in the shadows of my mind, a faint dream whose dark parallel I’d been immersed in for too long.         Our feet followed a path determined by the finally functioning compass clutched in my hand. We watched in awe as the surr...

My grandmother was a woman of great wisdom and immense practicality. As a child with little grasp of the full complexities of the world, she seemed to have every answer one could be searching for, and she never failed to deliver them with an air of pragmatism.  I was never offended by her matter-of-fact way of interaction because I quickly learned that what she said was the truth; sugar coating it w...

A quick note to the reader:  If at any point in time you are reading this or following this story, I just want to say thank you. At times, I honestly never thought I’d finish it, and I was terrified of that. There are few things less terrifying than a story that needs to be finished but isn’t. And now that I’m finally done, I’m equal parts relieved and sad. I had absolutely no clue where...