Paige Ladd

“Pathogen breakout session” by Paige Ladd

The microbe convention breakout session… Classification With all of the bustling efficiency of a bacteria, that is to say, a lot of bustling and not a lot of efficiency, the one in the waist coat organizing most of the activities tries to help a clot of viruses. He gazes at them with a mixture of paternal care, and revulsion. After all, they're hard to understand. Viruses are magnitudes smaller than him, and their comprehension is fleeting. "What's a breakout session?" A virus -- one with no name given by humans -- asks him. "A smaller class...

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“Waiting for Water” by Paige Ladd

Daiki was living up to his name -- something about great value. I had to give him that. I questioned the sanity of my parents, though. This was the mentor they chose for me? "Keep up, idiot." He looked back at me the way a scientist looks at a worm he knows he will have to remove from his shoe before entering the sterile environment of the lab. Really, my parents were seeming nutt...

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“Refreshing Places, Violence, and Coffee” by Paige Ladd

Submitted to Contest #192

There might not always be the perfect tool for the job, but I’m the one who gets things done. Lots of times the mess sat for days before anybody ever knew about it. It can be weeks before they’re certain it’s ok to start clean up. My boss keeps giving me raises, desperate I will leave. Finish the degree. Remember just why life is worth living. Take even one deep breath. Ok. That’s not fair...

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“Volcanic Music” by Paige Ladd

Submitted to Contest #185

“It’s mine, and you can’t have it,” he says, looking like a child despite his thinning hair, and his neck wrinkles.I look from the selection in the vending machine, to the crackerjack box in his hand, and I have serious concerns about this guy. We have only known each other two or three days. I‘ve been doing double time on my short legs to keep up with his long ones all morning long. I’m used to that, of course, in the marching band . . . but still.People warned me that Naples would be confusing. One gu...

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“Before - and Now” by Paige Ladd

“Do you ever wonder if you made a mistake,” said the fresh-faced college girl to her mother. “I mean about marriage.”Marci reflected that the Naples Soterranea was hardly the place for a conversation like this. The girl probably thinks she has privacy because she speaking English, not Italian. Talking about deeply personal things in Italy wasn’t truly that private. Most of the Italians in the tourist sections knew exactly what everyone was saying, plus, the group shuffling in the dimness included mostl...

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“Ash and Silence” by Paige Ladd

Submitted to Contest #168

The silence bothered me. The gloom gathered more thickly, and her breathing became more labored. If I told her to take the rag from her nose and mouth, she would bring ash into her lungs with each breath. Although we held hands, the sweat of our palms made the grip slippery with mud. The powdered rock continued to fall, and though it was mid-day, all signs indicated it would get worse.“Pliny,“ she said huskily, “You must go on without me. Your survival is all that matters. I promised your father.”Beneat...

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“My favorite part of the week” by Paige Ladd

Submitted to Contest #164

Ten minutes to gunshots.“I am the dead end for food,” I said as I shoved another piece of celery into my mouth. “I’ll never be as notorious as her, but I’ve at least I have all the celery I want.” I nodded toward my sort-of rival.“Feeling gloomy today?” Rachel asked.Our lunch room wasn’t the raucous kind. Sure, it was a public school, but we weren’t barbarians. Angie was putting down her tray next to the choir kids this week. I am a great observer. She rarely ate three meals in a row w...

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