**Trigger warning: Animal Cruelty** It was a beautiful day for a picnic. The tables covered with food and drink, people laughing and talking among the benches, and the children ran and played. Soft feathers chased after their footsteps, only to be lost to the dirt below. The children screamed with joy, kicking aside twigs and grass and…

**Trigger Warning: Death of a Child** He stumbled forward, moving across the sidewalk. One foot was missing a shoe, the sock torn on the side. His pants were stained with dirt and debris. His shirt faded under the burning sun. He pushed his body forward again, sweat running down skin, soaking into fabric. His jaw tightened, and his arms…

But what Me will You remember? — “I’m sorry for your loss.” “Thank you.” “She was amazing. All those stories that she posted online about.” “Fiction.” “What?” “Her stories were fiction.” “And the pictures that she shared online?” “Fabricated.” “I don’t understand.” “It wasn’t her.” “Yes, it was. It was her.” “No, it wasn’t. The person that…

And Ronald Reagan was from the Movies. — As some of you might know, I have been watching The Hollywood Reporter (THR) Roundtables on YouTube. I have watched a lot of the discussions that were held, which included Directors, Actors, and Writers. I just watched a Comedy one with Tracy Morgan and Ray Romano, and I’m sorry. I…

Are you kidding me? — “What’s an Iron Lung?” I wish I didn’t know the answer to that question, but recently, my family and I watched a tv series or movie, where an older man was inside this strange contraption. It was an Iron Lung, and it was the only way for him to survive…

Thrifty Word Roundup 100 #77: & 50 #98: Forget — On Monday, July 18th, my father and I took my brother down to Manhattan. …

Thrifty Word Challenge 100 #77: & 50 #98: Forget — I thought she was kidding, and I laughed. But she still stared at me, waiting for the answer. I said, “Mom, I had the surgery back in May,” but she looked at me for a long moment, slowly nodding at my words. “When are you having your surgery?” “Mom, you…