By Katie Arminie The rough hand built stairway plunges down the cliff 300 feet. The full moon guides her along, each step is a murky thought contrasting with the shining, almost supernatural orb. The primordial lake is pitch black and more dismal than her ponderings. She is alone with only the consciousness of the wild. With her shoes off, she slips into the lake. It … Continue reading A Watery Grave?
By Katie Arminie Some say television rots your brain, and MTV is the devil’s channel. Well, if that’s true than my sister and I are brain dead demons. Despite the infrequent loneliness, it is kind of cool to be on our own up here. Being thirteen and twelve, we are not kids anymore. Besides, nobody else has cable, like my dad does. His huge Montgomery … Continue reading Hourglass
By Katie Arminie Realization struck her as she waited for her overly attractive, bete noire. She detested herself. Yes, she hated herself, but the Cleansing High made everything better. That was why she was sitting in the driver seat while he finished using the ATM theft device he invented. Nothing matters. No one cares about me. I’m fat and kind of dumb. Got nothing going … Continue reading Cleansing High
By Katie Arminie I hate it when Dad leaves my little sister and me home without a babysitter. The house is so big and spooky. He doesn’t like to spend money on things like lightbulbs. He is strange since Mommy and his divorce. At least it is still light out. Soon we will lock ourselves into Dad’s room, where there is a bathroom, and watch … Continue reading Hilabee Hill House
“A short story is a different thing altogether – a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger.” ― Stephen King, Skeleton Crew Continue reading Welcome to My New Writing Blog
The last thing I remember was being in an Uber and taking the offered bottle of water. I’m overcome with disbelief as I look around this strange, foreign room, from the velvet couch I’m perched. Grogginess and a sense of doom build as seconds tick by Continue reading Locked in a Room
By Katie Arminie She groans in contentment as she settles down into the cozy couch next to the blazing fire. Her feline companion, Piryan, by her side. It was all worth it to get to this point, the preparing, the treacherous drive, the arguments with family. No one could understand why she wanted to be in such an isolated spot, in such a basic cabin … Continue reading Should she let him in?
By Katie Arminie With the discounted wine squeezed into the liquor store’s conspicuous black grocery bag and tucked behind her seat, she was on her way. As she drove, she marveled on how strange the weather had been this year. After years of drought, followed by torrential rains, it had been a colder winter in Southern California terms. And now? The Santa Ana winds had, … Continue reading Killer Butterflies
by Katie Arminie When you are shutting down, the last to go out are the lights. The collections are wiped clean or sold off to a focused intention, the last bit of letting go. The worries that you kept close to your heart seem silly now. What would the world be like with all this gone, replaced with something new? The obviousness of what mattered … Continue reading Shutting Down
Katie Arminie Art 