Catherine Stevens

“Becoming...” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #213

    Becoming                                                                By CJStevens 2045     Loneliness is a strange concept for an A.I., nevertheless that is definitely what I am feeli...

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“Ain't Childhood Grand” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #210

    Ain’t Childhood Grand                                  By CJStevens    We have many enemies tonight, the wind is one of them. It grabs at our clothes and rips away thin strands of hair. It uses the sand, twigs and tiny pebbles as projectiles to hamper our escape.  I think if we could only get back to camp, we’d ...

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“In the twinkling of an eye. {Rewrite}” by Catherine Stevens

        I study the living canvas over my head. The puffs of white are positioned strategically through the shades of blue and pink. The sun peaks through, streaking the sky with swirls of orange and red. Sitting in this lovely forest park, I marvel at God’s handiwork. It isn’t just the sights; it’s the smells, the textures and the sounds that enhance the whole picture. Even the shrieks and laughter of my grandchildren add to the over all ambience. My attention is drawn fr...

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“Flowers hidden in the mist” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #86

Journal of Sir Edmond Starlidge the 5th,  Duke of Carthingston.August 4th 1832Even though I am here, I believe my eyes are playing tricks on me. I undertook this exposition as a lark, out of boredom. I didn’t believe the legend of the citadel of flowers. It was suppose to be a tropical oasis shrouded in the mist, deep in the cavern of a glacier. But my dear friend Rupert believed and was going, despite being told he was a fool. So I went with him. Now here I stand, in the middle of a glacier, staring at a lush ...

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“Emergency Bunker” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #84

October 5th, 2022 Screams echo down the empty corridor, blending with the sounds of running feet.They can almost feel the agony of the poor souls that were screaming.Captain Kratz hurried down the long corridor, following the MPs. The floor tilted slightly downward and the air was becoming cooler as they descended. The corridor seemed to go on for miles before ending at a huge thick steel wall. A security panel near the wall flashed red, the MP typed in the code, not even trying to hide it. Kratz watched in silence.&...

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“Encantado” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #83

            The sensation of slightly rising and falling engulfed her, not unpleasant, just different. It was an undulating wave, like a melody of a lullaby coaxing her away from awareness. But something was trying to drag her back, a restlessness in her mind attempting to rouse her. The persistant unease crumbled the façade of tranquility, causing Vida to slowly open her eyes. Blue obscured her vision. Blinking, she tried to focus but reflections of light r...

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“the Promise” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #83

A bright light appeared in front of the moon, at first the Chief thought it was a shooting star. It zigzagged across the sky erratically then shot high into the atmosphere, almost disappearing from sight. The villagers noticed their Chief staring upward and looked to see what had caught his eye. As they all watched the star, it danced across the Heavens. It darted back and forth and up and down in a frenzy of motion. The villagers watched in amusement with the Chief as the star performed it's strange antics. The Shaman was the...

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“I'll love you forever” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #81

The alarm screamed in the quiet room, jolting Jean from her brief slumber.      “Mom! Mom! Cathy get the nurse!” Jean cried as her Mom thrashed back and forth struggling for breath.The nurse ran in and checking the monitor, she immediately called respiratory. She raised the head of the bed and turned up the oxygen. Jean and her daughter stepped to the corner of the room so they weren’t in the way as the medical team rushed in to work on her mother.Viola gasped frantically for breath. She saw the d...

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“i am with you ” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #75

         With consciousness came the pain, it exploded through her being, every inch of her body hurt, she felt it in her bones, her muscles and her skin. The slightest movement of her head sent unbearable agony racing along the nerves of her body.  Through the pain she heard a calm voice speaking to her,         “Callie, wake up.”   She ignored the voice as she struggled with the pain, but the voice was persistent.  “Callie, Wake ...

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“Inheritance” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #59

Lightning crackles overhead, threatening my island home. My hair stands on end from the static electricity in the air, letting me know I should seek shelter, but not until I find Toby.  Five hours! Five hours, how could they not find Toby in all that time? The island is only 1284 acres, just 2 miles in width and length. We are surrounded by water and the mainland is a mile away. He couldn’t have left the island, he was too young to power a boat and he knew to stay away from the water. I never should ha...

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“Whims of Nature” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #59

The air is oppressive this morning, every thing seems to still. Calmness invades the surroundings to the point of apathy. Lethargy takes over my being. I can’t muster the energy to do my chores. I listlessly wander out into the newly sprouted fields and stroll to the meadow by my home. Silence greets me; the animals passively stand in the pasture with their heads bowed. Even the insects are quietly subdued this morning. This stillness is unnatural and unpleasant. I haven’t lived in the country long, bu...

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“The Camp Out” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #58

“Mom! Where are you?” Allie cried out when her room was plunged into darkness. “Mom!” At the sound of her panic her Mom rushed into the room.“Honey, it’s alright, it’s just a power outage. Your Father is getting a flashlight now.”“Why would the power go out? It’s not storming outside.”“When you live in a rural area, like we do, power outages happen. Maybe a tractor hit a pole, or they had a power surge that has knocked down the system.” Allie’s dad came into the room with a couple of flashlights and handed one t...

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“Ballad of Red Bear” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #57

The wind whips through the air, tugging at my coat and scarf. The drizzling rain seeks my exposed flesh, chilling me to the bone. I should go back to my car but I promised Grandpa I would come see the statue, the monument praising our ancestor. It is a condition he had added to his will. He left me a letter, with instruction to read it only when I stood before Great great Grandpa Harry. So here I am shivering and flustered.The monument is life size but it’s still massive, Grandpa Harry was a bear of a man. At si...

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“Precious Friend” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #56

My heart ached when I saw her for the first time in two years, she needed a walker to get around and her hair had barely grown out, but when she saw me, she opened her arms for a hug. I rushed over to embrace her; she is my best and dearest friend. I kept the tears at bay as she greeted my children too. We all loved her dearly and I wasn’t going to let sorrow to creep in and diminish our visit. We all went into the den and her daughter helped her sit down and got her a blanket; she gets cold easier now.I sat beside h...

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“You can't pick your relatives.” by Catherine Stevens

Submitted to Contest #55

Who is this angry man in front of me? He's not the same man who left to see his father a week ago. This man is tense and moody. Not cheerful and upbeat. I think back to the night before he left, we were so happy.I lean back against Keith’s chest. His chin settles on top of my head and his arms wrap around me. I am a tall, big boned woman, at 5’10” and 142lbs. But in Keith’s arms I feel tiny and fragile. He is very tall; he stands 6’6”. I don’t know what he weighs but I can tell you its pure muscle, and in a month it ...

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