Light in the Dark

The insecurities, the imperfections, the melancholy of life. Looking up at the lights shining brightly in the night sky, Kanna felt all of her qualms leave her. What did it matter that she’d messed up one test? What did it matter that she’d messed up a bunch of them? Plenty, she told herself with a [...]

7: Clouded Moon

“M-m-married?!” Mei stuttered, quickly losing her composure, “but Father, I-” “Hold your tongue.” Her father interjected sternly. He continued to stare at a pristine stack of papers rather than at his own daughter standing in front of him. “I have not given you permission to speak. Where are your manners? I was told that you [...]

Garden of Dreams

She stood alone in front of the old wooden gate. It was hard to believe that it was a completely unrecognizable place as compared to a few weeks ago. This was definitely a garden of dreams. She had walked past these gates for weeks on end during the summer. Each time she did, she never [...]

Fragment of a Dream

Kanna turned and tossed fitfully in her sleeping bag. The heater in the room was broken, so the air around her felt frosty on her cheeks, yet the warmth from inside the sleeping bag kept the rest of her body so warm that she could feel the sweat forming on her arms. Yuck. Fragments of [...]

Connected

It’s hopeless. Day after day her life never changes. Invisible to the world. A speck of dust, a grain of sand. Nothing, nothing. Nothing but nothing. Nothing comes of nothing. That’s why she had given up hope. That is to say, she had not given up entirely. She still tried her best to attract attention, [...]

Amidst the Evening Foliage

Just a little farther… a little farther… Kanna found herself walking along a long, empty street. The last of the sun’s rays were shining feebly on her back as she continued walking along the river bank. She could feel the temperature dropping as the light faded, but continued her journey onwards. The ground felt warm [...]

One’s Own Path

Kanna gazed at the girl standing in front of her, almost as if the dark brown eyes that were staring back at her held a secret code, a deep meaning sealed away within. They were so similar… yet so different. This was not Kanna, was it? In those dark hazel eyes Kanna saw a polite [...]

Hallway

Kanna found herself walking down a long, narrow and brightly lit hallway lined with doors on each side. Every few steps she took, she found herself facing another set of doors. Some were closed, but the majority of them were open. Gazing into the open doors Kanna found herself staring at a dimly lit passage-way. [...]

Shattered Dream

Who was I kidding by trying to use chance to decide my fate? Kanna shook her head sadly laughing at her own foolishness. If everything in life could be decided by chance, there would be no point to living to make decisions. For several months now Kanna had been waiting, trying to leave her future [...]

Relief

Kanna hummed happily as she made her way home after school. The day had been average, like many others, but today she felt a particular sense of acceptance within her. Usually, she felt that she was friendless; the drifter; the odd one out. Although nothing had miraculously changed overnight, at least she felt that there [...]