Liyab

With a Smile

With a Smile

I’ve never been a fan of Paskuhan. It heightens my dislike for Christmas— the only time my religious father visits me in hopes to “convert” me. Not acting the way God has created me, I shrink like the sinner that I am, under the magnifying glass of my scrutinizing family.…
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The Light

The Light

Every Christmas season, I feel empty from the missing member of our family picture. It is only a reminder of the times my mother missed the joys of the holiday.  As I stretch my body, I released myself from the confines of comfort. My heart beats loudly with excitement. I…
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The Gift of Nostalgia

The Gift of Nostalgia

Christmas is a holiday for children. One may see this in the way the holiday season would move from being a magical time to merely a tradition people are expected to go through every year as they grow older. As a child, all the troublesome notions of the holiday were…
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Dwindle Out

Dwindle Out

She rubbed her right eye with her thumb before blinking rapidly. Her eyes were starting to hurt from staring at her computer all day.   It was a familiar photo of a girl that caught her attention. Squinting, she leaned closer to the computer’s blinding screen.  The girl in the photo…
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Dispirited

Dispirited

Raging storms have never dispelled the silence and desolation in this amusement park— until today.  An odd shadow arrived with a frozen, troubled gaze. I cared less of its expression and more of how it saved me from forlornness, giving me the chance to finally exhibit my bright colors. I…
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Lilim

Lilim

Matindi ang tirik ng araw, nang napatigil ako sa lilim ng puno. Ramdam ang pagkapawi ng uhaw sa maginhawang simoy ng hangin. Nang nabatid ang futbol, biglang sumagi sa aking isipan si Rosa. Siya ang maginhawang sinag sa aking umaga. Napapasakit ang tiyan sa mga kwentong pabaon niya. Nababahagian ng…
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The Sea Is

The Sea Is

Calm.   the sea is never treacherous. it is without a doubt, a treasure to behold. its secrets are not for all to see. it lies beyond the sunlight’s touch, with the truth not  appearing as something atrocious. the crystalline horizon would never be a sight one should miss. the…
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The Witching Hour

The Witching Hour

photo by MARLOU JOSEPH B. BON-AO/The Flame Do you hear them come? The rustling of withered leaves, And the marching feet of headless priests? The sullen song of a weeping woman, Or was that of the fallen soldier, Lurking within the thread of hedges? Watching you shiver, from the sinister…
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Living for the Dead

Living for the Dead

photo by RAINIEL ANGELYN BUENAVISTA FIGUEROA/THE FLAME I know death does not make the world go away. After papa died, mama brought in a new world of her own. There was nothing too obscure to the things she had begun to do: her eyes gleamed at the sight of a…
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Under Her Care

Under Her Care

photo by SHANA ANGELA S. CERVANIA/The Flame At the end of the lightless street stood a convenience store she frequented to grab some snacks.  The night was young, but the streets were as empty as a ghost town. Ever since people started disappearing in the dead of night and surfacing…
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