Category: Writing

At dawn, tides sweep the pier, me dizzy with love as the lanterns sway in the ocean breeze. Past couples had carved their hearts into the wooden rails; this tradition was a hook for those suffering with first love. Old boats with steam engines prepare to strip their tarps for paying customers looking for nostalgia. I find you waiting, your eyes a shock of blue. My heart begins to swell with joy, and my voice wants to stick in my throat as I fidget with the chain around my neck. Standing before me, I put my arms around your waist.

There was a faint echo from the chiming of the grandfather clock announcing the new hour; my footsteps kept time with the peals. Before I could proceed, I needed to let go of the paranoia rooted deep in my body. I gaze at the slips of affirmations to gain control before the anxiety rises and begins to stir me up. The clock chimes again, the hour loop has gone by so fast. I look up suspiciously to verify that it was true. How many years had it been since I’d ventured into this haunted house that creaks with such fury?

“The injustice of it all! You do remember the cruelty we endured?” asked Paul. “The nuns claiming their faith made them pure, their crazy ideas, all rubbish! Sure wished we had more strength back then to resist what they forced down our throats.”

The group of men looked around at each other, silently agreeing with Paul. Thankfully, they made their escape to a better life, though the nun’s words still echoed through their minds. Like the plague, they couldn’t shake off their past, but their experience created a bond—a unity that stood the test of time.

Well, until Peter’s arrest.

It seems like the breeze was getting stronger—the atmosphere’s ferocity matching this bloody scene we were investigating. One man with a broken back, and the other victim, a large crane strangled in its nest. Guess the news people had no life and felt the need to fill their 24-hour cycle. Rumors were floating about a ghost and people into magic in the area. Everyone had a different story to tell and was eager to share it. There was no need to drag anything out of anyone. This apparent crime scene was the highlight of their evening, maybe their entire life.

It was time for practice. Groan! I wanted to treasure this contact with my bed, feeling infinite gratitude for the eight hours I just got. With my mind and its constant exhausted state, you would think it was always solid sleep all night through, but no. My state sure does blow a hole in that theory. I want to control my sleep better. Perhaps with some medicinal intervention?

It’s practice time now. While I’m on the floor, let’s hope for a surprise shoot while I serve up extraordinary moves that will generate stories for years. It triggers some much-needed adrenaline.

The fence stood crooked, weathered by time; his hand grasps the cold wire, trembling. From the distant tower, a light flickers—hope, or warning? Beneath, a bone lies half-buried, frosted by morning chill. Luring whispers drift through the trees, bound to no tongue. It’s a trap, he knows, but still, he steps forward. The earth cracks underfoot. A fan hums somewhere unseen, steady, mechanical. His chest swells with dread as the fog thickens. One slip, and he’s lost. Still, he walks, drawn not by bravery, but by something older—curiosity, or perhaps fate. Behind him, the fence closes silently, sealing the path.

**Full Disclosure: I used ChatGPT. ** I had the idea and asked them to create this story, which I then modified. Interesting what it came up with!

Every step sloshed about my favorite drink, The Legacy. It was a potent drink, but hey – I was of age, and eager not to remember the events of this evening amongst the rich and famous. My chest was heaving with emotion after witnessing the crowd sneer and lie about Jayne. I couldn’t stand the smell of their betrayal anymore. Damn it! It was my boss’s turn to win big for her contributions! I was shaking with anger. If she didn’t get the Oscar for The Scam, her career would be over, her confidence demolished, and me, with no job.