Just a girl who walks dogs and hangs out in cemeteries. Stay feral, y'all.
When Claire’s life started falling apart, she did what a lot of people do. She told everyone she was fine. She was fine when her car broke down. Fine when work became overwhelming. Fine when her relationship ended. Fine when she discovered that crying while eating cereal over the kitchen sink technically counted as dinner.... Continue Reading →
There are people who wake up in the morning refreshed. They stretch. They drink water. They meditate. They journal about gratitude. They stand beside a sunny window holding a tasteful ceramic mug while quietly contemplating all the wonderful possibilities the new day may bring. I wake up and immediately wonder what fresh bullshit the universe... Continue Reading →
I went outside to pull one weed. That is important to remember. One. Weed. It was growing beside the front steps, looking smug and disrespectful, and every time I walked past it I thought, I should really pull that. So Saturday afternoon, armed with absolutely no plan whatsoever, I marched outside, grabbed the weed, and... Continue Reading →
Every morning before work, Daniel stopped at the same little deli. He ordered the same thing almost every time: a turkey sandwich, an apple, and a coffee large enough to convince him that being awake was a reasonable idea. And almost every morning, he passed the same man sitting near the entrance to the subway... Continue Reading →
In the early years of the 19th century, along the waterways near what is now Wallaceburg, Ontario, stood the farm of John T. McDonald and his family. It was an isolated place surrounded by woods, marshes and farmland, the sort of landscape where darkness could feel especially deep once the sun disappeared. Toward the end... Continue Reading →
I went to the county fair with exactly three goals: eat something deep-fried, win an unnecessarily large stuffed animal, and leave without becoming part of an incident. Two out of three seemed realistic. The trouble began eleven minutes after we arrived. My friend Rachel spotted a booth selling deep-fried pickles and immediately announced, “We should... Continue Reading →
When Emma woke up Saturday morning, she decided she was going on a picnic. There was no special occasion. No birthday, anniversary, or celebration. The sun was shining, she had nowhere she needed to be, and there was an unopened jar of strawberry jam in the cupboard that seemed like a perfectly reasonable excuse to... Continue Reading →
It started with one tiny raindrop. I was walking home carrying a coffee, wearing shoes that had absolutely no business being outdoors, when a single drop landed on my arm. “No big deal,” I thought. The sky heard me. Apparently, this was a challenge. Within approximately four seconds, the heavens opened with the enthusiasm of... Continue Reading →
Lake of the Woods is enormous. Spreading across northwestern Ontario and into Manitoba and Minnesota, the lake is a sprawling labyrinth of islands, narrow channels, rocky shorelines and secluded bays. Much of it feels remarkably remote even today. Somewhere within those waters, according to Canadian cryptid lore, is said to live a mysterious serpent-like creature... Continue Reading →
Pickles was a twelve-pound orange cat who firmly believed he owned the house. Technically, the mortgage belonged to his human, Sarah. Pickles considered this an administrative error. His daily responsibilities included screaming at Sarah because he could see the bottom of his food bowl, knocking pens off the desk during important video calls, and sitting... Continue Reading →
The Cool Beans 