Ruth's Journals

              As was tradition, when a person here turned 20, they went through an intricate ritual where an elder would decide the fates of the rest of our lives. Most were excited to be turned loose from their families, finally they would have a sense of responsibility—enough of a purpose to be able to sustain themselves alone. I thought the ceremony was pompous and felt myself increasingly aware that my fate was about to be left up to a person who was generations older than me.             “C’mon Xai, it’s not going to be too bad,” Mama was busy that morning, braiding my hair into intricate patterns as we prepared for the last rehearsal before the big day.             “I can’t say you’ve really convinced me there.”             “Listen, this will probably be...

                       Misery was the only thing Wanda could feel in that moment. Never in her life had she felt such betrayal before—especially not from someone as close to her as Ronald. For years she had assumed that they had each poured blood, sweat, and tears into creating the perfect household. Wanda always liked to tell herself that she preferred to stay at home anyways. There was no need for her to go into the dangerous and scary outside world, Ronald would always be there to protect her. He was her knight in shining armor.                 So why was it then, that one fateful night, that Wanda found herself doing the most unimaginable thing—she awoke to Ronald’s phone vibrating loudly on the oak nightstand that stood beside their bed. Ronald was in such deep sleep and Wanda knew she didn’t want to disturb him....

              “At this rate I’d say you only have weeks left to live.”             Doctor Singh’s voice remained steady as he continued with his monologue. I could only sit there in utter disbelief, tapping my foot nervously to lull out the worst of my fears coming to fruition. Why had I been so careless? Why didn’t I listen?             “…Excuse me sir, did you hear what I just said?”             My senses suddenly snapped back to reality, there’s no way I would be able to continue to move on after this meeting. Nodding my head, I cleared my throat, “So you’re telling me I really don’t have that much time left? That figures.” Smooth. Act nonchalant. Maybe that will make it less painful.             “The...

                  It's not very often that a traveler stops by in Evergreen but when they do, they always tend to bring a little excitement with them. For the tiny shantytown of Evergreen resided in a remote mountainous region of the country. Mama had always joked, “If you’re stopping in Evergreen you must certainly be bored with your life.” And maybe I thought that was true if it weren’t for Bruce and everything he had brought with him.                 Normally only a few of the regulars managed to stay at my family’s bar past 11pm. Around that sleepy time of the night even the most self-proclaimed manliest of men would leave whatever coins they had on our counter, tip their hats in respect towards mama, and hustle out of the small shack to head back to their prospective homes. Around that time Mama would walk up to our front door ...

 For this journal I chose to continue what I had started writing in my discussion board post. This day was supposed to be as ordinary as any other. The sun was shining, the skies were crystal clear, and Lilian had just started her daily morning walk. She always enjoyed walking on a trail at the nature preserve that was by her house. The trail wasn't too long and twisted and turned next to the river that accompanied it. Everything was perfectly normal. Lilian found herself feeling breathless, so she decided to take an abrupt stop and sit next to the river. The sun beamed down on her and only made Lilian feel even more sweaty and exhausted. She reached down to unclip her water bottle from the small brown backpack she always brought with her. Shaking the water bottle, Lilian realized that its contents were almost empty, and she knew she had only a miniscule amount of water left for the rest of her journey. It felt like the heat was starting to get to Lilian and she almost believed i...

      All Luther really wanted to do was to learn how to "get strong". Every other man in his family had proven themselves-- from kickboxing to MMA contracts, every man that Luther had ever encountered that was related to him had some connection to the world of physical strength and power.             “I don’t know,” Henry pushed his glasses that were far too large for his small head closer towards his nose. “Didja see the ads in the school newspaper? A dojo’s coming to town!”             “What the hell is a dojo?” Luther spat out the saliva that he’d been collecting in his mouth for some time. Uncle Larry and Uncle Dan both practiced that habit and they were both incredibly tough.             “I don’t know. Martial arts or some shit. You should try it. I doubt those toothpick arms of yours could break through...

Part One:   "It's either now or never, Rachel." "That's what you think Tom. If I come forward with that information, the press is going to be after me for years." "Yes, but is that really what's most important to you? What other people think? Not the thousands of lives that depend on your whistle blowing?" "If the committee finds out about this I'll be ruined-- I'll never be able to show my face around here again." "We could keep you anonymous." "Let's be real Tom, there's no way that would be possible. Not with today's technology." "Well then why can't you just tell the reporter what's happening? There's still a way to figure this out..." "I-I don't know anymore. If President Schrue finds out, we're both finished." "I'd rather it be us than the other workers who depend on this job for survival!" "There's just no way Tom, there's...

  The Only Way to Go is Up By Ruth Robinson             As tradition always dictated, once every year Kalyna would journey up the steep peaks of the Windercast Mountains to reunite with her family. Leaving those joyful reunions left Kalyna devoid of warmth and always left a bittersweet taste in her mouth as she trekked back down the mountain and back into the regular routine of her life. Once a year her yearning for home would begin and Kalyna knew the only way to quench her thirst for familial relations was to travel up those wretched mountains.             This year’s journey seemed to hold more prominence than ever before as change had been brewing up in the mountains, and Kalyna’s dear grandfather “had but one moon left to live” according to her mother. Suddenly Kalyna found herself rushing towards the bus station, holding her beat up faded leather suitcase in one...