A young woman in faded jeans, a tattered sweater, holding a baby on her hip, walked into the local community center. She made her way down the narrow hall and into the tiny office where two women were sitting, chatting and drinking coffee. The office manager was at her desk and the other lady was sitting across from her next to the window. When the young woman approached, the manager said, “Hello, how can we help you?” Th...

The sun’s heat was particularly humid in the open plan office, as though the windows were large magnifying glasses, the workers under inspection, the heat rebounding from their computer monitors to bombard them as though they were in an oven. Benjamin Lowell looked up as a shadow fell over him. Trevor Ingram was standing there, holding out a bacon and egg sandwich and a Styrofoam cup of coffee. "You’re a workaholic, you k...

At the Carolina Coast Hotel, some guests, bewitched by the full moon, still lounged on the lawns in the wee hours. That September weekend was ending. The sweet summer of 2017 was bidding goodbye. Meanwhile, Conn Franklin, a James Dean lookalike, was coming up the beach from his boat, ignoring Stefanie Ryan waving to him. But Conn's friends, Wyatt Graham and Cooper Peterson, were admiring fair-haired Stefanie. “If you like...

There is something wrong with you Though we can’t quite point it out You are dangerous, you are scarred Only we can help you out! Everything you know inside Is the devil’s gateway to you If it feels good, it is deadly! Sin! Sin! Something’s wrong with you! Only we can save you from this Terrible tragedy Let down your defenses Your soulful fences Give us your money! Give us cash! It’s evil! Here, let us take it for you! Gi...

He sits and waitsHe smiles and laughsBut the emptiness insideHe will never tellAlways wanting He doesn't really seeWho really caresAnd how lucky he isRespected by manyHis value is muchIt is sad that he will grow old and alone Because he put the mighty dollar first He could have so much moreIf he would not judge wealthBy the money one owns

Dreaming of a Powerball win All that money to be had Happiness would begin No more feelings of being sad Five white balls and the red ball Would be a winning one I'm giving it my all I'm having loads of fun I'd help my family and friends Taking care of their bills Good will till the end Lots of money in my will Real estate on the beach Vacations everywhere Nothing would be out of reach I have said a little prayer Trust fu...

To whoever you areI can't promise you money,And I can't promise you comfort,But I can promise you a warm handWhen the darkness comesAnd a warm smileWhen all the world rages around us.

ChanceBorn and raised in the wheat of Kansas.Fell in love with the cute city girl.Time flies for the new lovers.Married on the sixth month called JuneFull moon the bane of those that wears the blue.10 hours on the Paseo.Call after call to serve and protect.Early morning 12 pass 4.Texted from his sweetheart pancakes please.Junior just kicked he must be hungry too.The diner open 24 hours on the way."Hello Officer Nelson"cam...

All through the Fall, Winter and Spring months I continued to deal blackjack. While in the academy we romanticized what the job would be like, and all too soon we realized that we had deluded ourselves. Ninety percent of the time we dealt to the flotsam and jetsam of the intercity dwellers. They would seat themselves at my table change one hundred dollars into chips and start betting.They would tap the table constantly wh...

This morning I got up at 7:50am, watched the news (well, BBC Breakfast, but close enough) while eating my breakfast. I worked crunching number for an education organisation (I’m an office temp) for six hours, bar a half hour lunch break. On said lunch break I read a few more chapter of Dante’s Inferno: A retelling in prose*. At 3:00pm I headed home to switch bags and catch the bus into the city centre to go to the library...

Crying is not an emotion I tend to share; I generally keep myself to myself and even then do little to deal with them. My best friend Chloe, God rest her soul, had departed this world as if in a puff of smoke. I felt aggrieved that I had not spent more time with my friend, there was so much I didn't know about her new life. Chloe was a Fundraising Executive. She was constantly following world disasters, droughts, tsunami'...

I've got a twenty dollar bill rolled up that says money's best use is when it isn't being spent I roll it over and over in my brain time and time/again and againbut it's all memories as that blurred part of my life is now completeand I'm just like every other adult I told myself I never would beFuck, I hate this. I don't want this.I want my dormroom, I want my girlfriend,I want my mind fogged because all it sees when it's...