Stone Soup Magazine
— In a dreary autumn meadow between two oaks, once-flourishing roses now lie shriveled and colorless, their sharp thorns the only remnant of former vitality.
— A middle child feels invisible after her baby brother's birth, finally confronts her parents about feeling neglected, and receives the love and attention she's been craving.
— A daughter anxiously awaits her mother's return from a road trip, memories of their last night together mixing with dark fears about what might happen.
— Three friends exploring an abandoned house discover photographs in the basement showing children who look exactly like them, wearing the same old clothes they've been trying on.
— A young writer celebrates the power of imagination through metaphors of flight, electricity, and natural forces, declaring herself a dreamer whose pen brings visions to life.
— Jake dreads sharing summer camp with his autistic brother Chris, but when a bully targets Chris, Jake discovers his brother's resilience during a chess tournament showdown.
— A quiet moment between a girl and her aging, sick dog captures the tenderness of caring for a beloved pet nearing the end.
— After a weasel kills her beloved rooster Cocky, a girl struggles with guilt over loving a new chick until her mother helps her understand that loving again doesn't betray the...
— After a power outage during a grief support group, a girl searches for her missing classmate and discovers they share a deeper bond through loss.
— A young angler describes the meditative ritual of dusk fishing on a quiet lake, from paddling out to the explosive moment of catching a keeper.