By Manya Montanelli My friend went to my house to pick up something while I was out of town. I live alone, but there was someone in the basement.

By Manya Montanelli A bus driver from a tourist company picked me up at the airport. A few hours later, he forced me inside an abandoned shack in the woods.

By Michelle Gonzalez In my dark room and in a groggy daze I felt for my dog who was lying next to me panting.   I was then woken up from a phone call letting me know my dog was found at a local park. 

By Michelle Gonzalez I woke up from a long nap after my nightshift, hearing my baby cry in his room down the hall.   My cellphone lit up to a text from my husband letting me know that he and the baby were out visiting my parents.  

By Brennon Land “Darling, I wouldn’t have missed our wedding for the world,” he said while brushing a bit of dirt from his lapel.  It might have been more romantic if he hadn’t died three months ago.

By Brennon Land I should have told her we heard the voices calling her name, too.   But I couldn’t risk them knowing how many of us were listening.

By Teresa M Fish “You’re probably not, but even if you are, I’ll take care of you both,” he said. I looked down at the test, two blue perpendicular lines, and before I lifted my tear-filled eyes back to his I heard the tires screech down the road and forever out of our lives.

By Natalie Carig I woke up in the middle of the night to my first child kicking in the womb. I then realized she had passed away three years ago due to a stillbirth.

By Violet Yeaton I heard the clang of dishes of breakfast being prepared in the kitchen. Excited, I ran downstairs to find no one was there.

By Zoe May “3, 2, 1” cheers to the New Year and the end of 2020! The clock read 11:60 pm.