Short Story Excerpts
My Name is Heaven (2020)
The image kept splitting through the regularly scheduled programming of my mind. The metal that split through her skin managed to tear through my ignorant, childish view of the world. After that, all I could feel was confusion, anger, and sadness. The sight of a jump rope could pass by me and I would think about joining. It was my instinct back then, but something held me down on that sofa. Mama would talk to me and it all seemed like background noise.
Life seemed to be on mute and I couldn’t find the remote to fix it.
SAT (2020)
“Baby, I want you to stay home and rest.”
Rest? I’ve analyzed the meaning of this word hundreds of times. Used in relation to death, a pause, and a grouping of a less significant and/or relevant bunch. Used in relation to a pause or relaxation. But to be used in relation to a need? (I need to add this to my arsenal)
Conejita (2020)
Their closeness reminded me of a certain morning, the first of many where the smell of maple syrup had filled the air. The early morning sunlight filtered in through the windows of the dining room allowing the shadows of the garden to dance inside. A flood of spreadsheets covered the table, a disaster from the night before that had consumed all my mother’s energy. She sat there with her head tucked between her elbows on the table. Her breaths were soft and steady accompanied by a low snore. Sleep and my mother were in a long-distance relationship, constantly whispering sweet words to each other but rarely meeting (due to schedule conflicts).
So, when I ran downstairs with my bookbag desperately trying to keep up with me, I felt like an intruder, ripping the sheets off the intimate reunion. However, my excitement overrode every ounce of guilt that I held.