literature

Families and literature go hand in hand; fictional families to entertain, reflect and inspire.

Sunday Candy
If anyone had asked me, I woulda told them I ain't do nothing wrong. I got up, made my bed, ate breakfast, and brushed my teeth like I was supposed to. I mean I mighta argued a little when getting dressed. You woulda too if you saw what Momma laid out. The pale pink dress stared at me, taunting me. I wasn’t one to let things go easily, so I stomped my foot at it and stuck my tongue out as far as it would go. Without even looking at me Momma spoke in a hushed tone.
By Shannon Gaskin6 years ago in Families
Shannons' Scar
Shannons’ mum used to work in an aquarium. That’s why she loves fish and crabs and dolphins, but mostly, sharks. This kid at school calls Shannon ‘Shannon the shark girl’ and it used to make her cry, but now that she’s all grown up at age 11, she knows that he was just upset because he doesn’t get to see the sharks after closing time.
By Tarryn Richardson6 years ago in Families
Relieved
Arabella, Eric and Ida sit around a creaking table, waiting expectantly for their breakfast. Arabella, the eldest of the three Wood children, has already managed to spill cold milk, freshly delivered, down her ill-fitting floral dress. She sobs, pink cheeks flushing to a dark red, filling with the salty liquid that escapes from her tear ducts.
By Tarryn Richardson6 years ago in Families
Where the Birdies Fly
Milo rubbed his eyes desperately, as if trying to erase the vision. Nightmares seem harrowingly authentic when they are based on your own reality. Momma said that he had witnessed what no human should witness, certainly not an innocent boy, and that’s why his mind plagued him so morbidly. His short breaths became deeper and a familiar comforting sound dismissed the echo of screaming. As if attentive to Milo’s distress, the swallow was singing a soothing tune from his usual resting tree, drawing Milo to the window.
By Rebecca Clark6 years ago in Families
Dream a Little Dream: Part I
"Dream a Little Dream" By K. R. King Not far from my home in East Ilford, Essex sits one of the greenest, tallest and most peaceful hills in all of the southern English countryside. This is where I have spent every evening since I was old enough to make it up to the top. It is where I come to be alone with my thoughts and dreams. On a clear night, the sun kisses the cold English sky, painting it with splashes of reds and oranges, lavenders and blues as it crawls sleepily over the horizon and the moon takes its place. Atop the hill, London's Hill, we call it; there is an old oak tree that has provided me with a shelter from the rainy seasons, even the scarce snows. Rain or shine, I make my sojourn to the top and in the summertime, when the weather is warm and the breeze just right, I've even fallen asleep beneath that old oak tree.
By Kat King6 years ago in Families
Dinosaur Bay
Dinosaur Bay Have you ever wondered what happened to the Dinosaurs? Today, everyone believes that these fantastic and incredible creatures are extinct and never to be seen again.... or are they. Somewhere off the coast of America’s pacific northwest, there lies a truly remote island called Dinosaur Bay. Surprisingly on this Prehistoric Paradise, many dinosaurs and other ancient saurians have not only survived but continue to flourish even after millions of years. Then one faithful day, something new would arrive to Dinosaur Bay. On a beautiful day, a little dinosaur was taking a stroll through the forest. His name is Parker the Parksosaurus, a little dinosaur with a big heart. Parker was just having a normal day but as he was about to pass by the beach, the little dinosaur noticed something new to the island.
By Jeremy Bickham6 years ago in Families
Guju Gal.
I wasn’t sure how to present myself when walking into the room, but I entered. I just brushed my teeth and came down to be greeted by them all in the room. Aged 7 and to my dismay, it was quiet but not only that, the energy was low. My energy should have been much higher because I was going back home (finally) and I guess I just wanted to be greeted by smiles and warmth. This was the 4th family members house I’d been to stay at this summer holiday and I was just tired without realising I was. Was I destined to be the illest as my cousin Jyoti would say? Quite possibly...
By Mayurie 6 years ago in Families
Hired Hearts
She was simultaneously my best friend and biggest annoyance. I could share every secret, every dark thought or bright light that went through my head, but only with her. We supported each other in our deepest despairs. And we poked and prodded at every sore spot along the way. It’s what twins do.
By Chloe Holzman6 years ago in Families
Goldenchild
“Do you wonder where the self resides? Is it in your head or between your sides, and who will be the one who will decide its true location?”
By Kat King6 years ago in Families
A Prodigal Son
Baptism An act, experience, or ordeal by which one is purified, sanctified, initiated, or named. I must have been 4. Sitting between my mother and my oldest sister in the pew, I looked up at the man towering over the priest from behind the altar. He loomed before me, hands and feet pinned to the crucifix and blood seeping from his chest, looking down on me from above while my family listened to the sermon. All I remember thinking was, “Where am I?”
By Ry Witt6 years ago in Families
Plum Jam
While organizing all of the files on my computer of my old writing assignments from college, current projects, and screengrabs of favorite pieces from places like "Brevity" and "SmokeLong Quarterly," I found a short piece I wrote during my second quarter at WWU in Bellingham, Washington in 2019.
By Sierra O’Brien6 years ago in Families
The Chest
I slept with a small wooden chest, with corroded steel ends, under my bed. This had belonged to my paternal grandfather who died while I was very young. I had been told that he gave me this chest to keep my most precious possessions; just as he had done all his life.
By Damián Furfuro6 years ago in Families