Dunya Zatde

“Can You keep a Secret?” by Dunya Zatde

Submitted to Contest #55

triggering and adult content ahead. readers discretion advised."Can you keep a secret?" the man asks me while I am playing on the swings. The sun is shining like a bright sunflower, and my hair is wet after my evening bath. There is a nice breeze wafting around the two of us in the park.It is almost dinner time and I need to head off but the man has offered a secret and my twelve year old brain can’t refuse. I need to know the secret before I head down for dinner!So I stay."Sure, but you'll need to hurry up. My Mom's gonna be out any minute ...

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“A Bottle of Love” by Dunya Zatde

Their third year anniversary is just around the corner and Julian is prepared for the gallant displays of affection Sam will have planned for him. He chuckles as he places the eggs into the boiling pot, reminiscing their anniversary last year; Sam had gone all out by booking the sky deck at the Willis Tower for the night and gifted him the most expensive gaming console he'd wanted for months. As he smiles fondly at the still vivid memory, the older boy feels a presence in the kitchen and frowns. Sam is never up this early on a Saturday unl...

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“The Story of a Scrunchie” by Dunya Zatde

Submitted to Contest #54

Of all the mistakes and pranks he could’ve gotten caught and punished for, Peter’s luck just had to run out on him when it came to Mindy Meyers. The prettiest girl in the entire 2nd grade. Don’t get him wrong, he’s in no way infatuated with her. And no, he doesn’t think she’s adorable and kind and sweet and pretty. On the contrary he finds her annoying and whiny. She’s always asking him to clean up his table after lunch, and always tells him to put away his crayons in the right order.  She’s always so full of herself and Peter reall...

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“Alexander Summers Doesn’t Exist” by Dunya Zatde

Submitted to Contest #54

Alice worries her lips as she twirls in front of her wardrobe mirror, beads of perspiration forming upon her forehead. The skirt doesn’t sit well on her hips. And her hair is all over the place. And her lipstick shade is really unflattering. And nothing is going as planned! She’s anxious. She’s angry. She’s hungry. OMG! I’ll go crazy before the night ends! And frankly, she’s nervous. Alice looks at herself in the mirror again and can no longer see the confident thirty year old woman she’d been when the morning began. She’s back to bein...

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“Of Bestfriends and Nemeses” by Dunya Zatde

Submitted to Contest #53

Johnny watches the popsicle in his hand melt away with utter disgust and curses the day he decided to leave his super awesome Batcave to venture out in the open. Kids, obnoxious and annoying, are frolicking about the tiny play area. And chatty old ladies yapping away with yarns of would-be-sweaters. And couples with no self-respect displaying unnatural amounts of PDA. Gosh! The world is out to annoy him today!“I hate summers,” he mutters under his breath, throwing the popsicle on the ground.“Hey!” A loud smack across his forehead makes ...

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