Gallade's Story Archive

    Dear Ms. Yuka Niboshi, Your renewal for disability aid has been approved. You have been awarded a monthly stipend of $1,251.30. At the end of every three months, please report to your General Practitioner for an evaluation and review. Sincerely, Financier, BDDC               Her eyes wandered between the incredibly sparse letter and her crutch. This was it.             This was what two years of fighting the bureaucratic system had come to. Two years of doctors appointments where she had to be re-diagnosed, where she had to convince other doctors it wasn’t temporary, where she had to have her diet watched and her habits measured so they knew she wasn’t doing it to herself. Two years of having to demand help from offices that would only see her in person despite her pain when walking. She sighed, and her crut...

 "I will... Start telling a lie. And eventually I will be talking about the truth. Would that work?" "Whatever works for you." ... A long time ago, there was a great kingdom. It was vast, and stoney. A feature of the landscape. Travellers would mistake it for a mountain if the tops were peaks instead of roofs. It was a very old kingdom, ruled by a King and Queen who, to every visitor, was benevolent,. They heard their every woe, the adults and children alike, and they always had much to say.  The King was not the socialite, he preferred to manage the efforts of the Kingdom. He'd spend his days instructing the Generals or the Architects or musing with the Scholars or the Philosophers. The Queen was. She'd visit the parties of the nobles and the virtuous, those who stood close, and she always made time for the family she grew up with. It was a powerful duo, whom to every questioning member of society, gave a picturesque visage of rulership. The Royal Family wa...

 I have sat here for some time, Where I can reach food with ease. Where I can smile and rhyme, And the tide pushes in sand, piece-by-piece. If I stay, I will surely suffocate. I can see over the edge of my hole, Charming skies and brightly seas, And neighbors, too, with trying souls. I enjoy the books all shelved with me. The tide will fade eventually, has to be. I listen to people bicker about the sand. People in other holes like mine. They demand to change where on land, They choose to spend their lives and time. If we stay, will we surely suffocate? The neighbors, some, bear flags that say: "The beach is my home, it's ours to defend!" But the others, who also choose to stay: "It is in danger, the waters will upend!" All they say, is if we'll suffocate. There are some men who march on land. They kick at the edges, the trenches, and then, When the tide comes, in comes the sand, And some more pours into the basin again. If we stay, we will surely suffocate. ...

              The burger was the tastiest thing she’d had all week. The moment after she took a bite, she looked over at Lauren with apologetic eyes.             “I’m sorry,” Alys said, “I didn’t mean to cause you trouble.”             “Funny way to say thank you,” Lauren said.             “A-Ah, um.. Thank you.”             “So, what the hell happened?”             “Ah, um.. me and my b-.. ex-boyfriend had a fight.”             “…”             “…”             “You’re gonna have t...

                It’s a simple fact of my life. Wherever I go, whatever I do, and whoever I meet, I am always decorated and gowned in my wedding dress. No, to my misfortune, I have never really been married, but it is a dream of mine to be. With any person I meet, with any life I experience, I am always wearing my wedding dress.                 It comes in many colors, you see. Ones to fit the season, especially dim and comfortable colors so as not to upstage brides at their weddings, or chameleon colors so it is not seen completely. On good nights when others are at center stage, I keep the wedding dress muted so as not to steal the scene.                 But I am always wearing my wedding dress.                 As you m...

                 I don’t know what to make of my interaction with him. I don’t know how to feel, after everything that has happened.               When you lean out of your tower window, handkerchief in hand, waving it out to cry the usual “Help me, someone, please rescue me!” and some handsome hero finally works up the courage to cross the lava moat, leap the great chasm, challenge the dragon, and march the thousand steps to your room, every story ever told says that should be happily ever after.               Every story ever told says then everything should be fine.               They don’t tell you what to do if you wind up not being compatible. If your expectations don’t line up, and he’s too worried about continuously being your hero, but you’re ju...

  We came across the beast almost by accident. We’d been staying in a hotel in the Tampa Bay area following the conclusion of the immediate previous investigation, and I was browsing my phone on my bed while Hugh was up compiling his notes by the desk. As we were going about our business, right around five in the morning, the power started flickering. First just the once, but soon twice, a third time, with more and more frequency until it settled into almost a rhythm. Hugh slammed down his papers in annoyance. “I certainly hope they haven’t decided to start tinkering with the electricity at this hour,” he huffed and slid his papers neatly into a folder, and that folder into his bag. “They’re probably dealing with the same faultiness, and others have probably already started complaining,” I offered. “Well, they’re about to get one, if they aren’t,” he got up, throwing his bag over his shoulder, and went out. I hastily slipped my shoes on and followed suit, deciding the si...