Liyab

Dec

One hundred-peso bill

ALONG the streets of Divisoria lie a mother and a son curled together against the cold morning breeze. Before the sun begins to rise, the little boy squirms out of his mother’s embrace to start his morning rounds. After kissing his mother goodbye, he grabs the materials he needs for…

Dec

By The Flame Literary

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Picturesque

I LOOK down from my vantage point. Amid the dimmed lights, there is only darkness, which pales in comparison to the city skyline dotted with specks of yellow and white. From a distance, I hear the faint tune of a Christmas song. Beside me, my camera lies at rest. Silence…

Dec

By The Flame Literary

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The Warmth of Christmas

The chilly December wind made him frown. It reminded him of the old days when he still associated the month of December with warmth; the kind of warmth that made him recall what home was like: far from the honking cars, the blinding city lights, and the bustling of busy…

Dec

By The Flame Literary

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The Barriers of Control

THERE ARE structures of authority that do not only lurk within the walls that forbid rebellion, but also posit the horrors of what the elements of control can inhibit society from doing. These borders continuously control individuals whose bodies have turned into docile subjects of dominance. They are not locked…

Nov

By The Flame Literary

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All Longing for Death

IN AN empty room, there laid a girl whose heart beat slowly. She was all skin and bone, and her face was a painting of emaciation. She waited for Death to come, and excitement flooded her when the air inside the room turned ice-cold. This was the fifth time he…

Nov

By The Flame Literary

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The First Step

THE SWARM of pedestrians comes to take you away while I look on powerlessly. They leave me standing alone at the end of the lane, stewing in my own emotions. A newfound feeling settles deep within my chest: it is something as obscure as the impending darkness of the night,…

Nov

By The Flame Literary

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Vigilance

THE JEEPNEY was almost empty. I was dead tired and eager to arrive home. The journey was quiet. Nothing was out of the ordinary, yet I felt bothered when I sensed two heavy eyes staring at me. They were from a man sitting on the other side. My mother has…

Nov

By The Flame Literary

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The Borders of Solitude

DURING this time of the day, people would gather their personal possessions and take a break from the workplace. Some would leave the classroom as they hear the clamorous sound of the bell and see the dwindling lights of the hallways while they find their way out of the campus.…

Oct

By Ryan Piolo Veluz

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A Walk in the Dark

THE dawn always looks best when the sun is about to submerge. The coming of silence and thoughtful tranquility comes by as people start to head back to their homes under the blackened sky. The night is a call to sleep; a state of rest unbothered by worries. This is…

Oct

By The Flame Literary

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Kaleidoscope

THE unknown summons malefic fears that eventually learn to lurk in the consciousness of people, which creates presuppositions that inhibit humans from going beyond the zones that they are familiar with. Humans fear the unknown because they believe that it will bring them nothing but harm. Thus, society seals away…