Fiction

Battle of Hearts

As smoke continued to cloud the sky, I tried to process what had just happened. If it wasn’t for the burning sensation in my midsection, I would have been confused. The wound brought me back to the horrible reality of war and the fact that I was dying.

Nothing else seemed to exist except the pounding of my heart and the smoke-filled sky. My breaths were forced and heavy, as if the weight of the world was burdened onto my stomach. My mind screamed to do something, anything, but I wasn’t even sure if my toes bulged when I tried to wiggle them. The beat in my chest seemed to define me. It was the only proof that I still existed in this universe, my only sense of passing time as my surroundings were muffled. My ears rang and motions blurred around me and my heart boomed. I felt the gravity pushing against my body, equivalent to the support of the ground on the opposite end.

I knew the battle dragged on as I lay, with more and more warriors being pressured to the ground and forced to join my army of pounding hearts. But at the moment, that did not matter. I knew I was just another number to be counted, another name crossed out, just another body to be dragged away, but as I lay and the smoke covered the sky and my heart pleaded to not give up, I did not care. I did not care about this fight. I did not think about this life or this world, for it was no longer mine. Memories did not play out in my mind. I did not feel guilt for leaving. And even though my mind was numb from shock, my soul had given up, and my heartbeat realized that it had lost the battle. And as I lay, all I could do was look up.

The air was covered in smoke from all the grenades, cannons, and gunshots. The sky was hardly visible, but it’s presence was respected by all the warriors whose hearts were fighting. Although I did not know the time, although I could not see the colors, I knew beyond the thick clouds of aggression a sunset blossomed. The beautiful colors blended perfectly together in a rainbow bliss of natural art, which refused to be overlooked despite not being visible. And as I lay, I stared at the sunset. Oh, how I hoped to reach that sunset.

By Madeline Loiaconi

Dreams of Drifting Reality

It really makes you wonder what even is reality? Is it some sort of concept of our perception? Or is it a simple construct of the universe we all live in? Maybe it’s neither. Who knows? Maybe one’s dreams has the power to connect to other realities. But maybe that’s just me. You, however, seem uninterested… or perhaps worried? It’s alright. An existential crisis happens from time to time. Your reality consists of many things; things that to you makes sense. But of course, not everybody can experience the same with your personal reality. Every reality is unique and special in its own way, like humans. And I can see that you’re always changing within your reality. The way you perceive your reality can be of any intention. Creative, logical, for fun, etc. You can do whatever you want in it, but be very cautious. The way you perceive reality might conflict with how others perceive it. It’s best to test it out in your dreams or thoughts. Whether your personal reality speaks peaceful or violent, logical or illogical intentions, you need to be aware of the consequences it may have on others, including yours.

Does that make any sense? Probably not… but that’s ok. It doesn’t have to. I mean just look at how reality affects this puddle. Why is it here? How did it get here? And why is its color changing from clear blue to purple? Oh! Did I forget to mention that we’re in your dream? I apologize for not telling you earlier… What? You thought I was just giving you a ridiculous answer to what reality means? Maybe you didn’t think of that; and I know that you already know what reality means, but all I’m doing is telling you what reality could be. Now, I’m no expert on how our reality came to be. So, I would like to make an attempt to best explain what reality could be…

Reality is a way anyone can live their life and learn to be anything their heart desires. A way to feel how precious life is, and comfort those that feel lost and afraid. To have a sense of reasonable control and interact how it may affect their life. To be free to have thoughts, feelings, friendships, hardships, and the will to live with the world. A reflective view from the experiences one has previously faced. The supportive bridge that leads our mental, emotional, social, and physical health to many paths at the end. Our pure concept on how we perceive the world. To make you feel like you. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, reality is both a concept of our perception and a construct of our universe.

But you probably already knew that, didn’t you? Or perhaps you had something else in mind? And that’s ok. I appreciate your patience and willingness to listen what I had to say. Even if it didn’t make any sense to you. And I apologize if I have caused you any discomfort during this whole conversation. This interesting thought was lingering in my head for a while. Oh hey! Look at that! The purple puddle has started floating and is dividing itself into 11 different groups of colors… We are in a dream remember? Anyway, you should probably wake up. It’s time for you to start your day. It was fun talking to you. Now go out there, enjoy your day, and appreciate the reality that you live in. And be careful not separate yourself from reality. You may let that conception drift within your dreams.

By Kevin Garcia