The student editorial team for issue nine consisted of Isabel Barbera and Esperanza Semprit.
Contents
Short Fiction
Poetry
The Unicorn or The Ass
The Middle of the Universe: 540 Days in the Eyes of the Moon
The Demon Who Grew Up With Me
The Art of Justice
Ariel Barbera
Caroline picked up the delicate glass sculpture, wrapping it in several layers of newspapers, and gingerly placed it in the plastic bag. She handed the bag to the customer while he gave her his credit card, and she promptly slid it through the machine.
“You have so many wonderful pieces here, Miss Carver,” the man mentioned, looking around the shop while Caroline dealt with getting the payment through.
“Thank you,” she replied with a smile, handing the card back, then preparing the receipt.
She heard the bell above the door to the shop ring and saw someone enter quickly. She heard the wind howling outside before the doors slammed shut behind the girl who entered. She tried to keep her focus on the customer she was currently dealing with, but she could not help but sneak a glance every few seconds as the girl in the ash gray hooded sweatshirt picked up one of her handmade snow globes, shaking it and admiring the gentle white flakes.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you. I will definitely tell my friends about your shop,” the customer told her, bringing her attention back to him.
“Oh, that would be wonderful of you, thank you,” Caroline said, waving as he backed away and left the shop. She turned to look at the girl in the hooded sweatshirt, who had placed the snow globe down and walked over to the checkout counter.
“Busy day?” she asked, showing off a smile. Her olive skin glistened as she flicked her hood off, and her russet brown eyes shimmered against the light. She had her dark brown hair tied back, with her blue bangs drooping to the left side of her face.
“Not as busy as yours, Althea,” Caroline sighed, twirling a strand of her short blonde hair.
Althea leaned against the counter. “Any plans to get more business here?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, frowning and looking away. “I’ve got a packed schedule full of custom orders, though.”
“Sweet!” Althea jumped up and clapped her hands together. “I could already tell this will be the best Christmas yet.”
Caroline smirked and rolled her eyes as Althea made her way to the back room. Optimistic and enthusiastic as always. Even with all that optimism Althea always brought into the room, Caroline could not help but still feel anxious. She had ten different custom orders to fill by Christmas Eve, on top of serving customers who would shop here throughout the day, and she
worried she would not make enough money to keep the shop running. She was slowly falling into debt and needed to find a way to promote her business after the holidays. Despite all of these problems, though, there was one that stood out the most to her; the one problem that made her the sick at her stomach.
It was Althea, of course: she was the problem. She turned and watched as Althea opened the door to the backroom, which led to a small kitchen, and beckoned Caroline over. Caroline walked over to her partner, who grabbed the tea kettle and poured water into it.
“I need something warm before going back out,” Althea said.
“Uh, I need to let something off my chest,” Caroline mumbled, closing the door. “I’m worried.”
“Hey, I’m sure everything with the business will be fine,” Althea assured her, leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms smugly.
Caroline grimaced and sighed. That is what Althea wanted to believe, but she was not the one running the business. She is barely around most of the day. She is a spray painter who goes around vandalizing the whole city. Her free-spirited personality and her rebellious attitude were not the problem for Caroline, though. It was the trouble she kept bringing back. Every so often Althea would get a fine from the police that she could not pay, and that would go back to Caroline. She did not want to deal with this again, and she needed this to change. She could not have half of her profit going towards these fees, or else she would not be able to keep her business running. She and her business were sitting on thin ice right now, and the only way to avoid this was if Althea would stop.
“Althea, of course it’s about the business, but it’s also something about you.”
“Uh, okay?” Althea prepared the mugs and opened two packs of tea bags.
“How long is this going to keep going on for?” she asked. “You’ve been vandalizing the streets for how long now?”
“It’s art, love,” Althea replied, holding her finger up. “And why are we talking about this now?”
“Because I’m worried,” Caroline sighed, biting her lip. “What if you bring back another fine that’s even heavier than the last one?”
“That’s if I get caught-”
“And what happens when you do?” She moaned and shook her head. “Althea, this is a problem. I can’t have you and your lifestyle mixing up with my business.”
Althea gaped, then turned to face the teapot. “Okay, look, this is my life. This is my work!” she pointed out, peering at Caroline again. “Art is my passion.”
“It’s mine, too,” she said solemnly, glancing at the decorative clay sculptures on the table.
“The way we create art is different, though,” Althea continued, shrugging. “You sell art, and that’s fine. But mine is personal. My art is expressive, and it’s out there!” She paused, taking the
teapot and pouring the hot water into the mugs. “And I’m not a criminal, Caroline. It’s not like I’m vandalizing every spot in the city. See it more as being, uh, an art vigilante.”
“Really? That’s what you’re calling yourself now?” Caroline muttered.
“One that spreads the truth through art, yes,” Althea replied eagerly as Caroline crossed her arms. “This city is a canvas, and it needs to ring with truth and beauty!”
Caroline felt there was no way she could reply to that. This was Althea’s mindset. She watched her girlfriend fix the tea, throwing the bags away once they finished steeping before waltzing over to her with the full mugs.
“I’ll see you later, love,” Althea said, kissing her on the cheek then pulling a scarf over the bottom half of her face. “I’m working on a big project, and I hope to get it done soon.”
Now, there is no doubt that the art of Althea Ramirez is beautiful. Caroline has seen the displays sprayed across the city streets of Baltimore and Towson. Her patterns and figures were always so colorful and the messages were as vibrant as the pieces. She loved Althea’s art; loved it almost as much as she loved Althea. The two attended the same art institution in Baltimore and met as roommates who happened to take the same class their first year. After a few months of being friends, they started dating. Althea was a renowned painter during her years at the institution and earned the respect of many professors for her exquisite skills. Caroline was one of the few sculptors in the school, and while she never received the same amount of recognition her lover had, she did receive a wide amount of admiration for what she still deems to be her best work: “The Wings of Justice.” The giant ceramic angel wings still hung above the school’s classroom lobby to this day. She adored her creation, and she would visit often to see those wings hanging prominently from the ceiling. Unfortunately, she had no time at all lately to visit, nor to do anything but work.
For the following week, she crafted day and night, her pale hands covered in dry chunks of clay, and in between the sculpting she dealt with the customers who came in to purchase the art she had on display. Althea would stop by in between her time vandalizing the walls, offering to see a movie or take her out to dinner. Caroline would decline and tell her to go run off somewhere else, though reluctantly. She felt herself becoming distanced from the street-painter because of their separate work lives.
By the end of the week, she had not seen Althea for the past two days, until she heard the bell above her door ringing and peered up from molding her clay to see her girlfriend walking in with a tall, dark police officer following behind her. Caroline wiped her hands with a towel before standing up to greet them.
“Caroline Carver,” the police officer started, nudging Althea ahead. “This is her last warning.”
“What happened?” Caroline demanded, stepping forward. Althea looked away and crossed her arms as the police officer pulled out a slip from his pocket.
“Got a call,” the officer continued. “This girl was defacing the side of a restaurant.”
Caroline’s mouth fell open as the officer handed her the slip, which was a fine written for five-hundred dollars. She felt herself shaking on the inside. “Um—”
“Miss Ramirez says she can’t pay this all herself, so either this gets handed to you or she gets locked up. What’s the call?”
“Okay, I’ll pay it,” Caroline muttered, taking the fine and setting it down on her desk.
“Good. Oh, and Miss Ramirez,” the officer said, turning to Althea, “you’ll be getting information about your court case in the mail by the end of this month.”
The police officer turned and left without another word. Caroline clenched her fists then turned to Althea, who had her gaze fixed on some swirling glass Christmas ornaments.
“Althea, what the hell?” she screamed, feeling her eyes tear up.
“Oh, come on, it was that one restaurant that refused to refund you after they gave you food poisoning,” Althea mumbled back, looking over at her.
“So? That doesn’t give you the right to do that!” Caroline said, curling her lips with anger.
“Look at this!” She pointed towards the fine. “This isn’t fair! I can’t do this!”
Althea paused and stared at the five-hundred-dollar fee. “I’m sorry,” she sighed, looking down at the ground. “Do you still have enough to pay the bills?”
“Yeah, I’m paying them off, but I still have student loans and rent to pay this month,” Caroline explained, inhaling and exhaling heavily. “Why don’t you have enough?”
“I… I don’t have any money right now,” Althea muttered, frowning.
“Why?” Caroline questioned bitterly. “What happened to your commissions?”
“It’s—” Althea paused and crossed her arms again. “It’s gone.”
“This has to stop!” Caroline said as Althea took a step back. “I can’t do this anymore!”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Althea sniffled, turning towards the door, watching the rain pouring down. “But… but this is what I love to do. This is my passion.”
“Art is my passion, too, but I’m the only one here doing it right,” Caroline said. Althea turned and gave her a bitter glare. “Fine, I’ll leave!” she snapped, flipping her hood over her head and pushing the doors open.
Caroline froze, watching as she walked out into the dark, rainy night. She heard the cracks of thunder and the distant sounds of sirens. She felt her heart racing, and she could not help but hold her breath. Althea was leaving. This was it.
“No,” she whispered frantically, running towards the doors and bursting outside. “Althea, wait!”
Althea turned around on the sidewalk, her arms still crossed tightly. “What?”
“Please don’t leave,” Caroline begged her. “I don’t want to see you go.”
Althea’s eyes met hers for a brief moment before she looked towards the ground. “All I do is cause you trouble.”
“No, you’re everything to me,” Caroline continued, stepping forward, the rain beating down on her head. “I love you. I want to do more with you.”
“How?” Althea sighed.
“Maybe we can run the shop together,” she said, pointing towards the doors. “It could sell more than just my sculptures. You can sell paintings with me. Hey, I’ll get that fine paid off.”
She heard nothing back from Althea, only the howling wind and the wispy rain.
“Let me work on this one last project,” Althea finally replied. “Then we’ll see.”
She turned and continued walking away, and that was all Caroline needed to hear before reentering her little shop. She sat back down on her stool and could not help but cry, knowing full well her life would fall apart if Althea was not part of it.
Caroline continued her work for the next few days by filling out the custom orders. She had not seen Althea during that time, and she wondered what seeing her again would mean for their relationship. Nevertheless, she persisted with her work, taking care of her customers, and earning enough money to pay off that blasted fine. She had finished by Christmas Eve, and her shop was
completely empty of any customers. She was ready to turn off the lights and close up the shop, until she heard the bell above her door ring and turned around to see Althea standing there, her hood dusted with snow.
“Hey, I need to show you something,” Althea said, smiling.
Caroline blinked a few times, grabbed her coat, then stepped outside with her. Althea held her hand then walked along the sidewalk towards the inner harbor. She could see the docks in the distance from here, and she remembered those were the docks they ended their first date together. She smiled at the thought but wondered why Althea was taking her there.
They walked down the stairs towards the harbor, taking a stroll along the docks. She peered along the walls of the docks, and saw a graffiti painting of a red heart with an arrow pierced
through it. She noticed Althea had not said much as they walked, and this piqued her curiosity even more.
The next painting they passed was something different. She saw the silhouette of a human figure falling down while an arrow struck their knee. This one felt strange to her, but then again, this was another one of Althea’s pieces.
“That’s weird,” Caroline stated.
“I thought you already knew I was a weird person, love,” Althea said jokingly.
Caroline smirked and continued walking alongside her. She felt prepared to see this big project Althea has been working on, but she was not prepared for the actual piece itself. Althea walked her up to it, and her jaw dropped as she stared at the size and detail of this final painting. Everything about it blew her away, and she felt the tears filling her eyes already.
She saw before her a pair of angel wings, just like the sculpture she crafted in college, and in between the wings was a diamond ring.
“I had a lot of doubts, you know,” Althea spoke up, causing Caroline to detach her gaze from the painting. “I thought it was all going to be over. I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“It’s okay,” Caroline told her softly. “I paid it off. All you have to do is attend court.”
“I know, but—” Althea paused and shrugged. “I was scared, too. I didn’t want us to be over, you know. And I tried. I never wanted to stop loving you.”
Caroline fell silent as Althea shoved her hand into her pocket.
“But then what you said about running the shop together motivated me to continue painting this,” Althea continued, smiling. “I think this will be the last of the street art. I’m ready to move on.”
“You didn’t have to stop,” Caroline said quietly.
“No, I was being too wild,” Althea laughed, shaking her head. “I stressed both of us out. We were falling back. Now, I don’t want to fall anymore. I want to move forward.”
Caroline never thought she would feel more surprised than she did when she first saw the wings painted on the wall, but then Althea knelt beside her and pulled out a ring from her pocket.
“You’re the love of my life, Caroline. I’ll endure all of that pain and those struggles if it means being with you, because knowing us, we’’ll find a way out,” Althea declared. “Will you marry me?”
Caroline gasped, feeling her heart racing again as she nodded. “Yes!” she exhaled, crying. “I will!” She understood now why Althea had no money—and why she came back. She never realized that Althea was trying just as hard as her to keep their relationship going.
Althea slipped the ring on her finger and stood up. They met each other with a kiss. Then Caroline wrapped her arms around Althea and pulled her into a hug. She did not let go. She was never letting go again.
The Unicorn or The Ass
Sierra King
You ask for a majestic unicorn
And I’m a donkey in a party hat.
You want a symphony on the French horn
And I am just a single note: B flat.
You want a ring, twice the price of most cars
And I am an unwrapped cherry Ring Pop.
You ask for love emblazoned in the stars.
I’m paper valentines from the gift shop.
You want to travel‒France, Italy, Spain.
I’m the cracked sidewalk outside your building.
You demand diamond-encrusted champagne.
I’m boxed grocery store wine, left chilling.
A unicorn is only an ideal,
but an ass in a party hat is real.
The Middle of the Universe: 540 Days in the Eyes of the Moon
Ninive Robles-Flores
The sun has abandoned me once again
Pale and cold as you, with no light of day
I hold back my tears in fear of more pain
I feel like a child that’s been led astray.
How lonely it is in this sea of stars.
How I eagerly hunger for daylight,
Half year has passed, but I’m still behind bars
One day I’ll be in front of you—goodnight.
Five hundred and forty days, I’m counting;
I only long for the warmth of your caress
A new sense of hope, my heart is finding
In the middle of the dark, nonetheless
You are my only light, I hope you see.
To my love I promise you hold the key.
The Demon Who Grew Up With Me
Rosalie Triantafyllou
Just an innocent baby girl,
and still you had an icy type grip on me.
I was your personal handmade instrument,
been playing me since way back in the day.
Just like a fiddle, you strummed vigorously at my life,
the strings attached to different parts of my fragile, tiny self.
With every pluck, and every note, a different part broke off.
My own personal bad luck charm, sometimes going so far as to alter who I was.
Since I can remember, you have been there.
First with letting my mother give me up, just one day old.
You still insisted on following me around, after accomplishing that first bad deed.
Next stop was having my second so called “mother” destroy every bit of me.
Letting her ruin my childhood,
making me learn how to grow up fast, letting her break even more cracks in me,
so you can seep deep into me, pulling apart everything
this apparent “God” worked so hard to keep.
You messed with my head,
going back and forth into all these forms.
You turned into a blade, next a bottle of pills, and finally a long thick rope
almost shutting out the light, and the life I still had yet to live.
You gave me a hell of ride during high school, a hell of a ride with my mother, a hell of ride with
life in general.
You would bring me up to just bring me right back down.
Harder and harder every single time.
Well, my dear old friend
I’m letting you go,
I’m cutting the strings you attached to me,
I’m unbinding your tight grip.
While you tried so hard to break me, and I will give you that,
I had enough fight in me to beat you at your game.
Everything you put me through, I made out alive.
Everything you put me through, made me come more alive.
Everything you put me through, only made me stronger.
You may have broken me through time, almost snapped me in half,
but without anyone’s help, I built myself right back up, to where I’m supposed to be.
I learned forgiveness is key,
And my dear demon, I have even forgiven you too.