Young Adult
The Man, The Mountain, and The Climb
". . .He keeps climbing because stopping would mean surrendering everything he has built, every promise he swore to keep. The air thins as he ascends, and though he’s given everything—strength, time, conviction—the mountain gives little back. Once, it felt sacred to climb.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast4 months ago in Chapters
Memoir | The Charming Hotel Housekeeper | Part V of VI
An official trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina took an amusing turn when a determined hotel housekeeper, with her rapid Spanish and swift cleaning skills, transformed a routine moment into a memorable encounter!
By Mia Z. Edwards4 months ago in Chapters
Memoir | Challenges in Jet Lag | Part V of VI
This was my first official journey to the continent of Africa. The direct overnight flight from Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, lasted an exhausting eight hours. I landed in Paris at 7:00 AM, facing a six-hour layover before boarding an Air Afrique flight to Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan. The flight to West Africa added another eight hours to my travel time, and I finally arrived at 9 PM in West Africa. I was completely worn out from the lengthy trip and feeling quite irritable, and the native airport staff didn’t make matters any better. As a result, they witnessed a side of me that wasn’t very friendly.
By Mia Z. Edwards4 months ago in Chapters
Sparrow on a Plank Chapter 1: Starting in Chains
No. That’s what he should have said this morning. Instead, Hajime was chained to a cold wall in the dank dungeon of some second-rate castle with someone firing up the branding irons. And his pants are nowhere to be seen. He smirked to himself; some people would pay decent money for the privilege of being where he was now. The scrawny kid from the docks of an oriental port wouldn’t mind trading places with one of those well-fed lordlings right about now.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
Sparrow on a Plank Chapter 2: When The Sparrow Meets The Salamander
[For the last chapter, look here.] Hajime walked into the Spectacled Rhino, and headed straight for the table with Sal. This was not the usual dive bar he was used to meeting her; the tables here were clean and there were people actually waiting on the customers. He had problems cutting through the curry in the air, but it was a welcome change from the smoke and cheap booze he generally associated with Sal's usual watering hole.
By Jamais Jochim4 months ago in Chapters
Memoir | Beauty Mark | Part V of VI
As I waited at the airport in Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan (West Africa), for an Air Afrique flight to Accra, Ghana, where I had a day of work ahead, I spotted a woman whose face was beautifully marked with intricate and stunning designs.
By Mia Z. Edwards4 months ago in Chapters
A Light on the Side of the Road: Remembering La Mesa Officer Lauren Craven
The story of Lauren Craven is not defined by a single, tragic moment on a dark highway. It is a story of a light—a light that her family, her colleagues, and her community insist burned with a rare and consistent brightness. It was a light of dedication, of selflessness, and of a profound desire to serve others, a light that was tragically extinguished while she was doing exactly that.
By Mukhtar Ahmed4 months ago in Chapters
