Talia Vander

“A Match With No Winner” by Talia Vander

She was spinning with the world of the dance floor until she collides with an object. Correction, a person. And just like that, her freedom is put to a standstill. “Oh sorry,” tumbles out of her mouth before she can see the person in front of her. The bar is dark, and the dance floor between her table and more drinks is quite the journey. She tucks her hair behind her ear, stumbling upon a set of familiar green eyes. “I didn’t see you there.” “It’s alright,” he says, the sound of surprise colouring his voice. There’s a moment, a live wire f...

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“The Lone Letter” by Talia Vander

 “This letter has been here, unclaimed, for months.” “And? Not much we can do about it.” Lena is giving me a look, dark brows touching her hairline as she stares at the plain white envelope in my hand. No return address, just the recipient. A soul named Eve Hutchinson. A soul whose mail ended up here, unopened after not finding its doorstep. “But don’t you wonder about it? Wonder why it ended up here and who it really belongs to?” She gives me another look, which reminds me of an angsty teenager with smudged black eyeliner. “Isn’t...

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“One Epiphany Stronger” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #146

Memories swirl in her mind, a kaleidoscope of colours and emotions set to a soundtrack of indescribable music. The highs. The lows. Where did it all go wrong? There are the sweet memories: the handholds on the beach, the hugs she never saw coming. The feeling of closeness that overwhelmed her lonely soul; the feeling that itches for her now to make a move. To send a text. To show up at a door, just not with a boombox of some kind. Just to show up, to say she is still in this. But isn’t there a limit on how much sweet memories can overwhelm...

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“Treehouse Healing” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #50

      “I had a feeling I’d find you up here.” As soon as I heard his voice, I knew who was coming up: Mark Bradley, my childhood best friend. It may have been a while since I last saw him, but I feel like I would recognize him anywhere. At one point in time, I knew him like the back of my hand, maybe better.           “Look at that, you’re right,” I reply with an attitude I know my mother would’ve hated. She would’ve said that’s not the girl she raised, and ...

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“Waiting with a Familiar Stranger” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #49

      My shoes make a small scoffing noise as I stop in the foyer of my apartment building. The beige of the walls is weak and unimposing, but the sound feels like it bounces around the space. As much as I could try to blame my self-consciousness on the awkwardness of waiting, the messy bun in my hair, or the ratty sweatpants I’m wearing, I think the prickling feeling has more to do with the fact I’m not alone.            A familiar-looking stranger is sta...

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“R.U.N.” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #47

      You can’t help but recognize the handwriting on the letter, considering that it is as familiar as the back of your hand. It’s yours. Scrawled on the envelope is your address, but you can’t remember writing yourself a letter. Plus, you just moved into your apartment, so how would the letter have gotten here?           The letter feels heavy in your hands as you carry it up the stairs. Not the letter itself, but the circumstances by which it could have g...

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“The Right Bolt” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #46

      I did it, what every writer dreams. I published a book. Now, I could go into the long, laborious process, but the important part is that it’s done. No one ever told me how draining it would be.            My book comes out next week. There is literally nothing else I can do to it because it’s out of my hands at this point. The publishers have every edit, and the book is printing more copies as I type this. The book that’s about to come out has been m...

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“The Tiny Things” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #46

      It’s an old story, really. Once upon a time, I fell in love. Just as the air was getting colder, I didn’t feel the chill. I was in love with him and with life itself. Every sparkle of sunlight seemed like this tiny, precious thing full of joy, and the words flowed like all the laughter out of my mouth. Everything seemed easy.            But nothing can be carefree forever. Every story has conflict; the protagonist has to deal with some kind of tensio...

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“The Time For Love” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #44

“Are you sure you have to go?” she asked, her brown hair blowing softly across her face as she looked at him bathed in the glowing light of sunset. He gave her one of his signature smiles, heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. “I’m afraid so.” “Where will you go?” Worry laced her tone, but he noticed the tear crawling down her cheek, trying to make its way to the waves beneath their feet. “I don’t know. Wherever I’m needed, I suppose.” The waves moved the sand under him, but not his resolve. Time travelling is his life’s purpose, and for ...

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“The Prophecy” by Talia Vander

Submitted to Contest #42

The prophecy had surrounded everyone in a fog, like a monster lurking in the mist. It had yet to be discovered who was prophesied to save their world. For centuries, magical beings created their own rules and existed in secrecy. But not anymore. Only a few years before, the lives of magical beings became common knowledge. The taste of magic spread like wildfire, and human society wanted to know more. Individuals with magic were known, and liable to human courts or their own, depending on the crime at hand. The differences in the human’s unde...

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