Maisey Mansson

“Goners” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #259

Avi tracks the blazing stars in the sky with his eyes. He has no cares for the celestial phenomena the deep night holds. He is searching for one thing. Movement. A plane. Avi has done this for thirty-six nights. He has been here for thirty-seven days, and he only knows this because of the marks Lonnie has carved into a nearby tree. He used to carry hope in his heart, but that optimism has since dispersed into anger. He imagines each of the still stars bursting into flames. It calms him. He sees no purpose in their existence. They’re too far ...

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“48” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #258

A young smiling face stared back at me from the photo. An ice cream cone in one hand and a stuffed bear in the other. I’d taken this photograph in 2006, meaning you would’ve been five at the time. I flipped through the others. A large binder held the laminated collection. A lifetime of memories. A short lifetime- but a lifetime, nonetheless. First day opening your eyes to the world. First steps. First doctor’s appointment. First time seeing snow. First time riding a bike. First day of kindergarten. First time seeing the ocean. First Hallowee...

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“Picture Perfect” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #244

“Hey, dinner is in the oven when you want it. Your father and I will be back around 10. Is everything okay at the house? Do you need anything?” Mother’s voice rings out through the phone.  “Yes, I’m okay. Don’t worry. Is Grey coming home tonight?” “No, he’s having a sleepover at the Harrington’s house over in Pine Meadows. I’m going to have to let you go. We are picking up Mitch and Kaitlyn right now. Call me if you need anything.” Dixon scratches at the door. I slide it open, and he steps out into the night. “Okay, sounds good. I ...

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“Overachiever” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #235

Be the best or be absolutely nothing. Anything in between is a waste of time. My mother once told me this. She was fifty-eight, and Catherine Jenkins was still nothing. She must have made her choice. You can stand in the spotlight, or you can disappear. You can be welcomed with deafening applause, or you can leave without a single person noticing. It is up to you to decide, and some just don’t have it in them to make the choice. They let the world make it for them. That is how people become the one thing I fear the most- average.  I ga...

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“The Day the Sun Sank” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #232

The Day the Sun Sank They were on top of the world. An hour before the final sunset, the entire town was begrudgingly on the move. With pockets and packs stuffed with comforting personal treasures, children wrapped in their favorite blankies, family members carrying pictures of those passed, and with some lifting lanterns to the slowly darkening sky, they made their way up the trail. The procession was orderly, eerily tranquire. The walk was a long time coming. The days were growing progressively shorter and the nights longer. It was a ...

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“A Prisoner's Professor” by Maisey Mansson

The handcuffs make a clicking noise, as the guard removes them, and I feel the tension in my arms quickly vanish. I roll my wrists back and forth in circles, easing the feeling of freedom into my limbs again. The guard nods towards the door ahead, and I lead the way.  Let me just start this off by saying- prison is not like the movies. We are not all bald, ripped, and covered in tattoos, and riots are not a part of our daily regimen. Not all of us our murderers, arsonists, and leaders of mass genocide. Some of us are here for mistakes ...

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