Each night when the lights went out and the music ended, the four mannequins in the front window began their most productive hour. Oddly enough, they couldn’t move or show facial expressions, but they were excellent talkers. After the security gate rattled down, they had a very serious discussion about the day. The one in ...

The air is different here— unspoiled, relaxed with a festive undertone that conveys unity and camaraderie. It’s exactly what I need to forget the bickering of a belligerent boss. This beach, with its warm white sand that shifts underneath my feet, keeps the noise at my back and the light to my face. Playful breeze ...

Each moment I held you in my arms was more fleeting than a rose petal’s beauty as it falls to the ground to die.  The taste of your lips, sweet as Coca-Cola, lingers like burnt sugar.  I beheld our summer days that in my youth I prayed would endure forever.  I tried so hard to pretend we could be immortal and live like kings and queens.  Every kingdom must crumble, but our story will forever live ...

I drew a circle in the sand and placed everything I know within. I turned my back and walked away as the abyss swallowed it all. I drew a face in the sand, but who it was I couldn’t tell. I etched a name beside it, too. but I’d forgotten how to read. When the ...

Makayla dropped her dance bag by the front door with a loud thump and made her way into the kitchen. “I said I’m sorry,” her mother trailed in behind her. “The meeting ran long.” Makyla pulled a water bottle from the fridge and let the door drop behind her. “Your meetings always run late,” she ...

The warm summer sun soaked into my pale winter skin. The last flood of the younger kids fled the building for the year. However, Leoni and I stood on the hill under the willow. We were in our spot, and I tried not to let myself think about how it might be for the last ...

“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” Melissa asked as James handed her a slushy. They’d been driving for a while, stopping only now to refuel the car and grab snacks. James said there were a few more hours to go. “Patience,” he smirked. Melissa rolled her eyes, letting cherry syrup melt on ...

NYC summer felt alien to Lacey; it was like a different world. Heat radiated from the pavement, a thick air hung heavy, and people bustled through it. When she walked the city, she wasn’t used to seeing the type of crowd sizes she saw. Every inch of sidewalk in view seemed maxed out with patrons ...

What will you do this Summer?

For months at a timeA child waits for the end of schoolMemories of the fun-filled summers of the pastIgnite the imaginationLetting them have something to look forward tooYearning for the fun that waits Vacations are memories used toAcquire hopes and dreamsCamping, fishing, hikingAlternate locationsTents and activities away from technologyIdeas of what is fun rethoughtbecause we ...