Just a girl who walks dogs and hangs out in cemeteries. Stay feral, y'all.
Every Saturday morning, a woman named Maggie volunteered at the local animal shelter. She cleaned kennels, folded blankets, filled water bowls, and spent as much time as she could sitting with the animals who seemed to need a little extra company. That was how she met Walter. Walter was an older dog with a greying... Continue Reading →
I would like to begin by saying that I have an excellent memory. Unfortunately, I have forgotten all the evidence supporting this claim. My problems started yesterday morning when I couldn’t find my phone. This was concerning because I had literally just been using it. I checked the kitchen counter. Nothing. I checked the couch.... Continue Reading →
In the Romanian town of Câmpina stands a strange little castle built from grief. It has towers, hidden symbolism, rooms designed for séances and spaces that seem intended to blur the boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds. But perhaps the strangest thing about Iulia Hașdeu Castle is the reason it exists at all. Its... Continue Reading →
There are weeks when you wake up refreshed, organized and ready to embrace all the beautiful possibilities life has to offer. And then there are weeks when you sit in your car talking to your phone while several dogs breathe directly onto the back of your head and you realize this is apparently your life... Continue Reading →
Friday afternoon began with the kind of optimism that, in retrospect, should have been considered a warning sign. It was 2:47pm. The weekend was so close I could practically smell sweatpants and poor decisions. I had exactly three things left to accomplish: finish one small task, stop at the grocery store and go home. That... Continue Reading →
By Friday afternoon, Claire felt as though the week had lasted approximately three months. Nothing catastrophic had happened. It had simply been one of those weeks where life seemed determined to test her using the smallest possible inconveniences, delivered continuously. Monday morning began with an alarm she somehow slept through, followed by coffee spilled down... Continue Reading →
It started with a loose cabinet handle. That was it. One tiny, slightly wobbly handle on one perfectly functional kitchen cabinet. A normal person would have tightened the screw and continued living a peaceful life. I am apparently not a normal person. Saturday morning, I grabbed a screwdriver and announced, “This will take two minutes.”... Continue Reading →
There are times in life when nothing is dramatically wrong, but somehow everything feels heavy. That was where Hannah found herself. The past few months had been a collection of small disappointments that had apparently formed a committee. Work had become stressful. A friendship she thought would last forever had quietly faded. Her car had... Continue Reading →
High on a hill overlooking the town of Junee, New South Wales, stands an imposing Victorian mansion known as Monte Cristo Homestead. Its balconies look out over the countryside, its rooms are filled with reminders of another century, and for decades its halls have carried stories of footsteps, voices, apparitions and strange lights appearing where... Continue Reading →
I went to the grocery store at 7:03am for one reason and one reason only: there would be no people. This wasn't a shopping trip. This was a tactical operation. I had calculated everything. Tuesday morning. Barely daylight. Most reasonable humans would either be sleeping, getting ready for work, or standing half-conscious in their kitchens... Continue Reading →
