Sunset
An idyllic evening on a lake sparks newfound clarity in the narrator Grass enclosed my feet with every step I took. The sky was pigmented blue, newer than my eyes had ever seen before. The...
Memoirs
Personal narratives and life experiences
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An idyllic evening on a lake sparks newfound clarity in the narrator
Grass enclosed my feet with every step I took. The sky was pigmented blue, newer than my eyes had ever seen before. The paddleboard meandered with me to the sweet, blue lake, so unblemished that, for moments at a time, I could catch sight of my future in it. The sun glistened on my back.
The narrator struggles to manage her jealousy and frustration as her friends begin traveling again during the pandemic
I sat on a rough-hewn leather couch in the living room. Beads of sweat grew on my neck and forehead. It was so hot! Our valiant, warrior fan fought bravely against the heat threatening to overtake it.
A family celebrates the Fourth of July
It was the Fourth of July, and my family and I were just finishing eating dinner outside on our patio. A few seconds after we finished, a crackling sound came behind us. We saw a glow of light and heard a loud clap; right after, a bunch of sparks came flying out of the light and started to fade.
Teresa observes the animal and plant life from the window of her home
From the main window of our rented house in Wheaton, Illinois, we can clearly see the big tree by the sidewalk. It was a tree that stood sad and leafless in the winter, but we know that when summer comes around we will again see the tree shaking its neon-green leaves happily at us, as if in greeting.
After her grandmother dies, Maya reflects on what she most loved about her
This December, I lost my nani (granny). I cannot even begin to describe the pain I feel right now. A lot of things I see around me have a bit of her in them; a lot reminds me of her. She had the most wonderful smile, and it aches my heart to know I will never see that smiling face again.
For Mason, a Chinese test feels like an odyssey
It is time for the Chinese test to begin. I pick up my pencil, and focusedness is on my face as I write. Intensity stretches across the room with each moment. It is silent—so silent that I can hear the birds chirping . . . until . . . Oh, no! I forgot one of my words! I think to myself, I can’t fail after all this practice.
Olivia is devastated when she learns her family is moving away from lush, beautiful California to drab, grey New York City
I relaxed in my backyard, delighted by everything around me. The warm breeze rippled through the air. A symphony of birdsong erupted from the chirping birds that swooped around the sapphire blue sky.
After ten months without attending a birthday party, the narrator has developed a new appreciation for their rituals
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!” The group of ten or so middle school girls sings the traditional birthday song with considerably less enthusiasm than the ten-year-old boys clustered around another table.
The writer is thrilled to find a rare yellow feather
On the way back from a baseball game, the game I hit my first double, I was walking up to the snack bar with all five saved snack tickets clutched in my hand. I decided to walk farther up, when SCREEEEEEECH!
I stopped dead in my tracks. I saw something on the ground. It appeared to be a bird’s feather of some kind, so I flipped it over.
It’s the last day of school before summer vacation, but Ia isn’t happy—it’s the last day she’ll see her best friend
The stairwell was filled with laughter, giggles, and cheerful voices as we left the school building on the last day of fourth grade. Somewhere on the stairwell was Yaara. Yaara was one of the most kindhearted girls I had ever met.