Amany Sayed

“Othello” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #257

I wasn’t jealous of Des. Not really.I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard not to be though. It wasn’t just that she was gorgeous or lovable-- she was genuine. If there was a kinder soul somewhere out there, I hadn’t met them. She was the type of girl other girls wanted to hate, but you took one look at her smile and bright eyes-- and you couldn’t, even if you’d tried. She’d respond to insults with a laugh and sharp jabs with a hug. Des could’ve had any boy she wanted. In a way, she had them all wrapped around the tip of her pinky f...

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“waiting for winter” by Amany Sayed

Dearest Hades,  Though it may be that the sun shines upon me here, I am drowning in darkness without your presence. Though I am obligated to maintain the growth of the flowers here, I want nothing more than to let them meet their end. My mother is oblivious to my mood. She still rejoices over my return, as if every time I go back to you it will be the last. I long for your arms to envelop me, and I envy every mortal who is able to die and spend eternity in your presence.  All my love, Persephone My darling Persephone, Were ...

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“NOT a love story” by Amany Sayed

Harsh sunlight filtered through the blinds, shining brightly on Rose’s face and practically blinding her when she finally woke up and opened her eyes. She grumbled incoherently and shifted back under her covers, trying to block out the glare. It didn’t help. Seconds later, her ears were greeted by the nonstop dinging of her phone, one after the other. Unable to ignore it any longer, Rose huffed and threw off her covers, snatching her phone from her dresser and scanning the messages that were flooding in from her work chat. -omg the...

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“family dinner” by Amany Sayed

Enormous pots filled to the brim with rice. Trays of steaming hot rolls, burning to the touch. Plates piled high with pancakes and butter, dripping with syrup and raspberry jam. Large bowls of pasta, barely pulling apart with all the cheese that held them together like glue.  Marisol had cooked them all, time and time again. Flipping through her ancient recipe books, she sometimes tried something new; of course, she never struck entirely true to the recipe, always adding a smidge more of this and a smidge less of that, but still. Everyo...

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“No Happy Endings” by Amany Sayed

“We have plenty of time,” J says, but it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself.The small lake calmly stretches out in front of me, contrasting my thoughts. White foam and dark blue waves sprinkle the surface, tickling my ankles. I reach down and gather as much water as I can in my hands, bringing it up to wash my face. “Sure.”We don’t though. He knows this. Already, we’ve watched the sun fall from the horizon three times without finding what we’re looking for. Two more nights and we’re out of time. And luck. I hear the c...

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“Pants on Fire” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #105

“From the top,” I say, clapping twice and leaning back in my chair. I imagine it’s a director’s chair, high off the ground and demanding respect. In reality, it’s a very wobbly fold-up chair, and I’m praying it won’t collapse on me. “Ok,” the boy clears his throat, “I was just-I mean, I had to stay up so late because my-my mom, she went to the hospital and-”“Stop.” He stops his blubbering and obvious fake crying. “I thought it was your dad? See, keep it going like this, and no one is going to believe your lies. It’s Boy Who Cried W...

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“falling” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #103

Every birthday candle, every loose eyelash, every star, every single 11:11 has been wasted on you. I just want to see you again. You don’t deserve it. It’s just practically muscle memory now. I clench my fist and hold my breath and just wish.I check the time before I go to bed and it’s 11:10.One blink later it’s 11:11.I turn out the lights, lie down, and close my hand tight. ~I dream about your face. We’re yelling at each other, but I can’t hear you or me and it’s just angry faces and thick tension in the air. It’s hazy like all dreams ...

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“All the Perfect People Have to Die” by Amany Sayed

TW: gore The blood nauseated me.  I should’ve been used to it by now, but I wasn’t. Cracked glass and stained fabric surrounded me, staining the skin of my bare feet. I hadn’t moved yet. How was I to? The tiny little shards would likely puncture my feet, and it was not in my plan to let my own blood join that of the victims.  Sighing, I wiped each foot on the opposite pant leg in turn. I grunted as I picked up the body, dragging it off to the side. I wiped the sweat from my brow, the gloves on my fingertips smearing blood across my...

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“Home” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #91

A clock somewhere in the city struck twelve. Maybe somewhere else, it was morning.Somewhere else wasn’t important though. The books on the shelves shifted, their pages begging to be turned, their covers to be worn and loved. Their ink slowly slipped away, fading every day a little more. No one noticed. No one would notice until it was all gone, leaving behind dusty paper that could crumble in your hands when you touched it.“You can come out.” The librarian was short, somewhere in his twenties. People joked that he knew everything about ...

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“sea green eyes” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #89

He will die, life and light fading from his sea-green eyes as he takes his last breaths. His soft grip on my wrist will grow even softer as he uses his last bits of strength to stay conscious, if only for a couple more seconds.  The dagger in my hand will be sticky with his blood, and I will drop it. It won’t make any noise on the soft rug, and for that, I will be grateful. He will lean in and whisper his last words directly into my ear, for fear that in his condition, I won’t hear them. “I still love you.” He’ll say, and I’ll drop him ...

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“read between the lines” by Amany Sayed

I think, maybeYou know where this is goingThough I do wish I could do thisWhen it wasn’t snowingYour hair in your faceThe wind furiously blowingAnd don’t look at me like thatWith tears in your eyesWe already knowThe difficulty of goodbyesMaybe we can just realizeThat it’s justSee you soonAnd who cares if we’ll only be lying Might save some of the tearsThe nonstop cryingDon’t act like I won’t miss you tooI’ll deny itBut without youWithout you, I’ll be likeA spoonWithoutAForkA MeWithoutHerDorkDon’t point out the colors of the skyDon’...

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“Fox” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #88

Perhaps if all life was completely unable to tell a lie, we could learn to live with the truth.Alas, we can all easily mislead others from the truth, therefore leading us to be accustomed to using lies to benefit ourselves, often but not always hurting others on the path. Lies start out simple, and they spiral. If you are not careful, they boomerang back into your face and hurt you. If you are careful, you can end up saving yourself from numerous amounts of troubles. You could lie and say your paw hurts and be excused from hunting....

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“Rose Witch” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #85

It is not that I hated the people of the city that I did what I did. Really, it was quite the contrary. I found them fascinating, from the inside of their intestines to their outsides. I found that the human body had it’s many limitations, but it was easy to work around them if you tried.  The blood never really left from underneath my fingernails, and the smell lingered underneath the suffocating rose scent of my soap. It was as if I had something to hide, and perhaps, perhaps I did, for the people could never accept someone as eccentr...

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“our house” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #84

Most stories are about people. They’re by people, for people, from the perspective of people.This story is different.This is a story about a place.A place whose walls have heard secrets that still go untold. Whose floors have creaked time after time, whose ceilings have blocked out rain and snow and sleet, whose doors have been closed and slammed and left open at times, a place that’s housed family after family after family. It’s watched people fall in love, young people. The same people cry and fight and leave. And all to have ano...

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“Happy” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #84

“Just because I am smiling doesn’t mean I am happy. Because it takes just one smile to hide a million tears.” Unknown I hate the car. I always get so dizzy, and to top it all off, it’s freezing, but my little brother has insisted on opening the window. I’m sitting in the back, right behind him, so the cold air directly hits me as we ride along the freeway, at sixty-something miles per hour.I should’ve bought gloves. Should’ve worn a jacket. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. It’s not like we were in a hurry or anything. My shoes were ju...

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