They Were Her Rock

“You can do this!” “Be positive.” “You’re not alone.”

An assortment of rocks made up the flowerbed in front of a tall brick building. Some were scattered, others piled, many with painted pictures and handwritten messages.

Walking from the parking lot was perilous at best. Cheryl navigated the uneven sidewalk cautiously, crunching ice under heavy boots, pounding stale snow into powder.

The front glass-door opened. Volunteers greeted at the end of the entrance foyer away from the cold drafts of the outdoors. Someone sat at the reception counter awaiting questions.

Cheryl’s heart raced. Her radiation treatment was about to begin.

From Guest Contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs

The Gravity Of Shame

Daphne has a secret.

She's scared to speak of it. She doubts anyone will understand, even her closest friends. She only ever wanted to fit in, and so she's hidden her affliction for more than a year now. She's bought heavy boots, wears bulky jewelry, and ties herself to her bed at night, to avoid drifting away.

She's searched on Google to no avail. She thinks about seeing a doctor, but what if they want to do experiments on her?

In the end, she decides it's easier to float into the eternity of space than to admit she's gravity immune.