Read this on galpod.com. Three years ago, I came face to face with death. Again, but this time from close up. I've seen death before. Looked her right in the eye. When my grandfather died of a heart attack while I was in the next room, working on a school readiness summer booklet. When my best friend was killed in a car crash when we were twenty. When my grandmother finally lost the fight with cancer she's been having for over twenty years. Three years ago, I met death at Abu

Read this on galpod.com. I published a story in Medium as part of a writing challenge from The Writing Cooperative. It's a supportive community for writers that run writing challenges and competition and publishes writing advice content. They do select a winner based on the number of claps you get on Medium, so today I'll ask you to click through here and clap for my story. You can clap however much you like, please be honest :) If you're new to Medium, go on and have a look

Read this on galpod.com. I’ve been here for years. Decades. Centuries. I’ve seen it all. Lovers, sitting in my shade. Having a picnic. Having a fight. Having sex. Families, sitting in my shade. Children, throwing pebbles into the water. Children, climbing my branches. Tired parents, thinking it’s ok to close their eyes for a moment, only to be woken up by a scream that brings their darkest fears to life. Tired parents, taking long naps and wake up to find their kids still thr

Read this on galpod.com. When I was 14, I made a new friend. I met her at a camp, and she lived in a village about two hours' drive from the one I lived in. In the spring holiday, I visited her and stayed for a couple of days. My parents were picking me up from her place, and we were going to my grandparents' house which was another half hour drive. It was a great sleepover. It was a while since I had a good friend because I didn't fit in with the kids in my village. We made

Read this on galpod.com. “Isn’t this nice?” asked Chris. Kayla looked at him, disgust etched on every feature. “Look at the stars,” Chris tried again. “Aren’t they beautiful?” The disgusted look remained. Kayla didn’t even look up. “I love the forest at this time,” he said, undeterred. “Not quite night yet, but definitely not day anymore. The woods are swarming with wildlife. It’s especially fun when you have your fire going, and you know the rest of the evening is just you