Karena G

“Anger Art (Excerpt)” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #126

PAUL January 1, 2013, 5:12 a.m., Hong Kong  Where the fuck am I now? I dig my palms into my eye sockets desperately trying to quell the migraine. Flashing billboards are threatening to send me into a seizure. My senses are assaulted by the bouquet of rotting food and the pre-dawn screaming in Cantonese. The ground is uneven, sticky with run-off from God-knows-where. A hand is reaching for me and in my state of helplessness I grasp for it. “Happy New Year, Mr. Paul.” “Happy New Year, Kit. Thanks, man. Hey, where am I?” At six feet...

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“The Beginning and End of Sheba” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #119

Sheba (Excerpt) “Bitsy” is what they used to call me. In first grade, I was almost the same size as the other kids. We were equals back then. Man, how things have changed. I stopped growing at ten years old. No one questioned it; it was a family trait. My mom is four foot eight and so is her sister. They told me I was lucky to reach four foot ten and I believed them. “Lucky” has different meanings to different people. Kids are cruel, but I never let the teasing get to me. I had a couple of besties who didn’t care if I was four feet ta...

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“Humphrey's Ice Party” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #117

Travelers come to our small southern town of Humphrey from all over the world just to see the permanently frozen pond. Naturally, tourism is more rampant in the summer when the outside temperature hovers around ninety degrees. In the 1970s, geologists migrated from all over the world to study it; none ever able to find the root of the phenomenon or the age of the pond. The town was smart enough to make a civic campground in the footprint of the scientists’ departure, though. When kids can go skating outdoors in mid-July, tourists will pay ...

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“Earning my Place” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #116

(Excerpt) Heather June 10, 2016 Fredericton, New Brunswick You are good enough. You can accomplish anything. The world respects your sacrifice. Once again, I think my reflection is lying to me. My mantra, I chant it every day; maybe one day I’ll believe it. For now, I cover up my insecurities with a coat of lip gloss, a spritz of hairspray, and my best practiced smile. Today is a new day. “Mom, are those my jeans?” Anna is mortified. “I don’t know. Are they?” I laugh. “Your mother is the only woman in town who could get away with t...

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“What Is and What Never Was” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #114

(Excerpt) Kim August 27, 2009 Fredericton, New Brunswick Today is harder than most. It would have been my child’s 21st birthday. I guess it is her birthday. They never revealed her gender, never let me see her but in my heart, I always knew she was a girl. To me, she’s Cassandra. I celebrate in private with a banana cupcake. Since giving her up, I always imagine the things she would love, cupcakes being one of them. I was a good kid. My grades were above average, my two best friends, Cece and Terri were the type who obeyed rules, never...

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“Dream Small” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #112

Day 453 of isolation. Thank God for Amazon, right? Well, for me, it’s always been this way. I don’t like people. Nope, that’s not it. I like the IDEA of people, but have always cowered from the anticipation of face-to-face communication. Get me on the phone and I’m stellar. Skype or Zoom, I’m a superstar. Messenger, FaceTime, email… you get it. I’m an artist – and that probably speaks volumes. I watch the news, the documentaries, and see that the masses are at their wit’s end. I’m the opposite. This pandemic is the best thing that’s ever...

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“Outpost Gamma, Escape Route Number 68” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #108

Outpost Gamma. Escape Route Number 68 December 15, 2035 Escape Route Number 67 in T minus 20 minutes. Escape route number 68 in 428 hours. “Thanks, Clysta,” I mutter to our onboard AI. She woke me out of a dream. I was back on Earth, a child laying between the rows of tomato plants, Mom’s big rubber boots on my little feet. “Please take me back there,” I beg of my own brain, now wide awake. The moment is gone. I haven’t decided yet if I’m taking this escape route, but seeing as it’s in less than fifteen minutes and I haven’t prepared...

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“Freedom Capsules” by Karena G

Ralph: It’s 5pm by the time we get home and we’re exhausted. I woke Noah up at 3am so we could get to the entry site by seven, but he never complained. “You want pizza for dinner tonight, buddy?”                “No. I don’t think so,” he says. “Jaxon and Sam never get to eat pizza. We should have oatmeal or something,” his empathy moves me.                “Pizza is your favourite, though...

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