The Other Side | Quick Piece Breakdown

“It doesn’t seem impossible.” my brother said staring at the bridge. It stretched out far into the distance and disappeared into the mist. The wind started blowing ominously causing the bridge to sway subtlety side to side. My brother looked at me, waiting for a response. “Is there another way to get to the other side?” I asked tentatively. I had already asked this question a dozen of times and the response was always the same. “No, unless you want to spend a week trekking through the dangerous valleys that’s filled with ambushes and specialized archers.” he said still staring out into the distance. I was hoping that we would suddenly sprout wings and a gust of wind would gently drift us over to the other side or that we would magically be teleported over to the other side in one swift second. I glanced at my brother who was muttering scenarios to himself, mentioning magic a couple times. He shook his head and started to step forward towards the bridge. I followed closely behind him, unsure of what he was thinking of doing. I was hoping he wasn’t going to trick me into making a run for it. He had a tendency of tricking me into facing my fears, but that was when we were children who were scared of the dark not two adults deciding between a literal path of life and death where the life path was 50% closer to life than the death path actually was. My brother reached the start of the bridge and carefully put his left foot on the first wooden slat. “Wait! What are you planning on doing?” I shouted at him hoping to convince him from doing anything reckless. Without looking back, he said, “Just trust me, sis.” For the first ten steps, the bridge complained by creaking and bowing under my brother’s weight but it still held my brother. I nervously kept my eyes on my brother carefully step on each wooden stat and praying that he doesn’t slip through. He was only thirty steps across the bridge when it started creaking and swaying more than usual. Dark, grey clouds were rolling across the sky as the wind began to pick up. My left foot wavered over the first wooden slat, still unsure what to do. My brother still had the rest of the bridge to go and at this point, it was too windy to hear if he was trying to say anything to me. I waited in safety, but ready at a moment’s notice. From a distance, I heard a faint voice. Was it my brother telling me to come? Was it the sound of my brother falling to his death? Was it just the wind playing tricks on my mind? For a brief moment, the mist cleared and I saw a faint figure waving at me. The mist drifted back over the bridge and the skies grew grey again. “Where are you, brother? Where have you gone?” I shouted into the grey beyond my reach hoping for a response. My left foot stepped across the first wooden slat and onto the next one. “Brother, I’m coming for you! Don’t tell me you left me. Mom and Dad wouldn’t appreciate that!” I continued to shout as I was carried by my feet beyond my fears could handle. “Where are you brother?” I screamed as I sprinted across the bridge, through the mist and hoping with my heart that I didn’t fall through. I continued running until I felt myself soar through the air. This is it. I thought to myself. I’m falling to my death. I fell onto solid ground that took all the air out of my lungs. I kept my eyes closed refusing to see my body all mangled from falling. “Sis, look up. We made it. You did it!” I heard my brother say with a voice full of pride. I gingerly opened my eyes and saw the sun shining across a valley sprouting with wild flowers of all kinds and a bridge smaller than my fears. My brother helped me up and hugged me tighter than he ever did and said, “We made it to the other side.”

Horizon | Quick Piece

We had been walking without saying a word for a while now. The only sound that followed us was the crunching of the sand beneath our feet and the rushing of the waves. It was 5am; the only people on the beach were long-time friends, ambitious joggers, and people in love with nature. I didn’t know what we were, but for this moment, we were one with nature. She suddenly spoke up, disrupting my moment of silence. “You have a mysterious air.” The sea gulls squawked and I wasn’t as shocked as I thought I would be hearing those words from her. But before I could respond, she laughed and said, “That’s why I like you.” The skies were being painted a gentle pink and orange as the sun slowly rose over the ocean. Her smile glimmered brighter than ever and I matched her smile and said threw my hands up with joy and exclaimed, “That’s a relief!” She leaped back, seemingly shocked and asked, “Why? I thought I made it clear that I liked you.” I shrugged and we continued walking along the soft sand. “Sometimes I feel like a dark cloud in a bright sky, but I guess now that I realize it, we’re more like night and day.” She giggled and said, “That’s why I thought you were mysterious because you always spoke in analogies!” The roaring waves disrupted our banter and I inhaled the salty air. The beach was getting warmer as the sun illuminated the area. We picked a spot where we could see the horizon blend into the ocean and sat for a while, unbothered by our unfinished conversation. I pointed right where the horizon and ocean merged quietly together and said, “That’s what we are.”

Float Away With Me | Quick Piece

They said good-bye and hung up, their minds filled with floating love words and comforting thoughts. It took so long to get the one they loved and now it became an utter breeze – just pure happiness floating along with thoughts and emotions. Time felt abstract, motion was slowed, and everything seemed brighter. They swore they weren’t being delusional, overlooking anything that could potentially spell out danger by smothering it with love. Their minds were clear as it could ever be and to make it better, they had a companion to walk with. She understood that days like this are to be savored and appreciated because there will definitely be rocky times where love feels like a sharp dagger. Those days don’t mean the end; a single argument shouldn’t spell out the inevitable end. It would just mean that their structures are being reinforced so that any weaknesses should be gently fixed together. He felt a flutter in his heart and admired how lucky he was to have someone who could balance him out so perfectly. He was the driving force, but she made sure that he didn’t run off too far and kept him grounded. What luck! What beauty and grace! He picked his phone back up and dialed her number again. It only took one ring for him to hear her voice again. “Couldn’t sleep?” her voice came through, making him smile in the dark. “No, I just missed your voice.” he whispered.

What Friends Are For | Quick Piece

“You’re a liar!” my friend screeched at me. Her face red from frustration, hot tears streaming from her face and I could only silently stand in shock. Her hands shook with each step she took towards me. “You said you wouldn’t let yourself down, but you’re surrounded by alcohol again!” she sobbed as she reached out a tentative hand to me. “I’m sorry I failed you. I made a promise to you, but I let you down. I should’ve been there for you.” She collapsed into my arms and we held each other’s frail bodies as we sobbed over our regrets and sorrows. I didn’t mean for it to get this bad again. The last time this happened, I could barely distinguish reality from my head and my roommate had to pour water on me to snap me out of it. I was okay for a month. We went out every week and she tried her best to keep me occupied by sending me funny YouTube videos whenever she was at work, but it wasn’t long before I started slipping again. The familiar numb feeling when I found the alcohol comforted me and pushed aside all of the regrets that my mind was desperately trying to remind me about. Life was too much to handle, but I couldn’t bear to see my best friend also suffering from my pain. My friend whispered in my hair, each shaky breath getting stronger with each word, “I promise, that this time, for sure, we are going to get each other back together again.” She looked up at me. She looked more of a mess than I felt. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol wearing away or my mind was clearing up for the first time in months, but those words finally made its way to my cold heart. I dropped to the ground sobbing and said to my friend next to me, “I promise. No more running away.”

Kingdom Management | Quick Piece

The Queen sat at her throne fiddling her thumbs. She couldn’t go back to her bedroom and read since apparently she had duties. Everyone looked up to her, so naturally she couldn’t let them down. But lately, there hasn’t been anything for her to do. The King has been out with his generals planning the next move to attack. She wasn’t particularly worried about him because they’ve only lost a couple wars and won plenty more. All the King does all day when he is home is go the pub with his military buddies, so when people think the King is running the kingdom, they’re wrong. It’s the Queen. With the harvesting season over and the holiday party planning over, all the Queen has is to receive weekly reports spoken by the businessmen of the kingdom. And the Queen has to sit through all 103 businesses. Afterwards, she just gives a stamp of approval and the businessmen go back to well, managing their businesses. Besides that, there’s nothing else that a Queen does. Sometimes she gets to play the role of the high judge and chicken stealing criminals get sentenced a fine and a couple weeks in jail. Queens may look all evil when we do sentencing but those are just if you either mess with their chickens or family, but usually they look evil because they’ve got their classic royal resting bitch face otherwise known as RRBF. Sometimes more exciting things happen. Like last month, one of her noblemen wanted to marry a farmer’s daughter. The Queen doesn’t know who came up with the stupid rule that people of different clans can’t get married unless if they get approval from the Queen, but the Queen from this kingdom usually approves of all these inter-clan marriages unless the guy is definitely a creepy guy. Maybe the person who came up with the rule was also a Queen who was bored out of her mind. The wedding ended up being a lot of fun with lots of fire tricks and delicious food courtesy of her own personal chef. Usually her personal chef cooks only for her, but the Queen pulled some strings on this one because her noblemen and the farmer’s daughter just looked so perfect together. The Queen sighed as she saw the King sleeping off the ale in the back. The businessman for John’s Family Pub finished stating his losses and gains and the Queen stamped his papers without even reading the numbers. She thought to herself, “I can’t wait until lunch.”

Bar Fight | Quick Piece

The summer breeze gently rolled through the window causing the chiffon curtains to billow out. I lay still on my bed, but my mind was racing. I groaned and closed my eyes, seeing flashes of a girl named Anna and another girl named Susie fighting at the bar. The sounds of their fists smacking their faces and their shrieks sent chills down my spine. And yet I still stood there, gawking as I watched hair get ripped out of Anna’s head and she retaliated by slapping Susie across the face. “You bitch!” Susie screeched as she punched Anna right in the nose, sending blood streaming down her face. I shuddered as I remembered how brightly red the blood was and how it stained her white crop top and ran streaks across her shorts. And yet I made a face and walked out of the bar, not even giving a thought about them. I just wanted to make sure my white crop top stayed pristine. I got up with a grunt and glanced at the clock. The red display glared at me. 2:35am. I found myself heading down the same street as I did at 11:46pm to the bar with the sound of my heels matching the other girls as we marched to the bar. It had been a long week after all. The bar was still crowded when I went there with bodies still moving to the music and drinks being swayed back and forth with each rap lyric. The bartender looked at me and said, “What can I get for you?” I shook my head and said, “So you know that fight that happened earlier? Do you uh, know what happened afterwards?” The bartender said, “Look, I don’t get involved with the drama that goes on here. I just serve drinks and that’s it. I find that messing with other people’s business gets me in trouble too much.” I smiled and backed away, accidently knocking over someone’s drink. “Hey watch it!” they shouted at me as I backed up into a lady. “Hey! You’re going to pay for this drink!” she said as she glared at me. I shook my head and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t have any money.” The lady rolled her eyes at me and turned her back to me. I spotted a clear path between the bodies and started power walking through the crowd. I thought I heard someone call for me, so I turned and found myself face to face with Anna. I smiled stiffly and tried to move out of her way, but Anna blocked me. “You’re going to pay for what you did.” she hissed in my ear, the sweet alcohol scent still lingering. I stammered as I slipped out the door, “I’m sorry. I don’t have any money.” But before I could run home, Anna grabbed my crop top. I closed my eyes to anticipate whatever she was going to do. “You’re like a rat, you know that? You can run all you want, but you’re going to find yourself with fewer friends if you keep on avoiding the bigger issue.” she said menacingly as she let me go. I ran home as fast as I could. My clock read 4:03am, the red display matching the blood that was on Anna’s shirt. I gasped and sighed with relief and almost screamed as I looked down at my shirt, expecting to see blood. Instead, I saw a large, gaping tear where Anna had hold of me.

Keeping Sanity | Quick Piece

“Without Robin, Batman wouldn’t be shit!” he threw back his head and cackled. He nodded to his companion even though there was no one around him that he could be talking to. He continued debating about Batman and Robin, occasionally pausing to let his companion talk. From a distance, people watched the strange performance. They noted his unkempt hair; foul odor emitting from him, and the large bag of recyclables he toted around with him. Just as a mother and young daughter were walking by, the daughter asked, “Is that man cra-“ Her mom quickly stopped her from finishing the sentence, but it was clear that the man had heard what the young girl intended to say. He broke eye contact with his invisible companion and watched the mother, gauging her response. The mother stuttered a bit and said, “Honey, he’s just…special. Don’t wander away from me.” The man resumed his conversation. “Sometimes Batman has his moments where he kinda loses it because he just can’t keep up with the world, don’t you agree?” There was a slight edge in his voice, but he quickly told a joke to his companion as he erupted in a smile. The man continued his conversation until a businesswoman hustled by. “Fuck! Shit! I shouldn’t have let my personal assistant handle my finances. Thanks to that incompetent idiot, I lost $564.” she muttered to herself as she paused near the man to dig through her purse for her phone. The woman continued to mutter to herself and the man paused his conversation. He watched her carefully and mentally prepared himself for any comment made about him. His companion faded with his easy-going confidence and he felt his mind run into shambles again. He lowered his head into his lap when he heard the woman say, “Oh I’m so sorry. Did I disturb you? I talk to myself sometimes to maintain sanity. Things just get so hectic sometimes.” The man lifted his head and smiled at the woman, “Me too. I like talking about Batman and Robin because it eases me.” Elbows deep in her purse, the woman pulled out her phone along with receipt scraps. “See what I mean?” she smiled. “Have a good day, Batman!” The man saluted her and his companion reappeared again. “Where have you been? I have so much to tell you!”

A Cold Night in June | Quick Piece

The night was unusually cold for a night in June. A breeze rustled the palm trees, sending shivers down my spine. I was starting to enjoy my moment of peace when a loud alarm started blaring throughout the city. It was time to go. I raced back towards the city, ignoring everyone who was running in the opposite direction. My mother called out, “What are you doing? We have no time!” I ran up to her, gave her a hug and said, “Just trust me, mom.” She hesitated, but let me go. I reached the highest point in our city and took a deep breath. I could hear the mind shattering alarm mixed with the terrified screams of the residents. Yet from where I stood, everything looked small and it was exactly where I needed to be. I extended my 7-foot wings and scanned the horizon for the impending danger. Where was it? What was causing my city so much terror? From the corner of my eye, I spotted a looming black cloud toppling trees left and right. I leaped from my perch and soared towards the danger and spotted a small and terrified child in the middle. The child cried out, “Help me! I didn’t know I was capable of doing this!” Without thinking, I wrapped my wings around the child and said, “It’s okay, my child. I will protect you.” Like an extinguished fire, the child calmed down, terror ceased, and the night was still again.

Submitted to Duolingo Stories

 

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Magnolia | Quick Piece

The scent of magnolias overcame me as I walked along home. It was a comforting scent that reminded me of nights with my mom. I would lie in her arms and she would tell me about the drama that happened at work. “I don’t know why Sharon would always think that I’m stealing from the office storage! What would I do with 50 boxes of paper clips?” my mom laughed and sighed. “I’m getting tired. You should head to bed, it’s a big day tomorrow!” Somewhere in my mind as a nine year old, I wanted to give her advice because when I was lying on her chest, I could feel her ragged breaths and skipping heart. I knew from my science classes that hearts and lungs shouldn’t make that kind of rhythm, but my mom’s did. “It just can’t be helped.” I said to myself. “You just have to keep going.” I said as I continued walking down the street back to my apartment.

The next morning, I woke up with a bottle in my hand. I don’t even remember going out to drink because I swore to myself that I wouldn’t have anymore alcohol in my house after what happened last time. I groaned and rolled over to my side. “Where is my damn phone? Please don’t tell me I lost it.” I muttered as I dug through a pile of my clothes. I managed to find my phone in the pocket of a pair of jeans I like to call, butt enhancers. I only wear those jeans when I go out. “Fuck. I went out last night. What did I do this time?” I said as I scrolled through my text messages. It seemed like my “friends” texted me right as I got home saying if anyone wanted to go out for a couple drinks and I was already regretfully too deep in my reminiscing to even realize that I was going to do more damage than intended. I laughed out loud and shouted to no one in particular. “According to this fucking group text, I hooked up with my ex-last night! Good thing I had the right mentality to tell him that I didn’t want to sleep with him! Goodness gracious!” Without realizing it, tears started flowing down my face. “The day hasn’t even fully started yet and I’m already crying! Wonderful!” I bawled and cursed as I struggled to get out of bed and make myself a little more presentable. In my frantic state, I somehow managed to drink 2 cups of water, call up my best friend from high school and get out the door to meet her at our favorite donut spot.

I arrived at the store and I couldn’t get out of my car. I pulled down the sun visor and stared at myself. I was still wearing last night’s eyeliner and my hair was so greasy that I could make fries from them. Usually I don’t care about what I looked like, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about my mom. If she saw my like this, she would tell me to get myself together and move on. “Mothers! They just know exactly what to say, don’t they!” I screamed as tears started flowing down my face again. “I hate this. I hate this pain I feel. Why does it have to be me?” I rested my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes, comforted by the silence that surrounded me. A sharp rapping at the window startled me. My best friend was frantically knocking at my window and screaming my name. “I’m okay!” I called out and opening the door. “I was just so tired. I think I just fell asleep. Sorry about that!” My best friend rolled her eyes and said, “Cut the bullshit.” she reached over and wiped my eyeliner from my cheek. She pulled a hat from her purse and said, “Donuts are on me and let’s talk in the car, okay?”

Good-Night | Quick Piece

I woke up with a start. Someone was getting murdered and I could’ve prevented it. The sight, the memory was so vivid that I was almost convinced that it had happened, yet no matter what I did to tell myself that it was just a dream, my mind wouldn’t rest. My eyes darted around the pitch black room, scanning the warped shadows as I tried to distinguish the shadows between reality and mind tricks. As I started to sit up to scan the room again, a soft snore startled me. I smiled as I saw my boyfriend sleeping peacefully, curled on the side. I crept out of bed without disturbing him and looked around in every corner. I made sure to check under the desk, but no one was there. “Honey? What are you doing under there?” a groggy voice called out in the dark. I crawled out from under the desk and saw my confused and tired boyfriend awkwardly standing in the shadows. “I had a nightmare and dreamt that there was a murderer, so I got really paranoid and wanted to look–“ my boyfriend wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed me on the forehead. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you. Let’s go back to sleep.” he said as he led me back to bed. He tucked me in and crawled in after me. Within minutes, we were fast asleep. The next morning, I woke up to the morning sun and my boyfriend’s bright eyes. “What did you dream of?” he whispered. “Eating endless chocolate cake with you.” I said with a smile. He closed his eyes and laughed. “Good, no more murderers.”