P8 Final Microfiction Stories by Catherine Sebastian https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx Paste your 100-200 wd. stories in your own post. Add your title, paste the story underneath, and attach a photo or image that best represents or supplements your story. Then, please read some of your peers' pieces and comment/like on at least 2 of them. en-us 2021-03-18 17:26:10 UTC 2024-11-19 20:56:48 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4dd.png The New Zealand Kayaking Trip https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1338712440 I looked ahead, unable to find where the waterfall met with the ground. Moments later, I would find myself falling off the edge of the earth. Well... not exactly, but it certainly felt like it. However, I did in fact discover a new world this day. I discovered a passion for chasing rushes of adrenaline like these - humbling moments of complete vulnerability. Nothing puts your life into perspective quite like having it flash right in front of your eyes. I’m not ready to die but I also don’t fear death because death is what makes life so special to me. It would be hard to cherish experiences like these quite so much if there was never any risk involved.]]> 2021-03-22 15:58:46 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1338712440 The Good Clown https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1341190041 I’m a good clown; my past doesn’t define me. I’m with my new friends in a new city when I see my past appear. They came up asking where I’ve been and why I’m in LA. I didn’t like their violent ways, so I left. I could not tell them this; they are dangerous. Always resentful of how society saw them. Scary looking and difficult, but they never tried to change that stereotype. The clown gang life had some good but mostly bad. They were upset that I moved on, so we fought. Eyes were poked, and noses squeaked. I have stooped down to my old self. I try to change the way I used to be, but It will never truly leaves me. They go, all jumping into their mini SUV. I did not win this fight. No one did. My new friends look afraid of me. I am ashamed of my behavior but realize something. I am a good clown, but my past still affects me. I need to let go of my past self and be the kind clown I know I am. ]]> 2021-03-23 04:42:23 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1341190041 Moving https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1341250574 Her dad opened the door, a tear in his eye. In that moment she knew everything in her life would change once again.
A single suitcase was all she was able to take- that and the clothes she was wearing.
What they were leaving wasn’t much, a rundown single bedroom apartment with stains on the walls. This was not an anomaly in their lives, they never had time to establish themselves.
Her dad would always tell her not to make friends. Even though she did not have very many opportunities to, this was her least favorite part.
Despite not being aware of the full story, she was always compliant with her father. It was safer that way.
The suitcase bounced over the cracks on the sidewalk leading to the single bus station in town. The bus station where her and her father would start over once again.
No single place was normal for her, it was changing locations that was customary.

]]> 2021-03-23 05:10:17 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1341250574 the thought. https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344452625 As tom typed on his laptop he thought, why do I devote so much effort to digital work.  It will all be gone in a second without proof it ever existed even though I have spent months working.  What can I do to end up with more physical end products?  Then the obsession started he bought a 3d printer, then a laser cutter and a mill it got to the point where he no longer spent any time on the computer.  He found a new passion that day he started a company and bought a shop from there he created the largest manufacturing company in the state of Oregon. 

]]> 2021-03-23 18:04:00 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344452625 Potentially Reformed Pennywise https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344453776 I walk home from my day job as a barista as a Starbucks in Brooklyn. The streets are filled with kids playing games but when they see me, they run. My face still invokes fear. As a group of kids runs past me suddenly the ground starts shaking. As the shaking speeds up and I hear the voices of people screaming. Someone yells,” Move away from the telephone poles”. I run to get behind a car as the ground continues to shake and the trees sway. As I get to the car, I see a vaguely familiar child dressed in a yellow holding a paper boat frozen in fear. I hear a tree branch snap and I instinctively grab him. His eyes are wide from fear. Attempting to ease his fear I introduce myself, “My name is Pennywise what’s yours?” Looking up at me he stutters and says, “My name… my name is Georgie.” Instantly something stirs deep inside me. My psychiatrist warned me that certain names from my past could set off my natural instincts. I try to control the urge, but it’s been 27 long years since I’ve tasted blood. I look down at young Georgie who is still trembling in fear and a large smile slowly creeps onto my face. I tell myself, “One bite wouldn't hurt”.

]]> 2021-03-23 18:04:13 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344453776 https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344671592 The Boy with the Blue Eyes:
It was just your typical Tuesday; I was rushing down the busy streets of New York City in my attempt to catch the 8:35 am subway that I manage to miss every day. Unfortunately, I ran into the subway just as the train left, and a whoosh of air blows my hair over my face. Causing me to spill my steaming hot cup of coffee down the front of my lilac pantsuit. I stand there dazed and confused for a moment, and once I tame my hair, I look across the tracks and there stood the most handsome boy I had ever seen. He took my breath away as I stood there gazing in awe of his beauty. He had blondish red hair and was wearing light wash denim jeans, with the perfect combination of a crewneck and a collar peeking out the top.  As quickly as I notice him, he looks up, and I instantly fell in love with the blue-eyed boy on the tracks. The 8:40 subway whooshes in front of me, breaking the eye contact, again leaving me paralyzed in the terminal, wondering who that handsome boy was and if I’d ever see him again.

]]> 2021-03-23 18:46:35 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344671592 White Wine https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344674194
The clock was half passed ten when I sat down for my nightly drink. The shutters were slamming, the sky was flashing, and the heavens were crying. It was awfully cozy in my chamber and my eyes were heavy. Before I knew it, I was dozing off. 

The grandfather clock abruptly awoke me at the twelfth hour, and I began feeling cold. I saw my drink was perched on its side on the edge of my stand next to my easy chair. I went to the washroom to tend to my shirt and saw a peculiar sight; the door of the grandfather clock was open. “Maybe the maid forgot to close it” I said as I continued to the washroom. The mirror revealed the dry stain that had discolored my shirt, but I was too sleepy to change it. So, I went back to my chair but saw the grandfather clock was closed again, “It was probably just the wind” I said, sat down and dozed off once more. 

Now as I sit here, all these year later, writing about this strange night, I failed to realize two things: White wine doesn’t stain, and no windows were open.

]]> 2021-03-23 18:47:07 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344674194 https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344676429 On the eve of my Twenty fifth birthday the whole world changed for the worst, well for everyone but me, I mean when you have been preparing for dooms day since day one, it’s nice to finally feel right for once especially when the kids who use to bully you are dead and gone. There were days when the only thing I wanted to do was go outside but my parents never allowed that to happen. So, when I moved out I lived exactly how they wanted me to, they helped me buy my bunker but after that I was alone, so my first step was to buy a lot of water and canned foods and toilet paper, then I need to get a boyfriend who was also a doomsday prepper so he would have the same ideas as me that was the easiest part, my final part was to fake our deaths so no one would look for us, it all worked out perfectly.

]]> 2021-03-23 18:47:34 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344676429 Happiness in the Distance https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344676491 A woman got her fortune told at a carnival, giving her hope for happiness in the future after the dull life she had been living recently. She wasn’t the type to believe in that sort of thing so she left to go to her empty house, driving in silence besides the occasional turn signal. She locked the door behind her, made a cup of tea and sat in her living room with only the fireplace giving her light. Unexpectedly there was a soft song in the distance. She crawled up to the highest window in her house and let tears run down her face and over her smile as she listened to the muffled music.

]]> 2021-03-23 18:47:35 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344676491 https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344678068 Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway. In her case, it was associating colors with everything from numbers and letters to voices and sounds, more specifically, music. When a song played, it engulfed her in a colorful storm of vibrant colors. She lived in a small, seemingly boring town, but in her mind, it felt like her world was caving in. It felt like the continental divide between her and the people around her. She felt isolated and disconnected and music was the only thing that brought her peace. No matter the conflict around her, she could always rely on the safe blanket of sound and colors to comfort her. The music created soft blue and bright pink swirls that wrapped around her as if to hug her and in those moments, she believed everything would be ok. ]]> 2021-03-23 18:47:54 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344678068 Teal had been performing bass since he was little, progressing to earn large tips from the wealthy women who came to visit Nashville each year. One day, the city suddenly went dull. Leaving no work or venues where Teal could perform. He took his one-man band to the street corners downtown. Still, unable to find the people he once played for. He no longer could afford the simple necessities he once depended on. His grocery receipts were getting shorter as the stack of unpaid bills on his counter grew taller. For each month, as the evil germs continued to stop everything in the world, the evil mail continued to arrive each month, asking Teal to pay bills upon bills he just could not afford. https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344682235 2021-03-23 18:48:44 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344682235 Alone? https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344682714 I woke up on a floatie to screams. People scattered, but I lay dazed, drifting across the pool.  Breaking glass resounded and I saw a bloody and disoriented man stumble across the patio.  He tripped and his head rolled.  I watched in disbelief as it entered the pool.  Adrenaline filled my body as I thrashed out of the water.  My heart raced as I sprinted away.  Grabbing a BMW key, I located it’s partner.  “Costco,” resounded through my head as I drove.  I headed east. Less people and more weapons would greet me there.  20 miles out, I stole an F-150.  Forget the law. I switched to dusty back roads to avoid traffic. Getting gas in Arizona I decided I would head for Texas. After restocking at an abandoned Cabela’s, I found the F-150 in flames.  Somehow, I found a small airport.  I hijacked a Cessna and thought, “Better than being Zombified.”  After a shaky takeoff I flew 20 minutes east, only to be shot down by Russians. ]]> 2021-03-23 18:48:50 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1344682714 I slowly dragged myself out of bed, trying not to lose any tiredness from the hours of sleep I had obtained. I crept down my creaky stairs so I could get a glass of water. My house was still, and the silence was loud. The cold air hits my feet as I tiptoe across the hardwood floor. I stand stunned as a dark, shadowy figure stands still in front of me. I felt an awful presence of someone else, even though I was alone. I slowly take one step forward, and open my eyes to find myself in my bed, thirsty for a drink of water. https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1360238511 2021-03-27 18:47:55 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1360238511 https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1360239399 I slowly dragged myself out of bed, trying not to lose any tiredness from the hours of sleep I obtained. I crept down my creaky stairs so I could get a glass of water. My house was still and the silence was loud. The cold air hits my feet as I tiptoe across the hardwood floor. I stand stunned, as a dark shadowy figure stands before me. I felt an awful prescence of someone else, even though I was alone. I slowly take one step forward, and open my eyes to find myself in bed, thirsty for a drink of water]]> 2021-03-27 18:48:34 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1360239399 mexico city 2019 https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1809064033 2021-10-12 00:20:10 UTC https://padlet.com/catcatseb25/wq25qclq41n03lgx/wish/1809064033