Thick acrid smoke weaves through the undying vows whispered between lovers clinging onto each other’s hands. Fear tears at mothers promising final lies of comfort as they draw their children close. Minds race with memories of triumphs, regrets, and lost loves. Believers and doubters alike beg for mercy from the God of their youth. Flight Attendants shout instructions in calm steady voices that belie the panic of their pounding hearts. Pilots desperately try to save the doomed vessel. A hundred stories never told plummet from the sky in their metal tomb. Together they slip into a watery grave of oblivion.
About the Creator
A. J. Schoenfeld
I only write about the real world. But if you look close enough, you'll see there's magic hiding in plain sight everywhere.
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More stories from A. J. Schoenfeld and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Norma's Clouds
Every night at midnight the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. No one else ever seemed to notice them, but they always mesmerized Norma. She would stare out the window at night and watch them in the pale light of the moon as they flitted around twisting into beautiful shapes reminiscent of powerful dragons, ships of exploration, majestic castles, graceful ballerinas, and a thousand other things. She imagined herself floating among the wispy formations flying on the back of a fire breathing beast, perched in the crow’s nest of a creaky wooden vessel, gazing out from the window of the tallest tower, spinning and leaping on her tippy toes, or embarking on many other adventures. She would whisper her gratitude to the clouds at night, grateful for the momentary escape from reality before drifting off to sleep where the purple clouds wrapped her in their comforting embrace and pulled her deeper into her imagination until morning.
By A. J. Schoenfeld3 years ago in Fiction
Man Buys a $20 Couch at a Thrift Store — Then Finds $100,000 Hidden Inside
Sometimes life-changing moments arrive when we least expect them. A simple decision, a random purchase, or an ordinary day can suddenly turn into a story that feels almost unbelievable. For one man, what started as a routine trip to a thrift store became a moment he would remember for the rest of his life. It all began with a couch that cost just twenty dollars. A Simple Purchase Jason Miller was a 28-year-old delivery driver who had recently moved into a small apartment in a quiet neighborhood. Like many young people starting out on their own, he was trying to save as much money as possible. His apartment was mostly empty except for a small table and a bed. One weekend, he decided it was finally time to buy a couch. But buying new furniture was expensive, and Jason didn’t have much to spare after paying rent and bills. So he did what many people do when money is tight—he visited a local thrift store. The store was filled with old furniture, secondhand decorations, and shelves of forgotten items waiting for someone to give them a new home. Jason slowly walked through the aisles, checking price tags and imagining what might fit in his apartment. Then he noticed it. In the corner of the store sat an old beige couch. It wasn’t perfect. The fabric looked slightly worn, and the cushions were a little soft. But the price tag caught his attention immediately. $20. Jason couldn’t believe it. For that price, it felt like a great deal. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he paid for the couch and arranged to bring it home that afternoon. At the time, he thought he had simply found a cheap piece of furniture. He had no idea the couch was hiding a secret.
By Shoaib Afridiabout 4 hours ago in Fiction
A More Human Vocal
When we launched Vocal nearly a decade ago, the world was a very different place. LLMs did not exist, and stories were created one at a time by people sitting down to write, revise, and share something personal. Many of our assumptions about publishing, trust, and participation were built for a world where effort and output were inseparable.
By Justin @ Vocal4 days ago in Resources
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