Reading Glasses
by Celeste Amidon, ’16. “So. How did you two meet?” By the time the food came, there were already three empty bottles of Prosecco on the table. Michael Fynch watched Allen Smith tap his cigarette out onto the empty bread plate on his placemat before pushing it away to make room for the steaming plate…
life as he knew it
by Katie Scholl ’15. It was a lovely day. Outside the stately dwelling there were green trees, and green grass. As young Adam viewed the garden, all he could notice forever was green, if not to count the yellow square in the sky. Black butterflies mechanically cycled out of the grass, only to disappear again…
A hero’s welcome
by Abi Starck, ’16. The walls of the cavern began to shake and the ceiling started to crack. People rushed to leave, terrified of the ceiling caving in. Most of my familial unit decided to stay behind; they had heard that the land above was safe. They would not sway from their ideas. We wore…
Numbness
A short story by anonymous. He wakes up to yelling on the street outside. He stands up, bleary eyed. He looks around, sees a pile of clothes in one corner, a sleeping bag in the other. He walks over, puts on the clothes, opens the door and walks into the hall. The Iranian woman begins…
Untitled
By Sejin Choi, ’22 Ever since she was a little girl, she felt like she was missing something. She dreamed that she would one day find it and finally feel whole. If not, it was okay, because she doubted that anyone ever felt whole anyways. The first time she looked up at the drunk, heavy…
Seaside Procession
A vignette by Editor-in-Chief Jacob Landau, ’22 I’ve never seen the wonders of an Aquarium on a weeknight; perhaps only when the weather has been too treacherous have I wanted to go. Who would bother to waste their energy climbing through the snow onto the purple line, among strangers, only to watch the fish in…
Untitled
A Vignette by Lucy Calcio, ’22 She gazes through the droplets forming on the windowpane in front of her. The drops splash on the window and slowly make their way down, racing each other across each pane, then finally falling in the same wet puddle below them. She looks beyond the droplets as the waves…
Together, Forever
You tap your foot with nervous excitement as you sit in the waiting room at the MIT Medical hospital. At first glance, the room looks like a typical foyer. However, the hospital has been a state-of-the-art facility for biotechnical research for the past decade. You glance around the room disapprovingly at the worn leather chairs,…
Life on the Docks
Essay from an anonymous student: Call him David–that’s his name. And much like the Biblical King, he was young; nineteen years old, to be exact. Fresh out of high school and acclimating into his first semester of college, he decided to take a weekend off. He’d visit the docks—it would be nice, he thought. Free…
Grapes
a vignette by anonymous, class of 2023 Smiling is a privilege. There are some who can wake up in the winter with short days and still be smiling when the orange sun sets, hiding itself away from the constant disruptive buzzing that hums on the ground. Even there, there was a smile that was seen…
david and the yak
a short story by Timothy Bonis, ’22 The morning two days before A. S. was supposed to travel home to Kensington for Easter, British Rail decided to strike. Mostly it was no issue; A. S. knew he would drive back to London and one of his roommates, David Blair, was a scholarship boy from Liverpool…
cat cult
a short story by anonymous The Amulet of Beatrice Walker gleams unnaturally in the moonlight, casting soft green shadows onto the ground. Frantic hands scrabble to climb up the mound of loamy dirt, scattering dust into the air, scattering dust into the thieves’ lungs, scattering coughs into the air—all muted with a signal from the…
thirst
a short story by Evan Chu, ’24 I’m not fully human anymore after that incident in the mall… Tokyo, 1994 My name is Ishiki Matsui. I killed Yamada Hiroki, my classmate and only friend, but it was just a part of my job. He was my prey, and simply a part of my income. I…
diary entry
a short story by Anna McGrew, ’24 December 29th, 2019 Chinese Proverbs, chiiiiineeeeeese proooverbs, chinese prooooooverrrrrbs. Sometimes when you say the same phrase over again it just sounds like hooey. I mean, I am taking US history class to learn about the US, not freaking Chinese Proverbs. Who even cares about Chinese Proverbs; honestly, I…
unrecognizable
a short story by Sydney Levitt, ’24 Black. All I saw was black as I lost the feeling in my legs. But then I saw a small light that peered through my opening eyes as the cold, wet grass swayed besides me. It felt like the world was spinning around me until I couldn’t figure…
toilet days ™
a short story by Libertad Vaughn, ’24 The door locks shut as the giant mass moves towards me. It comes closer, and corners me into the wall next to my friend that is forced to weep with a turn of a handle. Unable to move away, I see the crack that splits the monster in…
the trapdoor
a short story by Lila Malek, ’24 It was one of those nights again. You know, those nights. When your parents have company over and your mission is for them to forget about your existence. My large four story, antique filled Victorian house is in a quiet town in Maryland. The town isn’t the only…
the scarecrow
a short story by Lily Jin, ’24 That frosty autumn night, a cold wind carried a lone soft whisper. The young lad was taking a stroll when he looked up, only seeing a smiling face of a straw scarecrow gently swaying in the wind. He scratched his head in confusion, swearing that he heard a…
life-changing hallway
a short story by Mia Hasselback, ’24 She had lived her entire life in this house, but she was still standing in a hallway she had never seen before. Her name is Blair. She is an obnoxious, bratty 16 year old girl. She was homecoming queen 2 years in a row at her high school…
hit the slopes
a short story by Clara Renner, ’24 Zip! I closed my suitcase, then rolled it out into the hallway and down the stairs. It made a thud with each step I rolled it onto. “Can we keep this house quiet for ONE SINGLE second of the day?” Mom yelled from the kitchen. “Yeah Caleigh,” Spencer…
things that go bump in the night
a vignette by Anjali Jain, ’21 Timmy sits cross-legged on his bed. It’s too dark to see the bright rocket ships zipping across the quilt, but when he stretches out his fingertips, he can feel their shapes, the neat rows of stitching that hold this little universe together. He feels the midnight coolness on his…
the one who led me home
a short story by Emily Banthin, 20 Maurice had left me a message not more than twenty-four hours earlier asking me to make the journey from my city apartment out to her suburban cape-style house so we could have the chance to discuss a few matters from earlier on. Those were her exact words: “I…
perhaps
a vignette by Kathleen Segal, ’19 “For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo.” ― Lois Lowry Ickh…
sea remedy
a vignette by Corynne Stollerman, ’19 The angel dumped the contents of the orange bottle into his quivering palm. With the precision of an owl stalking its prey, he picked up a pill and dropped it in the section of his pill organizer labeled “Monday.” The chalk-gray tablets left a powdery residue on his fingertips.…
swings to space
a short story by Jacob Landau, ’22 They were just children, not entirely sure who they would be yet or where they would find themselves next year, but they kept propelling themselves through the air with their short, insignificant legs nonetheless. Neither of them really knew anything at this point in their lives, however they…
the one to blame pt. 2
an excerpt from a horror story by Inara Pirani, ’19 “Nice jacket by the way. You a big fan of the Bulldogs?” Logan asked, pointing to my varsity jacket. Oh man. Hockey. I always dread the sports-related conversations. I never keep up with this stuff, so I never know what to say. Hockey is boring;…
the one to blame pt. 1
an excerpt from a horror story by Inara Pirani, ’19 My stomach flip flopped as I followed my new principal, Dr. Trent, down the worn, rubber-lined steps of my new school. My legs felt like jello as Dr. Trent turned down a long hallway. I hated meeting new people. I’ve never been that…
falling leaves
a poem by winter contest winner, ’21 They say that sticks and stones Will break your bones And words will never hurt you But sticks and stones When you’re all alone Can make words stick like glue Like falling leaves Bruises go away But pain inside Is here to stay The frigid air Never…
this is the fall
a story from the winner of the writing division of the fall contest, ’21 This is the fall my life fell apart. This is the fall when the gods struck their anger down upon the tiny island where my roots spread through the sea and nestled next to the coquí frogs as they sing their…
christina’s world
a vignette by Emma Cieslik, ’19 The smoky, dense air surrounds me and the stench of gasoline and burning leaves fills my nose. My leg stings, the open flesh rubbing against the rocky and prickly terrain. My childhood home sits visible in the distance, but with each crawl toward it, the barn seems to retreat…
surprise and gift
story by Anonymous “Chocolate?” I don’t like chocolate. I don’t like peanut butter, bananas, or chocolate, especially, not chocolate. “No thank you.” I said in my best American accent. I had taken that stupid English class for 10 years. It was starting to pay off. “Padre. Padre. No c’è buon cibo su questo volo.” I…
the mission
Chapter 1 “Pa, I’m home. Brought back some of your packages from the post office.” Mark looked down at the package and noticed an envelope taped to the side of the box. It had the government seal on it. Except it was a hot press stamp, so I knew that it was official. The weird…
cold
a story by Erin Barry, ’19 On a newly refurbished porch in Hamburg, an old man stretches his weary back, knotted and twisted with long held aches from long ago exertion. His clothes are well tailored, with shiny buttons and a freshly pressed jacket. His shoes, dirty and well used, are the only exception. The morning is a…
a painting worth change
a story by Inara Pirani ’19 Letter from Di Alakija to Brooklyn Alakija Wednesday, September 4th 10:35 AM Hi Brooke, How are you? I guess I’m okay. I woke up this morning, made a bowl of oatmeal (now that I live by myself– ha!), then I took the train to work (because I can’t afford…
the truth about the magic school
prose by Grace Buller, ’19 Bridget Smith slithered down a hallway in the Magic School. The dark walls, lit up by the green lights, flickered down the hallway. She heard screams and the rattling of cages behind the many closed doors in the hall. Everything she once thought about the Magic School, as the daughter…
skins
prose by Maia Foley, ’19 There’s a bowling alley in Hyde Park where my family went nearly every weekend when I was a child. It was a small, family-oriented 1950’s candlepin joint that sold world-renowned ice cream at a wood-paneled counter with a green and white plaster surface that was sticky to the…
the search for gerald
prose by Caterina Baffa, ’17 It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.* “Gerald?” crackled an elderly voice, practically bursting Sam’s still sleeping ears, “Gerald, it is absolutely imperative that you come…
the gold rush stampede
story excerpt by Tristan Martello, ’20 and Russell Hornung, ’20 MICK After Reece regained his health, we set out towards the gold rush. We drove up to an open field in front of the mountain full of gold. The truck wobbled, and pieces broke off, one after another. We slowed to a stop. We saw two…
consciousness
short story by Kelly Rawson, ’20 She huffs quietly as the comforter rests softly on her head. The irritating, busy street noise of the city buzzed outside her window, despite the fact that it was just a little passed three in the morning. She grunts, frustrated with her uneasy sleep pattern. This was the twenty-sixth night…
the people’s rubble
novel excerpt by Julia Shor, ’20 Chapter 1: Trial by Trust The light was blinding, yet there was no one but him to see it. Why did he bother leaving the interrogation room? If it was possible, the light was even brighter here. As his eyes adjusted he began to truly appreciate the emptiness of…
locked doors
short story by Bailey Doe, ’20 No one knew what was behind the doors of Sector D, no one but the scientists working there. So you can imagine my surprise when I got a message from Caleb, the lead scientist in the star lab (the field I was working in). I didn’t know what was…
balancing act
novel excerpt by Nora Bannon, ’20 Jordan I have never, ever wanted to be popular. If you were to describe my life to someone, they would expect me to be one of the cool kids. I’m six feet tall and look like a Barbie doll, which I hate. I live in a huge fancy old…
fresh air
recycled homework assignment by Rachel Landau, ’16 “Mom, I’m going outside,” Edith said as she closed the front door behind her. A casual walk, she smirked, intending to never return. She wanted the evening at the end of the driveway. A faster disappearing time. Isolate the musical consistent pounding of neckblood overcoming gravity, she thought. Pavement footsteps…
on the water cooler
story by Niles Breuer, ’16 His tie was too tight. It was nothing major, of course, nothing debilitating. Just that his wife pulled that extra little fraction of an inch so that his collar pressed into the side of his neck. Or maybe it was the collar itself. She never liked to spend the extra…
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