emclarkwrites
Short Stories
Some beginnings.
Love Like
Mira has always been good at noticing the small things—especially when they belong to Mr. Ward, the enigmatic man who dines at her café. The paper cranes he folds. The flowers he plants in the dead of winter. The way he seems concerned that Valentine’s Day is approaching too quickly. Each detail feels like a clue to a secret that maybe they both share.
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When Mr. Ward’s secret finally comes to light, Mira wonders about the difference between pining from afar and truly choosing someone.
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Please note - published under the pen name, E.M. Cleary
Rest, You Many
When Michael begins to work at a Christmas tree lot, he doesn’t know what to think of Eliza. She buys a new tree every day, and no one quite knows why. After losing his father, Michael feels strangely drawn to her. They form a connection, and Michael discovers the thin line between wanting and believing. In this holiday tale, two strangers discover that even the smallest encounter can lead to wonder.
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Please note - published under the pen name, E.M. Cleary
Cassandra, Thou Art
“Cassandra, Thou Art” reckons with the consequence of miracles. When one sister speaks rose petals, the other watches her sister’s voice evaporate. Peaks of red and pink clutter classrooms until a marvel transforms into a simple inconvenience.
Glamour
“Glamour” retells the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale “The Snow Queen” from the Snow Queen’s point of view. In New York City, the Snow Queen befriends a child with a mirror splinter in his eye. She takes him to live in her penthouse until she ultimately is left alone again.
Wake Them
“Wake Them” follows a teenager’s walk home, a cabin anchored to a frozen lake, on the anniversary of a fatal accident. She searches for answers beneath the ice and grapples with guilt.