This Is Not A Test
EMERGENCY ALERT INCOMING MISSILE THREAT SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER THIS IS NOT A TEST IMPACT ESTIMATE: 14 MINUTES
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May 12, 2026
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Photo by Edu Raw on Pexels.com
Seek Emergency Shelter
My phone erupts—harsh, jagged, loud enough to scrape nerves raw. The sound doesn’t stop. EMERGENCY ALERT INCOMING MISSILE THREAT SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER THIS IS NOT A TEST IMPACT ESTIMATE: 14 MINUTES Sirens blast overhead. Not a test. Fourteen minutes. The kids. Now.
April 30, 2026
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Wolf. Normal.
The laptop glows in the dim kitchen, the window giving nothing back. I click Join anyway. By the time we reach the trail, I already know I don’t belong. I notice the tracks before anyone else. Large. Deep. Clean. Not crossing. Running alongside.
March 27, 2026
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Snacks. Boundaries. Low Expectations.
“How do you stay so calm?” “Stop expecting rescue. Reinforce the spine. Guard the soft spots.” “Lonely costs less than therapy.”
March 7, 2026
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Yes Or No
An affair. A gun. One question that demands yes or no. But the wrong answer isn’t the only danger in the room.
February 27, 2026
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The Bear at the Door
The road turned mean under an early September snowstorm. Icy switchbacks knifed along a drop so steep the birch clung to the slope out of stubbornness. The Glenn Highway vanished behind our truck in sheets of white as we climbed toward Chickaloon, mountains folding inward, dark and close. Wind pressed against the truck like it wanted inside.
February 4, 2026
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The Cost of Silence
Content Note: This story contains a brief reference to suicide. Please take care while reading. The ringing phone dragged me out of a dream. I rolled toward the noise and groped for the phone. Sleet pecked at the windowpanes like fingernails. A distorted voice slid into my ear. Walk away from the case. Accidents happen. I jolted upright. A sudden weight landed on the bed. My collie Zeke, warm breath stirring my chin. His dark eyes met mine, they way…
January 28, 2026