Mariana Del Rosal

“The bus ride” by Mariana Del Rosal

Every afternoon, from Monday to Friday, I take the 3:45 PM bus to college. I swear, sometimes I don’t realize how I get to my class in the first place. There’s nothing wrong about the bus ride itself, it’s just so mundane that my brain refuses to register the 25 minutes I spend on the vehicle, most of the time banging my head against a window as I briefly doze off.  But today is different. It’s because of the envelope I carry in my bag pack, well hidden between two textbooks. I haven’t opened it yet. I can’t allow myself to think about ...

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“The Fate of a Little Sprout” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #105

I. Laura “You two are meant to fail”, I swear, those are the words I hear from my mother. She doesn’t get to say them out loud. There is no need for that either. Her refusal to take a plane to be at our wedding is enough. She can blame the economy all that she wants; she can put the pandemic as a poor excuse, or even claim a sudden fear of flying. But when you get right down to it, I know she won’t attend the ceremony because deep down, she feels the words “as long as you both shall live” are meaningless when it comes to me, her only daugh...

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“Outside in” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #104

You know, every child stands for something special. Some children do their best with their fine motor skills and can draw beautiful pictures. Others are great at crawling, standing up, and even walking before their first birthday. As for me, my parents recall that I learned to speak before I turned two years old. And I mean full sentences, no baby talk! It is funny how I still was a baby-looking toddler (because my hair took forever to grow) and people stopped my mother in the supermarket to ask her “But seriously, how old is she?” If I...

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“Zozo, or the Lost and the Found” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #103

My husband James and I got along until the idea of starting a family popped up. We had been married for over five years when we started trying, and by then I was already in my early forties. Perhaps we waited too long; in any case, he blamed me when doctors explained to us that the possibilities were nearly zero. In the meantime, because I felt I had so much love to give, I brought home a puppy, which I called Zozo. It was a little brown dog with a few black spots on his eyes that made him resemble a raccoon. My husband never cared too much ...

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“The ever-absent God” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #102

“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”Richard was the eldest of three brothers. He was born in the 1950s, in a time where both of his parents believed they could build a happy home together –even his mother, who wouldn’t take long to give up. Richard’s father was a fervent Catholic. He was tall, strong, with a thick black beard, and above all, instructed. He had read all kinds of books and he was an expert in education. He proudly displayed all o...

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“The balloon” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #101

That afternoon, Janet made sure the bathroom door was closed before sitting on the toilet. She was alone at home, but her mother or her sister could come in any second now. They thought she was at the office, but that morning she had to call in sick because of nausea. She opened the packaged she had bought at a drugstore far from home (just in case) and she tried to pee, which took some more time than usual. Finally, after two endless minutes, she looked at the plastic strip again. There it was: two clear blue lines. It was the second time s...

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“Lunch bag” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #100

That morning, as usual, Hanna set the alarm clock at 7 AM. It was still dark outside, but she refrained from turning the lights on as she didn’t want her son, Peter, to wake up before time. He had that big meeting ahead with the principal and the district supervisor, and he had been complaining all week about how he wasn’t getting enough sleep. So she decided to let him sleep. She put on the robe over her pajamas, and then she went to the toilet, washed her face, and combed her gray hair. In the kitchen, she prepared the coffee and toasted s...

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“Craving for light” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #99

I should have never traveled to another city to get together with a random guy, I know. Deep down, I think meeting him was an excuse for leaving my boring hometown. But I had been saving some money for a while, and I was tired of constantly picking fights with my mom and my stepdad. So when the dating app matched me with Bruno, who only lived 50 miles distantly, I packed my bag and decided to visit him. We hit it off right away: he welcomed me into his apartment and we melt into a passionate embrace that lasted for hours. I was fascinated by...

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“The Flannelly Family Famous Friday Fun Night, and how it all began” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #98

1) Kathy Flannelly “Class, today we are going to keep sharing stories about our families and our traditions. Today is Katherine Flannelly’s turn. Kathy, please come to the front and tell us!” A young girl, no more than seven years old, with red hair and freckles, stands up. She smiles and skips towards her teacher. She is holding a big bag full of boxes. “What have you got for us, Kathy?” “Well, Mrs. Thompson, I brought some games!” she takes out a set of chess, some dominoes, three or four card games, puzzles, and a huge box with colorful...

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“The night the red Toyota escaped” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #97

It all happened when I was very little, not older than seven for sure. It was late at night when I was awoken from the cracking sound of a starting-up car engine. I got out of bed still holding Shiny, my pink teddy bear with fluffy wings, and I stare out my bedroom’s window, and then I saw my family’s red Toyota driving away faster than ever. As it turned around the corner, the wheels squeaked against the pavement. So many years later, I can still hear that sound. I remember my dad always complained when mom was driving and she made the whee...

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“Share the blessings” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #96

It was just one more of those dark, endless nights of what seemed a dark, endless winter. The snow kept falling, and although it was neither too thick nor too moist, it seemed like a white blanket spread all through the village. The cottage was a haven in the blizzard. Inside, Mother Mirth was stirring a pleasant-smelling copper pot over the fireplace, while young Ethel sat by her side knitting yet one more blanket. None of the family was going to be cold at night, they had enough wool and animal furs to get warm enough, the oak roof over th...

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“At the end of the path” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #95

She had sailed mighty rivers; she had been through dark forests, walking through long-time abandoned paths covered with mud, dead leaves, and fallen branches. She had barely survived two major firestorms which had cost her the horse and all the remaining provisions. She had survived eating bitter roots, stealing eggs from nests, and hunting small creatures with her bare hands. She had been chased by bounty hunters, wild beasts, and that mythical creature she had considered an old wives' tale most of her life. She had suffered hunger, pain, l...

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“Persistence” by Mariana Del Rosal

I can’t go because my mom won’t let me. I wish I could, that’s just the way things are at home. It’s unfair, right? I know it is. I am grounded again. All I do is spend the afternoon looking at the posters of bands hanging on my bedroom walls. I can’t go out so late, my parents won’t allow me. I have so much homework to do; the teacher already warned me I will fail unless I truly focus. It’s not that I don’t want to go to the movies with you girls, I have already seen that film and it’s quite boring. Could we do something else? All righ...

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“The surprise party” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #93

TW: violence, gore, murder “Ok, so everybody, listen up and PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!” it was my cousin Benny who was shouting his guts out, yet we could hardly hear him among the surrounding explosions and the people screaming in pain, lying on the living-room carpet soaked in blood and vomit. “Nobody else needs to get hurt, come on!” As my poor cousin spoke what would be his final words, subsequently being stabbed in the back by one of the assassins, I could not help but wonder if all of this (the murderers, the massive home wrecking, my sist...

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“Dark enough” by Mariana Del Rosal

Submitted to Contest #92

It’s been so long since I last set foot outside the apartment, that the mere perspective of walking down the street already raises my blood pressure and gives me chest pain. I should go out for milk and cat food, I’ve run out of both and the cat is meowing in anguish. Chiara used to run the errands for me, but so long for that! She said the pandemic is way over, and that I have something broken in my head, but she couldn’t bear it any longer.  So she left. Now I almost wish she had taken the cat with her. I know it is nighttime, but acc...

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