E Sampson

“What is Most Familiar” by E Sampson

The first and last thing I see each day is the ceiling littered with photos of people I don’t know, places I don’t recognize, and letters I didn’t receive. The remainder of the room is just as unfamiliar, from the succulents lining the window to the massive teddy bear perched in the corner to the Get Better Soon! balloons tied to the arm of the small couch. It has been about three weeks since I moved into this ...

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“What are the Chances?” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #98

I have now concluded three possible outcomes from boarding this flight: the plane explodes right after liftoff, the plane crashes mid-flight and everybody onboard dies, or the plane lands in Beijing and I spend the next five days cooped up in a hotel room that probably has a pungent Artemisia smell. I would have pointed all of this out to Alisa, my best friend who also happens to be a news reporter, but she is currently ...

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“Earth” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #67

“The weather looks great today.” The corner of my lips twisted into a tight smirk, not wanting to give Ezra the satisfaction of a smile. “Laughing won’t kill you,” he dimly pointed out, strapping his mask across his face. I rolled my eyes and pulled the white straps of my mask behind my ears. I briefly glanced out the small, disk-shaped window and took in the luminous sigh...

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“Tranquil Silence” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #65

“Kit-Kats? For dinner?” Marty held out a handful of dirty Kit-Kats in front of my gagging face and I squirmed away. “I’ll pass,” I laughed and uncapped my half-empty water bottle. Most people spend Halloween night trick-or-treating, or maybe at a party, or even just watching a scary movie. Not me and Marty though, we host annual sleepovers in graveyards. Not to be melodramatic, but our sleepovers could probably top every other holiday celebration. ...

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“Shattered Fire” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #64

I expected to wake up in fiery smoke, not a hazy cloud. My head was pounding, but I tried to recall the moments before. The ceiling collapsing, the smoggy air, my vision circulating. I had tried to get out, but I guess somehow I did.  I lifted my palms out and balanced my legs as I stood up. I wasn’t exactly on a cloud, but more of a canopy of soft air. A soft breeze lifted my hair and I peered around my...

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“The Green House” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #64

“Mom, I need you to come pick me up.” I shivered as the dull, coldness of my phone screen left my cheek. The wind blanketed me as I watched each car leave the school. I tried not to look lonely and pretended to be fascinated by a pebble. Who knows when she would see the voicemail. Probably not until her shift at the hospital ends, which could be in five minutes or 12 hours. She wouldn’t be expe...

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“Mindy's Coffee Shop” by E Sampson

Submitted to Contest #63

The sharp, chilly winds of October wrapped around me as I approached Mindy’s Coffee Shop. Not more than a week before, I received the confirmation email that sealed the hiring process. Being just 16, this was my first job, my first source of income, my first step to the future. As a 16 year old, my job options were slightly bigger, but still limited; bagging groceries, cleaning movie theater floors, tutoring, nothing my ...

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