Seriously, fuck you — Imagine you’re a cast or crew member working on a musical. You’re an actor, singing yourself hoarse seven to eight times a week, dancing under hot stage lights, then going home to drink a nice glass of apple cider vinegar and soak your feet in an Epsom salt bath. You’re…

I’ll die before I push a tiny human out of my vagina — Between the years 1998 and 2007, my mother birthed three children. One of her greatest joys in life is recounting her birth stories to her children, usually when she feels we’re being unappreciative of all she’s done for us. She’s sweet that way. I came first and my mother decided…

Are they just sick animals or something more sinister? — Have you ever driven down a back road at night? There’s something distinctly creepy about the way the beam from your headlights illuminates only what is directly in front of you, while on either side you are enveloped in darkness. What could be lurking out there, just out of sight? …

Do ghosts roam the halls of this former nursing home? — The first thing I see upon walking into the crumbling building is a large poster with “Rules of Hillview Manor” emblazoned across the top. These guidelines range from the typical (“No food or drink is to leave the designated break area” and “We reserve the right to check any and…

Here’s why that was inappropriate — About two weeks ago, I worked a closing shift at my retail job with my store manager (a mid-forties man) and a fellow sales associate (a high school-aged girl). The mall where I work has been mostly devoid of customers since early January, the holiday shopping rush long behind us…

What happened to Angela Green? — The Call Home On February 13, 2020, just one short month before the Covid-19 pandemic forced us into lockdown, Catherine Guo received a call from her niece, Ellie. According to her, her mother and Catherine’s younger sister, Angela, had died. Grief-stricken and frantic, Catherine began mentally formulating a plan to get her family…

The incredible artist, woman, mother, and dreamer — The 2007 movie Waitress, starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, has always been a comfort classic of mine. It tells the story of a young woman named Jenna who is trapped in an emotionally — and sometimes physically — abusive marriage to a man named Earl. As she’s preparing to…

Ah, good old-fashioned 1940s misogyny — It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to decorate your tree with lights, tinsel, and your grandchildren’s homemade ornaments! Time for snowball fights and hot chocolate by the fire! Time for caroling in obnoxiously ugly sweaters! And most importantly, it’s time to sit back and watch your favorite Christmas classics. Maybe it’s one of those creepy…

A poem — Her husband is late getting home, but she’s used to it. She’s had years of practice, waiting, sitting by the loom in her room, weaving silk threads of flaxen gold and berry red, an unending shroud heaped in ribbon candy layers at her pedicured feet. He’s probably gotten caught up…