Entries By Zoë Aiko
Displaying 1 To 30 Of 34 Entries
geometric
Exact lines and curves make up her body, as if she were designed by a mathematician. Veins trace perfect geometric patterns beneath her pale skin.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 04.14.2013 @ 1:56 pm
plays
I’ve been betrayed by my people, I suppose. The connotations varied, from children with jump ropes on wood chips to the white lights over a black stage, plays have followed me throughout my years.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.10.2013 @ 4:13 pm
belief
She lay prostrate on the sand floor of the temple, head bowed toward the shining deity at the front of the room. White columns lined the walls and a gentle breeze wound its way through them; as the winds tousled her long dark hair, she felt her prayers being carried up to wherever the gods may hear them.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 03.12.2012 @ 7:59 pm
lantern
My lantern flickered dangerously, casting a wavering light over the entirety of the damp hallway. The cobblestones, coated in a thin layer of film, threatened to hold fast to my flimsy sandals, but I was careful to tread lightly.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 03.01.2012 @ 6:39 pm
crew
“C’mon, crew!” said the woman in the strikingly yellow tee-shirt, a whistle and lanyard adorning her neck.
The kids piled into a large yellow bus, upon which the letters S-C-H-O-O-L had been taped over and replaced with a large number six.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.29.2012 @ 4:34 pm
crescent
She cut the sandwich into a crescent, just the way her mother had cut hers when she was young. Sitting at the marble counter, feet swinging from the tall stool, she would ask,
“Mommy, where are the stars?”
Her mother would shake her head slowly, the corners of her lips curling ever so slightly, as she said,
“Be happy with the moon, honey. Once you’re a big girl, you can make the stars yourself.”
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.27.2012 @ 4:01 pm
adopt
Tiny brown eyes, large and watery, gazed up at her from the small basket on the floor. Three puppies snuggled in the wicker box lined with blue velvet, each with a tiny bow around their necks. The vague note gave little clue as to who had delivered the puppies to Sam, but she wasn’t going to complain; how could anyone, with a box of free puppies on their doorstep?
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.09.2012 @ 10:15 pm
butterfly
The little girl donned the sheer butterfly wings, snapping the elastic bands over her shoulders. She sprinted through the house, pink socks skidding on hardwood floors, as her wings carried her through places she couldn’t even imagine.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.08.2012 @ 8:42 pm
orbit
The bearded man droned on for what felt like hours. Jamie caught a snippet here or there about the orbit of the moon and other astrological nonsense, but he was preoccupied with the luster of the blonde hair of the girl two rows ahead of him in the lecture hall. She always arrived late, sitting in the same seat, and Jamie had never been able to see her face; however, he had spent days gazing into her lovely hair, watching as it cascaded down the smooth curvature of her back in graceful waves. Though he often stayed behind to converse with their professor after the lecture had been completed, the girl sped through the door as soon as the period ended. Today, Jamie resolved to follow her.
The bell rang, and the girl swept her things into a bag on the floor. Jamie hadn’t noticed the bag before, having been so captivated by her hair, but it was a thing of beauty in and of itself. Slung over her thin shoulders, the gray canvas had been decorated with some thousand intricate doodles, the residue of black Sharpie markers leaving their smudged trail across the fabric. Jamie jumped to his feet, swinging his backpack over his shoulders, and sped out the door. He followed the girl at a respectful distance, hoping that something small might fall out of the worn bottom of her bag and slip to the floor, allowing him to pick it up and approach her with purpose. However, no such opportunity arrived before the girl reached the bike rack outside of the massive brick building, duly unlocking her bike and riding away across the green. Jamie swore he had never seen such a graceful bike ride before, the girl’s form moving ever further into the distance.
Tomorrow, he thought to himself resolutely. Tomorrow.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 02.06.2012 @ 6:26 pm
festival
Paper lanterns lined the garden, illuminating the grass in soft white. He gazed up, the reflection of the lanterns and the stars plentiful in his milky eyes; Cara put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to start suddenly.
“You okay, buddy?” she asked, bending at the knees to reach his level. He nodded, and she mussed his light brown hair, which looked for all the world as if one could find a bird’s egg lying in its midst. “Good, good.”
Cara straightened up, her white dress floating gracefully around her calves as her bare feet padded across the lawn, leaving Ethan to roll onto his back and immerse himself into the short, soft the blades of grass.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.31.2012 @ 7:14 pm
odds
Odds are that you won’t win the lottery, That the only people who read your blog are your mother and her few internet-literate friends, That you’ll swallow eight spiders in your lifetime, And that your eggs don’t have salmonella.
I must’ve been a pretty lucky guy to end up in the emergency room on New Year’s Day with a fever and abdominal pain.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.29.2012 @ 6:48 pm
function
As she traced the sin and cos lines across her grid, she felt the tip of a pencil jab into her side. Lacey looked up to see Maxine’s gray eyes meet hers, clear to the point of looking continually teary. Blinking twice, Lacey saw tears fall down Maxine’s cheeks as she turned back towards her test. Lacey shook her head, bangs falling frustratingly in her face, to finish the test herself.
When she arrived home, Lacey found a small envelope in her mailbox, addressed with impeccably neat circular handwriting. Missing a stamp but yielding a return address, Lacey felt as though she floated up the wooden staircase to her condo with the envelope in hand.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.30.2012 @ 4:05 pm
collar
Adjusting the collar on her son’s shirt, she gave him a small shove.
“C’mon, honey, it’s time to go.”
Indignantly, Cooper remained in the car, metal lunchbox clutched tightly in hand.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.26.2012 @ 11:40 pm
beehive
Thoughts swarmed inside her head like bees in a beehive; not even honey would taste as sweet as the ability to clear her mind of all worries.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.25.2012 @ 3:58 pm
hinge
The door hinge creaked, echoing around the house as Lissy crept carefully across the old wooden floorboards. Groaning with every step, Lissy cringed until she reached the front door.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.23.2012 @ 8:41 pm
fences
I once read a book about fences. The fences were a metaphor for life, the moral was that the grass is always greener on the other side. I tried to keep these things in mind when I approached my new suburban house, the defining feature of which was the white picket fence surrounding the embarrassingly green lawn.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.22.2012 @ 9:28 pm
runway
She gripped his hand tightly as the plane moved slowly down the runway.
“It’ll be okay,” she said, squeezing his sweaty palm with a smile. The confidence was a fallacy; though she hadn’t told him, this was her first time flying, too.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.21.2012 @ 12:01 am
conceal
The fog concealed them from view… Not that they minded, the two of them, anyhow…
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.12.2012 @ 8:26 pm
bland
Her mouth felt numb around the bland, tasteless mound dissolving on her tongue.
“It tastes wonderful,” she assured her hosts, words muffled by the impossible-to-swallow ball of dough rolling around her mouth. She was unsure what to do; spitting it out would be unbelievably rude, but swallowing seemed impossible. She seemed to recall a copy of “Miss Manners’ Guide to Dinner Party Success” on her mother’s stained wooden coffee table, navy blue cover creaseless and unopened.
“Excuse me for a moment,” she said shyly, covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep polite distance between her hosts and the small chunks of food flying out from between her teeth. She quickly folded her napkin, draping it over the back of her seat, and whisked away down the hall. Her kitten heels clicked incessantly against the marble floors and her taffeta skirt ruffled deliciously against her knees as she ran down the hallways, pigtails bouncing under large yellow bows. She approached the bathroom, disregarding all attempts at formality and spitting grotesquely into the garbage.
A small cough echoed off of the mirrored walls of the bathroom, as the attendant uncomfortably shuffled her feet. The woman straightened up immediately, smoothing her dress as she nodded politely to the bathroom attendant and headed back towards the dinner table, face ablaze.
The evening had not begun as planned.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.10.2012 @ 9:23 pm
lilies
Lilies lined the pond like small white trail markers, reflecting off of the cool surface of the water. The tranquil scene was enough to make their knees grow weak, after months of seeing nothing but violence.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.08.2012 @ 8:21 pm
oil
The oil poured into the pan, sizzling deliciously. It filled the air with its thick, greasy scent, as the potatoes slid satisfyingly into the pan.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.07.2012 @ 10:00 pm
apron
The red and white checkered apron lay on the bottom of the drawer, coated in a thin dusting of flour.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.05.2012 @ 5:57 pm
thorns
Tines stabbed the peas, forcing themselves through the vibrant green exterior like thorns through berries.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.04.2012 @ 10:52 pm
trunk
She slammed the top of the trunk shut, worn leather barely visible underneath the plethora of vibrant stickers.
“I didn’t mean to make you upset,” Rina said, wringing her hands as she leaned against the light blue doorframe.
“Shut it, ma,” snapped Halina back, latching the trunk with a satisfying click. Halina dragged the overstuffed trunk through the hallway, her mother cringing as the metal-tipped corners scraped against the wooden floors. The taxi was waiting for her downstairs, bright yellow against the muted orange and gray of the autumn. Her long since outgrown tee-shirt strained against her breasts as Halina pulled the luggage down the apartment steps; a loud bang rang throughout the building as each new step was hit.
Rina watched from the window in the apartment, forehead pressed against the glass. Her daughter emerged into the bright afternoon sun, her eyes invisible behind the reflection of her glasses and hair pulled every direction by the wind. Her course lead only towards the taxi, which quickly swallowed Halina and her things, as Rina’s breath fogged against the windowpane.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 01.03.2012 @ 10:46 pm
carved
He dug his knife deep into the tree trunk, scratching away the thick, elderly bark into ringlets littering the grassy floor. She sat below, sipping lemonade and vodka from a red plastic cup upon a blanket woven with images of guitars. From the unintelligible markings appeared initials, encircled by a cartoon heart; more permanent than a wedding ring, she entwined her fingers with his as she admired the carvings lovingly.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 12.27.2011 @ 12:05 am
clamp
Scrambling to find the last clamp, he gathered the velveteen curtain between his fingers. The navy blue material, heavy and dark, felt soft against his palms, as he watched the lights grow dim upon the stage.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 12.24.2011 @ 11:21 pm
temple
She rubbed her temple, but the throbbing wouldn’t subside. Anxiously, she refreshed the page again. And again. And again. And again.
“It’s not coming today,” Carmen insisted, but still Lydia pressed on.
Suddenly, a small “bing” indicated that the fateful message had arrived. Lydia felt her breath screech to a halt, her pulse erratic and loud behind her eardrums. With a shaky hand, she moved her mouse towards the unopened email, eyes almost unable to focus. She felt lightheaded, and was unaware of the intensity of Carmen’s gaze upon herself.
“Well, come on,” said Carmen in a hushed voice.
And with a single motion and a soft “click”, Lydia opened the email.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 12.14.2011 @ 8:42 pm
platinum
Cold metal lined the walls, a platinum sheet enclosing every surrounding. There was no apparent way out; no cracks in the metal, no slivers of light peeking out from under doorways. It was an entirely enclosed room, and she was completely alone.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 12.07.2011 @ 7:05 pm
deserve
“Nobody deserves this more than you,” she said with a smile, patting him warmly on the shoulder. Her perfectly manicured fingernails seemed to mock Aidan, his imperfections glaring garishly against her meticulously groomed hands. He glanced down at his paper and sighed; there was no turning back now.
Posted By Zoë Aiko On 12.05.2011 @ 9:43 pm
