Jill Amari

“Thanatology” by Jill Amari

Submitted to Contest #156

TW: Death The Merriam-Webster definition of thanatology is as follows: “The description or study of the phenomena of death and of psychological mechanisms for coping with them.” 2032 I wake up at 3 a.m., as is my habit. It's a cool autumn night, and a shiver goes up my spine as I pull on my sweatshirt. However, the shiver has nothing to do with the cold. I've been having the same nightmare for weeks, and it always wakes me at 3 a.m., right as I die. The story leading to my death is never the same: one night it's a terrible natural ...

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“The Door to Nowhere” by Jill Amari

Submitted to Contest #154

Underground bunker, location unknown, 1972"We're running out of time!"People hurried around the windowless room, chairs squeaking and voices shouting. Workspaces were abandoned, papers and charts scattered amidst the clunky machines all displaying the same word: EVACUATE.Technicians in blue overalls swept important documents into trash bags and loaded them onto a truck waiting outside the steel double doors. Over the intercom, a woman's gravelly voice yelled that they would push the button in one minute. One minute, she repeated, as if they ...

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“Not with a Bang but a Whisper (Part IV)” by Jill Amari

Author's Note: This is the fourth (and final) part of a story I wrote last semester for a short story writing class. However, this part was written as a bonus, as it was never included in my original draft. Thanks for reading, and for being patient while I posted each part of the story :)Trigger Warning: This story discusses anxiety and physical abuse.Argo has never been fortunate enough to try ice cream. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so fortunate for him, seeing as he’s a cat, but despite this lack of ice cream, he’s had a pretty good life. He cel...

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“Not with a Bang but a Whisper (Part III)” by Jill Amari

Author's Note: This is the third part of a story I wrote this semester for a short story writing class. While I never wrote a fourth part for class, I plan to write one from the cat's perspective and post it next week! Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year :)Trigger Warning: This story deals with anxiety and contains a short scene of physical abuse.I need ice cream. Something cold and comforting. Familiar.           Harmony tries to force her thoughts to stop spiraling, breathing in the...

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“Not with a Bang but a Whisper (Part II)” by Jill Amari

Author's Note: This is the second part of a story I wrote this semester for a short story writing class. I'll be posting the third part next week! Thanks for reading :)Trigger Warning: This story deals with anxiety and, in later parts, contains a couple short scenes of physical abuse.Harmony asked for ice cream, and of course whatever she wants is more important than anything Asad wants, which is to get his game on time, for once.           Ever since Harmony went deaf in seventh grade, ...

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“Not with a Bang but a Whisper (Part I)” by Jill Amari

Author's Note: This is the first part of a story I wrote this semester for a short story writing class. I'll be posting the other two parts over the next couple of weeks (with possibly a bonus part)! Thanks for reading :)Trigger Warning: This story deals with anxiety and, in later parts, contains a couple short scenes of physical abuse.All Harmony wants is ice cream. Black raspberry in a cup with extra rainbow sprinkles, as always.           No big deal, thinks Sheila. As long as Asad do...

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“Archie” by Jill Amari

Submitted to Contest #89

Archer didn’t know what to say. He looked down at the man in the hospital bed in front of him and choked out, “That’s not my father.” Eight hours ago, his father, Ben, had been unmarred and healthy, driving the old family minivan to his latest art show. And who knew? Maybe Ben was still unmarred and healthy. But the man before Archer, the one dying in the white-sheeted bed in front of him, was not his father. Archer had never imagined his night going this way, with the one a.m. phone call from the hospital and his mother coming down the stai...

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