The Novella Life of Illuscia Nester Himawari

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. 'Is this the long way?' she asked. And the guide said: 'Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. But the end will be better than the beginning.' But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, 'Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.' Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, 'Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.' And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she s...

You’ve probably picked a scab, right? And most likely a few zits. Pretty much everyone has at some point. Even if you think that it’s “gross”, or believe that it will leave scars. Sometimes you just can’t help it. But do you think about it every waking moment? Do you occasionally dream about it? Do you have to sit on your hands when you’re around those friends who have bad acne because you’re afraid that you’ll grab their face and start picking? That’s called Dermatillomania, I’ve actually had to end friendships because of it. I couldn’t look people in the eyes if they had enough zits, or scabby knees, or sometimes if they had large moles. Even those looked like something to pick. It’s grown worse and worse. Bug bites are terrible. I want to dig out the puffy lump, but there isn’t puss or a scab to pick off. Once I pick the bite out though, there is a scab to keep picking off for a week or two. I’m almost sad that mosquito season is ending. I’ve been fairly antisocial lately. The tempt...

Ringo sighed as he sat back on the bed, rubbing his swollen belly anxiously. He stole a look at the clasp around his ankle and the chain attaching it to the bed with a deadbolt and sighed again. He cursed the day he met Zeke that fateful drunken night. Ringo was turning his usual tricks at his workplace at the Regent Gigolo Bar when he was sought after by a seemingly rich and generous client. Zeke looked decent enough, with his wealthily dressed attire and posh features, and while servicing him, he had been nothing but generous and eloquent to him. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s doing this for money to get by food and rent, Ringo wouldn’t mind having this Zeke fellow for a lover. They hit off pretty well, and the bar policy dictates that if the client likes you enough to request the night from you, you are obliged to follow them. Zeke, as Ringo hoped, took a liking to him and requested him for the night. Ringo, in his slightly drunken state, tried not to be too ea...

Tommy peeked into the room, making sure Dennie had everything he needed. Dennie noticed him peeking and grinned up at him, waving his toy blocks at him to assure him everything was alright, including the baby within him. Tommy nodded with a small smile and went to his study to continue his report. Dennie getting pregnant was more of a happy accident than most. When they first met, Tommy was working at an institute for the mentally challenged in Neo-Earth while Dennie was a patient there, institutionalized since he was 5 years old after being officially diagnosed with Sudden Occlumental Anomaly, or SOA for short, which is a type of Down’s Syndrome privy to Neo-Earth citizens. Unlike Earth’s Down’s Syndrome which causes the usual slight deformity and distinctive facial features, SOA slightly enhances them more, making them stand out and look somewhat beautiful, making the anomaly almost undetectable and can be quite deceiving at its first stages. But the downside was that...

Tia curled up against the dumpster, trying to keep warm despite the pouring rain. His hand unconsciously reached down to caress his swollen belly as he sighed, huddling even closer and trying to wrap himself with whatever rag he could find nearby. Quietly, Tia sobbed as he thought about how he got himself into this mess. Young and pregnant, he had no business being out here in the streets, but there he was, dirty, penniless, homeless and plagued with backaches and sore feet, with nowhere else to go. And him being mute didn’t help things along either. All he knew was that if his father hadn’t met Fuzz, this wouldn’t have happened. His father was a single dad after his Neo-Mom dumped him for another man, and it was because his father himself was a philandering guy who loved to party and hang with lovers left and right, men and women, Neo and Earthian alike. All his years growing up, Tia had seen his father having on and off lovers, none of them really lasting more tha...