Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

“My name is Caitlín” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #208

My name is Caitlín. I keep a lot of secrets. But I won't tell them.In elementary school, we were taught the traditional seanfhocail that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". I always wondered who came up with that phrase, and more specifically, why. Was it to comfort themselves? I never did care to further delve into its origin because, to begin with, I never did care about it. It was by far the st...

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“Epitaph: Do not say goodbye” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #136

Epitaph: Do not say goodbye “An empty page stares at me like a menacing creature. I came to it for refuge and in return, I am greeted by a shivering coldness. A cold that freezes my very being and leaves me there, unresponsive, eyes fixated upon it. Blind eyes. I thought I had secured one bosom friend, watering and loving that friendship over the years ...

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“The Perfect Crime” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

“And so I am moving on, letting go, holding on to tomorrow...”There are moments in life when you stare at yourself in the mirror and see no reflection. It is then the questions arise. What am I doing here? What have I done? The intimidating interrogation follows, until it ends in a simple, three word exclamation, who am I? A puzzle, an unsolvable enigma. The one affirmation you still seem to own is your own present existence. When the blade...

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“Will thou not follow me?” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #107

- “Stephen?” - “Yes?” - “I love you.” - “I love you too.” - he replied. And scoffed. She laughed. A happy sigh. A cold, almost pitiful stare. He closes his eyes. The last time...

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“Unspoken Words” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #105

I. I didn’t know what was happening. Adults came and went and the house was always open to guests. Food was constantly on the table and drinks were served whenever anyone entered our abode. I actually liked that because unseen I could crawl under the table and eat to my heart’s content because no one w...

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“The Paradox of Life” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #104

“No, not today. Please” He spoke the last word with effort but with a greater emphasis. He thought of his wife back home and of himself. She was probably anticipating his arrival. He wouldn’t be going back, not today. He was indisposed, feeling weak. They couldn’t force him to leave the comfort of his lodgings. He had told them he was poor in heal...

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