"We don't have any water and we can't run any tests, but we can give you an injection," the nurse said. I didn't want to insult my host country, but I wasn't going to let her stick a needle in me no matter how sick I was. And I didn't know yet how sick I …
Donkey, having been stuck with a pin, kicks nearest writer in the head.
When you play pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, you wear a blindfold and get spun around and pushed forward. Kids scream and laugh as you jab the tail in air and try to stick a pin in a donkey's behind. Sounds great. Some kids wildly run at the donkey. Other kids are methodical. Other kids don't care. But eventually …
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When to Change the Locks
That's odd,I thought. Didn't I leave the blinds open? I glanced around my room and everything looked okay. I couldn't point to anything that was out of place. Or missing. But still, something struck me as different. I was home a couple days early from my stay in Sophia. I went into my kitchen. Two …
Beware Boys Bearing Gifts
My best friend's older brother sat next to me on the sofa. Right up next to me as close as he could. I didn't want him that close. I was in the 4th grade. He was in the 7th. "What if I gave you a present?" he said. He had white blonde hair feathered back …
Some girls need to break into buildings.
"We are going to get in there," T. said. "Follow me." "We can't break in," I said. "We'll be arrested." T. shook his head. "We're not breaking in. We're walking in." I follow. Again. We meant to see the AIDS quilt. We were grad students at Kent State and the quilt was making a stop …
Coke, Pop Stars, and Blindness (or if you want to break the rules, hang with the right people)
"Wait for me by the stage door," T. says. "I'm going in this way." He doesn't give me time to tell him he is crazy. He already knows that. But he wants us to meet the star of the show, the reason we are in Columbus, the woman who wooed us both from the stage--kd …
Going Over the Rail to Impress the Cool Boys
"No way. I'm not doing it," C. said looking down over the balcony rail. We were three floors up. My future traveling companion stepped away from the railing too. "Yeah. It's not a good idea." The two of them were scared, and all three of us were drunk. I looked up at the stars and …
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Quirks, Bets, and Fantasy Dance Partners
"My friends here have a bet going about you," he said. I was with my own friends in a piano bar and I was on my way to the restroom when this table of five guys stopped me. Common sense said to keep walking. "Oh?" I said. He nodded. "We have a bet about who …
Horses, Girls, Golf Carts, and Stars
We went horseback riding in the dark. That's not exactly true. There was moonlight and lights from the barn, but it was near midnight and we were sixteen. My friends, J and M, sisters, owned horses, and once in a while we were allowed to go riding at night. We would leave the saddles behind …
This Climax Does Not Come with Fireworks
"Hello. My name is ___ ____, and I work with your mother. Could you please call me at ___-___-____? Thank you." I turned off the machine though it still blinked. I punched the number in my phone and got a busy signal. There was no reason for this woman to call me. No birthday party …
Marta Bacon 