Aiyana Henderson

“Categories” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #285

I remember the blooming trees that turned from summer to fall as the leaves fell down drastically. My sister and I were both born in these seasons, her summer, and I fall. Somehow, our personalities matched those seasons too. Mary-Anne Rich was full of sunshine, relaxation, and summer love, whereas I had the magnitude of feeling colorful for the upcoming holidays Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am thankful and haunting to people I encounter.That's where the similarities end. Mary-Anne and I were in different social groups in high school. She b...

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“Mishaps” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #211

Boston, Massachusetts 1980 Bri and Sue Lance were happily enjoying each other’s company. The dishes were done, the house was clean, and they were nestled into each other’s arms. Nothing could compare them though for the adventure of Maxine “Max” Trailblazer. An energetic beagle, Max has turned Bri and Sue’s lives upside down. From chewing on their clothes as a puppy to tiring them out at the dog park as an adult, Max has changed these ladies’ lives forever. “I can’t believe we’ve had Max for five years now.” Bri was playing with Max while ...

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“My Own Tragedy ” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #157

This story contains mention of stalking. Viewer discretion advised. I never wanted anyone more in my life before. But there he was: Carlos Pedro Mercado. He was the man I was meant to be with. No one else.  Unfortunately, he remembered things differently. “You were a stalker. I feared that my life s was going to end.”  He stood there with his arms folded , his stern expression not changing one bit.  I took another attempt to defend myself. “I wasn’t trying to stalk you. I wanted you to be my boyfriend.” “Marla, st...

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“Gray Matters” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #114

Darkness.The light had never comforted Carson.He knew that blasted Sun was trying to blind him. It should have died out like all of the other planets. Even though that was scientifically impossible to do on many levels, he wouldn’t be able to stop the Sun from rising and leaving no more that he could stop the press from harassing him.It made him really pissed off. Carson was more than pissed off. He was seeing red.That fateful day when his world changed forever. The news outlets wouldn’t let him get off easily, either. They had become so ent...

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“Turning Back The Clock” by Aiyana Henderson

“We have plenty of time.” Alia had touched Paolo’s shoulder with reassurance. She knew everything was going to be okay. She just knew it. Alia and Paolo were back in the game again. Being able to take down the Council was a mutual bond the lovers had for a very long time. Lovers seemed like a lewd term, though. Personally, Alia preferred the term partners, even though it implied there were business negotiations. After the aftermath of the Council almost destroying Sicily, they both knew they had to be strategic about leaving both of the...

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“A Tangible Thread” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #104

Socializing. What was the definition of that word in today’s world? Can people truly socialize anymore? Are we social, or has that word lost meaning to other buzz words that enter the pop culture world of celebrities? Jenny didn’t seem too sure about her social life these days. Like many people in her generation of millennials, she was able to keep up with the latest happenings. But dealing with a social life online wasn’t the same thing as hanging out with people in real life. It was boring to communicate with people online! What happened...

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“Out With Toxic Natures” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #103

Alia was outside in Central Park. She still rolled her eyes whenever she got compared to Rachel Berry or Jane Gloriana Villanueva. So what if she had Rachel's dramatic need for self-expression? Sure, she could be a little high strung sometimes, but what theater kid wasn’t high-strung? Hallie knew in her mind that she was iconic. That wasn’t an ego boost that she loved to boast to others. She genuinely believed that she was destined for greatness in life. Having a peaceful life still took some getting used to. The trauma she went through w...

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“Doubts” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #102

Alexis looked at the mirror.It had been a gift from Paris seven years ago.Everything about this scenario was so clichéd. She really hated it. From the way she stared at her stomach, to her wishing that she could just trim off that little bit of belly fat, to wanting more feminine shoulders, she was insecure about herself Her father, Don, had cruelly mocked her since she was 14 years old. The tears in her eyes didn’t make things better either. She tried writing in her journal again to feel better, but that temporary relief of healing was inte...

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“A Joke Of A Life” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #100

“Mark, come on! We’re going to be late to the party!” Mark laughed to himself. His Italian wife, Rosa had a tendency to be dramatic about the smallest details imaginable. Who would have thought that he would travel to Sicily, Italy of all places? Rosa went over to Mark to kiss him on the cheek and then the lips. “Mi amore, why do you laugh at me so much?” He shook his head at her and said, “Because you’re making a big deal out of this. Honey, we’ll only be gone from home for a month.” Rosa pursed her lips. She hated it when Mark was right....

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“Dani's First Adventure” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #99

Tomorrow was the Fourth of July.This was my fifth cigarette this month.I wore a shit-eating grin to everyone in the public eye, lying through my teeth about how I had worn nicotine patches to cure my smoking addition.The irony wasn't lost on me being a former doctor that was celebrated in the Chicago community.Being a doctor was never something that I had envisioned for my life. It was my mother’s idea. As narcissistic as she was beautiful, Jacqueline Evelyn Tamblyn was the first person who taught me everythingI guess I fit that cliché after...

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“The Origin Debaters” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #98

Jennifer was rolling her eyes again at her family arguing once again at Thanksgiving.It was the same old story.Her mother and grandmother were technically the culprits at hand here.It started on the magical date of January 17, 1984, exactly two years before Jennifer was born. Scratch that. That was her birthday. It was actually two years, three days, and seven hours before the only child had been born. So technically speaking, the date was January 14, 1982 at the time of 10:32 pm.January 14, 1982 was the infamous date that allowed her loved ...

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“ Leave This Town” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #94

My only defense was to write down every word they said. There was no way in hell that I was going to let anyone in town gaslight me. I was always getting into all sorts of trouble because of Brookline's horrible scandals. My name is Corinna Sylvia Gardner, but everyone around the Worchester area calls me “The Wild One.” Corinna isn’t my real name; it’s Margaret. I legally changed it to Corinna so that I would become more badass. I guess that is one of the benefits about having a birthday before summer arrives.It was almost as if I needed tro...

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“You Have To Be Cruel To Be Kind” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #91

Charlotte ate green peppers all day long. Both Joy and Greta stared and openly groaned at her in disgust. There she went again in the cafeteria, treating the joy of the spiciest food in the world like it was an ice cream sundae that had come to life. On days like these, Joy Conwell could literally groan out loud. If she didn't want to flunk AP Calculus, she had to get her sorry ass to the library as fast she should say Taco Tuesday. It was definitely more entertaining than someone whose idea of fun was eating a horrible vegetable.Both o...

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“Amicus Curiae ” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #87

"There is this constant belief in the courtroom that anyone who is able to serve justice is a hero. But the reality is that we're not supposed to be the superheroes. The heroes are the people who support our clients outside of the courtroom. That doesn't mean it has to stop there. We will always be known as the amicus curiae." That was the most gratifying speech that my now-fiancé, Marianne Clint, had made towards me on the first day of our legal briefings. I never even stopped thinking about that Latin phrase. Out of all the phrases in l...

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“City Living” by Aiyana Henderson

Submitted to Contest #85

March 14th, 2020. That was the date that he had written down. He had repeated that date over 100,000 times. It was the date that marked the beginning of the end. 2021 was that year the whole insanity of it all was too much for Michael Seong. He thought 2016 was the roughest year in the 21st century, but 2020? It was a great contender for the bullshit that occurred in his life. At least, all of the life that occurred in his room. When the pandemic had occurred, his first instinct was to haul ass and not get the Coronavirus within the perimete...

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