Cacophony by Daniel Roueche My eyes shoot open. But everything’s suffocatingly black. My heart thumps. My breath shallow. I throw my hands over my chest and try to control my breathing. Slowly, my heartrate drops. This...
“Let me know how those feel,” Dr. Crowe says. I pry my eye open, using my thumb and forefinger to keep the lids apart. With my free hand, I guide the contact onto my pupil. My eye fights to close, but I force it open as the contact ...
Fall in Line by Daniel Roueche Chapter 1 This isn’t the experience promised by the Airbnb ad. It promised relaxation, quiet. I imagined waking up to the sun, watching the snow glide over the trees while drinking hot chocolate. I thought I’d play...
I’m surrounded by people. Big people. I know some of them. They talk and cry and laugh and tell stories about a lady I don’t know. She sounds nice. I’m in Daddy’s arms. He’s warm. I hold his face and give him a hug. He’s safe. As we walk around...
“What Did I Do? by Daniel Roueche Blank. Empty. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know where I am. It’s cold. And wet. A steady throbbing, like someone continually pounding my head with a fist, makes me flinch. I try to stand, but my legs ache...
“Alone Together” by Daniel Roueche “What are you doing?” Smitty asks. “Quiet,” I reply. “I’m bored.” “Stop talking.” I look through the tiny cracks of light seeping through the mud-covered window. The sun peeks over the horizon, hiding like a kid...
coup d’état by Daniel Roueche It’s late. Or early, depending on whether you’ve slept or not. Zander feels like he hasn’t slept at all. Of course, that’s an exaggeration. He’s slept at least 7 hours, fell into REM multiple times, ...
December 22nd The doorbell rings, gnawing on my ears. I just need to remove that thing. It’s not like anyone comes to visit. Nor do I want them to. Ring. Who could that be? Mom and Dad? Doubtful. They’ve never come to visit...
“They call me Einstein,” Henry says. “That’s great, my boy! What a compliment,” Albert replies. “They say it when I miss a math problem or stumble over my words or forget to wear pants. It’s humiliating!” “What’s humiliating...
Excerpt from Kids from the Woods by Daniel Roueche
