Esme pulled a deep breath in through her nose and blew it out slowly with pursed lips. She heard the baby retch behind her. Her seatbelt slid over her as she unbuckled and made the awkward climb into the Toyota Sienna’s middle row. Esme flashed a quick, grim smile at her son Matty, but he ...

Lightning pain wrenched her from a terrible dream, a nightmare painted with a sudden plunge and screaming terror. But consciousness was worse. Much worse. She tried to drag air into her ragged lungs and cried out, though all that sounded through the haze was a raspy squeak. She felt an invisible grip around her torso ...

Every day felt more incredible. We were full of laughter and smiles. The world fell back when you were around. I didn’t know that there was about to be the biggest storm of my life. It felt beautiful… at first. The first time around, you and I were great together. The arguments started pretty quickly. ...

On Monday, August 10, 2020, a dreadful storm tore through the Midwest. The sirens didn’t go off where I live near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Instead, a weather-alert text warned me of a “severe thunderstorm.” While my husband and I continued to work outside, we saw the sky change from sunny to dark in a matter ...

You were the one that kept me broken. The desire to play the hero must have taken over you. Every time we were together, it was you that kept making sure I was feeling down. Nothing I did or said was good enough unless I was upset. There was no interest in anything unless I ...

I was born and raised in Washington State. As a native Washingtonian, I grew up knowing that during the winter you did not want to be in the passes of Mt. Rainer. If it snowed while you were up there, you might as well make a camp until spring, because there is no way down. ...

For as long as I can remember, the United States has been hit by roughly one hurricane a year, sometimes two. But, this year we are facing three massive ones all in the South-Eastern U.S. and a bit of the Southwest. It brings back memories of what I witnessed from afar of Hurricane Katrina in ...