Stone Soup Magazine
— A flock of geese migrating south encounters a storm at sea, observing a skipjack crew struggling below before pushing through to reach land.
— A girl races to catch waves on the last days of summer, gets tumbled by a big swell, then eagerly paddles back out for more.
— A young ballet dancer auditions for Odette in Swan Lake, loses to her rival Michelle, but gets to perform when Michelle injures her ankle during opening night.
— A child chases a butterfly through morning grass, stumbling but persisting until one finger brushes its wing before it flies away.
— During community service punishment, Bailey watches ducks struggle free from thorns and finds hope for her parents battling her father's cancer.
— A child's ocean memories with parents transform into longing as music triggers dreams of returning to those carefree moments of jumping waves together.
— A Newfoundland girl finds a mysterious bottle on the shore, launches it with a carved whale inside, and watches it travel the world collecting treasures from children in different countries.
— A granddaughter recalls tea and conversation with her grandmother, then confronts the shock of learning her grandmother had lost her will to live.
— When Leo announces he's moving to New York City, his best friend Anabeth gives him a drawing of them biking by Seneca Lake, which he keeps for nine years.
— A cyclist pushes through burning thighs and approaching storms, hill by hill, until reaching the lake's perfect relief.