Chuck Van Soye
Jun 1, 2016 | Contemporary, 1st pages
CHAPTER 1
{Three local Chinese males converse outside Terminal B’s Men’s restroom at China’s Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport}
“給我你的一些啤酒。” (“Give me some of your beer, Feng.”)
“沒有，讓你自己的。” (“No, get your own.”)
“嘿，黃，看著它！再次推我，我會打斷你的胳膊。“ (“Hey, Huang, watch it! Shove me again and I’ll break your arm.”)
“冷靜下來你們兩個。注意。和講英語。“ (”Calm down, you two goons. Pay attention. And speak English.”)
“The Big Boss says we need to practice English. We need to communicate with our hostages in English,” warned Guozhi, the obvious group leader. “Follow closely as I go over the plan one final time.”
Nicklaus Lee
May 27, 2016 | 1st pages, Contemporary
Chapter 1
Jon Paul The Wanderer
Jon Paul had always been a wandering man. He had what's called “restless bones.” He made it a practice to walk for hours in the small southeast town of Toulon, where he lived. Once, when young Jon Paul was young, he met a man during one of his daily walks- a man that looked very strange to him.
He wore a tall, black stovepipe hat and had a long nose with small glasses perched at the end. He also had long black-and-white hair and a very shaggy, rough-looking beard. Jon Paul wondered how he could see to walk with those glasses set on his nose in such a precarious way. The man also wore bright-red pants and a blue shirt. He was colorful, to say the least. As Jon Paul approached him, he stared at the old man and asked, Where are you from, sir?” The tall man stopped and gazed at Jon Paul.
“Where am I from, you ask? I am from here and there and everywhere,” he said and laughed out loud.
Jon Paul did not find this very funny. He became frustrated and asked, “What kind of answer is that? It's not funny.”
The tall man replied,” Little boy, I did not intend it to be.”
Jon Paul, being a curious boy, said, “Sir, I meant no disrespect. It's just that you looked odd and I could tell you are not from here.”
At this, the tall man said, “Son, I have traveled the world and I've seen many exciting things, things that would make most people run and hide, but you are different; you have a natural curiosity about you.”
Jon Paul, feeling embarrassed, then said, “Well, thank you kind sir.”
Tanya J Peterson
May 20, 2016 | Contemporary, 1st pages
Chapter 1
“Daddy!” With a running leap, Dominic hurled himself at the man entering the backyard.
“Hey, who’s this?” Isaac struggled to catch both the little boy and his own balance. Dominic giggled gleefully.
“Daddy, it’s me! Dominic. Here, I axident’ly knocked off your glasses, but I catched them. I’ll put ’em back on so you can see me.” Sticky fingers clutching the lenses rather than the frame, Dominic shoved the glasses hard onto Isaac’s face. “There. Is that better? Can you see me now?”
“Maybe it’s time to switch to contacts, man. Might even give you half a chance against me on the tennis court.” Max slapped Isaac lightly on the back as he brushed past him and strode into the yard.
Isaac rolled his eyes at his best friend’s retreating back and adjusted his glasses with his free hand. “Yes, Tiger, it’s better now. Thank you.” Isaac whooshed his son into the air and studied him. “I can see you, and I can see that you’re already dressed. It’s only eight o’clock. What’s the hurry? Is it a special day or something?”
He swung Dominic back down toward him and held him close as he walked toward Max and the two women standing in the middle of the yard.
“Daddy! Did you forget? It’s my birthday today and I’m having a big party and me, you, and Max are gonna make an obstacle course so let’s get to it!” Dominic wriggled loose and jumped down to the ground.
“C’mon!”
Isaac laughed. “Of course I remember. I need some time to change and talk party stuff with Mommy. Can you play in your sandbox for a while? I won’t take long, I promise.”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing as he watched Dominic huff out a breath of air and cross his arms tightly over his chest, then pucker the muscles of his face together in the expression that Isaac always joked was his look of either deep concentration or serious constipation.
“Maybe. Can I use the hose?”
“It’s your birthday, right?” Dominic nodded vigorously. Isaac noted that Dominic’s arms remained folded across his chest. Clearly, his son meant business. Isaac couldn’t help it; he laughed. “Well, then of course we’ll let you use the hose.”
“Yes!” Dominic loosened his arms and pumped a fist in victory. Isaac watched him run off. An almost-overwhelming feeling of love swelled inside of him, beginning in his chest and radiating up to his head and down to his toes.
“Hey, Tiger?” He waited until Dominic turned in his direction. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I’m five today!” He raised a hand, all five fingers outstretched, into the air and in one graceful motion swooped down to pick up the hose.
Monique Gooch
May 18, 2016 | Contemporary, 1st pages
Looking down at the IV drip in my wrinkled hands, I notice the veins are so thick that it frightens me. It looks as if at any moment they could rupture. I am afraid to even make a fist. How the needle even fit in there without exploding is a miracle to me. I was just laughing and playing cards in the kitchen with my father when I woke up to a beeping sound. I felt my body crash into this old frail figure. My skin is so incredibly thin, almost paper-like.
I have tubes in my nose feeding me oxygen. Upon yanking them out an alarm shrieks, startling me. A woman I hadn’t noticed in the room with me begins to cry. I try to stand, but my legs are so weak they hold me hostage.
I am a prisoner in my own body. Damn it! “Ouch!” There is a foreign object inside me, collecting urine. I have the sudden urge to pull that out as well, but I think otherwise.
Where the hell am I? Where is my father? And why on earth is this woman shouting?
Jason D Olson
May 4, 2016 | Contemporary, 1st pages
My Aumakua
(A Hawaiian protective spirit)
The Bar:
I walked down the waterfront street admiring all the trees, flowers, sights and smells but mostly enjoying the warm level ground. All the little things one misses while recuperating in the hospital after a tragic event. Everyone else walks right over and past all of these things without noticing any of the details. I’m sure I will again one day too, although I swore I never would. I spotted the sign for a pub just down the street that I have never been in and decided a cold beer would definitely hit the spot.
Hard to believe I found my way to this place after all I had been through. Like all other drugs, I guess I wanted to find that feeling again. That feeling of excitement I once felt as a child when I would walk along the occasionally rotten planks at the marina with my father. The smell of salt, sweat, and dead fish mixed together with dreams and yarns creating one thick bowl of chowder. We would dream of what we would do with each boat
J.L. Eck
Apr 21, 2016 | Contemporary, 1st pages
Part 1
Oahu, Hawaii
Sometime in the late 1600s
Chapter 1
a ‘ohe pu ‘u ki ‘eki ‘e ke ho ‘u ‘o ‘Ia e pi i
No cliff is so tall that it cannot be scaled.
Princess Leilani Kekoa stood barefoot at the edge of the rocky cliff, staring out at the blue ocean stretching endlessly around her. Strong winds whipped her long dark hair around her face. Far below, white-capped waves crashed up against the straight edge of the cliff. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, letting the sun warm her skin. She smiled, opened her eyes and jumped.
Her heart pounded as she soared through the air, weightless for a moment. Then gravity pulled her down. She straightened her body and arched her back. With her arms at her sides, her toes pointed down, she held her breath. Her fall only lasted a few seconds and then she plunged into the cool ocean water.
Leilani let herself sink down to the ocean floor as she examined every detail of the incredible underwater world. Bright yellow butterfly fish darted off as she approached, and crabs scurried away on the colorful coral. And what a nice surprise! A giant honu, a sea turtle, swam lazily nearby. As soon as Leilani noticed it, the turtle turned and made its way toward her. The turtle looked to be as big as Leilani herself. Its shell was a light greenish color with radiating darker green markings. She froze as it approached. Was it her imagination or was the turtle smiling at her? She reached out and her heart skipped a beat as her fingers brushed against the turtle’s shell as it swam by her.
Leilani surfaced for air and wondered about her encounter with the honu. The sea turtle was her family aumakua—guardian spirit and protector. This had to be an omen. Excitement and anticipation built up within her. Something big was sure to happen soon.
The honu popped its head up out of the water several feet away. Princess and turtle studied each other. Then the honu dived back under and swam away.
Leilani laughed. She floated on her back, closed her eyes and pondered the possibilities.
A snapping sound from the nearby shore caused her to turn, looking for the source. But everything was just as it should be. Tall palm trees swayed gently in the breeze and a few nēnē birds pecked in the bushes for food. She was alone here.
She sighed. This place made her happy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay any longer. She had to make an appearance with her family at the big luau tonight. Of all her many obligations, she hated making public appearances the most. She hated being the center of attention, hated people scrutinizing her. She always had, ever since she had been a child. Now that she had become a woman, it was even worse. Her body had changed a lot over the last few years.
She had become curvier and she had breasts now, which only increased the attention she received. But her mother would be angry with her if she didn’t do what was expected, so she swam back toward the shore.
