Just a girl who walks dogs and hangs out in cemeteries. Stay feral, y'all.
For most of her life, Mara Vale believed magic belonged to other women. It belonged to the women in her grandmother’s stories. The ones who could coax fever from a child with a bowl of water, who knew which herbs to hang above a doorway, who dreamed of visitors before they arrived and could tell... Continue Reading →
Saturday morning arrived full of possibility. I knew this because I had made a list. Not just any list. A motivational list. Laundry. Vacuum. Clean bathroom. Grocery shopping. Organize closet. Answer emails. Change sheets. Meal prep. I looked at it. The list looked back. We immediately disliked each other. “Okay,” I said. “I just need... Continue Reading →
Every Sunday evening, Nora made a list. She loved lists. Lists made life look manageable. Buy groceries. Do laundry. Call Mom. Clean kitchen. Answer emails. Walk the dog. Prepare lunches. Pay bills. Water plants. Help Sarah with her résumé. Pick up Dad’s prescription. By Monday morning, the list had already grown. Someone always needed something... Continue Reading →
By Friday morning, Claire wasn't finishing the week strong. She was finishing it the way a shopping cart with one bad wheel finishes a trip across a parking lot - loudly, sideways, and with several strangers wondering what the hell was happening. Monday had started innocently enough. Her alarm went off at 6:00am. Claire turned... Continue Reading →
Maya had a habit of treating rest like a prize she could only claim after completing absolutely everything. Unfortunately, “everything” was a sneaky little jerk that kept adding things to the list. There was always another load of laundry, another email, another room that needed cleaning, another errand she could squeeze in before dinner. Even... Continue Reading →
There are mornings when the universe gently tests you. And then there are mornings when the universe wakes up, cracks its knuckles and says, “You know what would be hilarious?” For Rachel, that morning began at 7:14am, when she woke up feeling suspiciously refreshed. This should have concerned her immediately. Rachel was not a naturally... Continue Reading →
It had been raining since before sunrise - the miserable kind of rain that seemed determined to soak through jackets, shoes, and whatever optimism a person had left. Marla was driving home from work, thinking about exactly two things: changing into sweatpants and ordering dinner so she wouldn't have to cook. Then she saw him.... Continue Reading →
Julie had planned everything. And when she said everything, she meant everything. The venue was booked. The tables were arranged. Decorations were ready. Food was scheduled. Music was organized. There were lists, backup lists, and one particularly impressive spreadsheet that Julie was considering framing after the event. Wednesday morning, she looked at everything she'd prepared... Continue Reading →
By Friday evening, Hazel had reached the point where even her to-do list seemed judgmental. There was laundry waiting to be folded, emails she kept promising herself she'd answer, groceries to buy, floors that desperately needed attention, and approximately seventeen other things bouncing around inside her head demanding to be done immediately. So naturally, on... Continue Reading →
It was supposed to be a civilized dinner party. That was mistake number one. There were six of us, a table full of food, three dogs strategically positioned beneath the chairs, and one cat pretending she was far too sophisticated to participate in anything so common as begging. She sat on the windowsill with her... Continue Reading →
