Tag: short stories

Six Word Story (105)

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I was given my first pair of glasses at the age of 5. They were purple, and the temple tips were made to wrap around a child’s ear and help hold them in place.

I also remember those first few weeks of using them. They were heavy, the strain hurt my eyes, and I didn’t like them.

But whether or not I liked them, I needed them. Soon I realized I didn’t have to squint all the time, and once I was used to the weight and the focus, my eyes hurt less than before I got them.

I couldn’t read yet but now I could SEE the words on a page and the letters that made them up, but only if I wore those glasses and chose to focus.

There is bounty in focus. But most of the time, it doesn’t come naturally, you have to learn it and chose it.

Copyright ©2023 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Available titles by Mary

Underground United/Off Topic Publishing

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I have been waiting for months to be able to share this publication with you. I am so thrilled and excited to announce that on October 31st my short story ‘Underground United’ was published in the Wayward and Upward anthology of stories and poems.

I am honoured to stand alongside so many other talented and hard-working writers and poets. The diverse backgrounds of the writers who were selected is exciting, the content is stunning, and the hard work by the publishers to make this project happen will not be forgotten.

The forty pieces in this book unite two creative endeavours at the heart of humanity: making music and telling stories. Each writer took inspiration from one of the ten tracks on the Wayward & Upward album by Spinoza Gambit. This anthology collects one short story and three poems for each track, showcasing the variety of interpretations a single piece of music can evoke.

– Wayward and Upward description –

Off Topic Publishing has played an important role in my personal growth as a writer, and now as well in my published career. The staff and Editor are all amazing individuals and I am so grateful to them for their hard work, and dedication to Canadian literature and excellence. I encourage any writers out there to connect with them and enjoy the community they are growing around the written word.

They have a monthly contest that is worth checking out and entering if you are a growing writer. The entry fee continues to be affordable and each entry receives feedback from the judges. I have never won this contest but several of the pieces I entered have gone on to see publication elsewhere. The feedback I received was encouraging, as well as important to my later success. Thank you to those judges!

Wayward and Upward is available for purchase directly from the publisher, as an ebook or in print form. Find it by clicking one of the links above or by visiting my own bookshop and following the links provided there.

Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Six Word Story (90)

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In my experience, life rarely unfolds in a straight line, or how we expect it to.

We wonder back and forth while wondering if there is a purpose to it all, and when will we ‘arrive’.

I have also noticed that the paths my elders have walked, have laid down pathways.

They make the back and forth a bit easier to bear. They assure me that others have walked this way ahead of me.

Even when I walk off the beaten path, it reminds me that my own footsteps are marking possibilities trails for those who journey behind me.

When I look down the steep hillside, I am thankful for all that back and forth.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Titles by Mary Grace van der Kroef

Six Word Story (88)

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How does the environment affect our perception of the world?

Weather we want to admit it or not, it often plays a key role. This can be a good or bad thing.

Awareness.

Boundaries.

Bravery, to face the things we can not change.

Understanding we are also part of the environment, and we touch others just as they touch us.

Knowing our perception doesn’t always equal truth, but is still an important part of understanding.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Titles Available by Mary Grace van der Kroef

Six Word Story (83)

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Do you know the ache of honest work?
The burn of weary feet?

Do you know the sweet sensation of a deep pile carpet after work shoes are shed?

Without the ache, we would not know the release of rest.

May this weekend give you that rest your weary feet might need.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Six Word Story (82)

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I remember my red balloon. It was heart-shaped with ‘Happy Birthday’ printed in white letters across one side.

I loved that balloon.

Unfortunately, my parents’ living room ceiling hated balloons of all kinds.

“Hold on to the sting, Mary.” I was told.

But, In the middle of childhood games and enthusiasm I let the string of go and in a startling second… That balloon burst as it touched the brickly popcorn surface.

Now I have a new balloon. But I have learned my lesson. I won’t let my dream touch that prickly ceiling…

How about you?

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Six Word Story (81)

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We have learned to fear silence.

The loneliness, the lack of progress.

When we learn to stop our chatter, pause our industry, we will hear what lays underneath what we fear.

The beat of our hearts, the breath of life, the creaking of growth, the groaning of decay.

When we sit with that thing, we fear, we learn what life really is.

In the learning we find new ways to sing and build around silence.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Six Word Story (80)

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Delicate. fragmenting under pressure.

Desiccated particles, all that remain.

Or…

An imprint that will last lifetimes.

A legacy.

A gift.

A life unforgettable.

We all leave imprints we are unaware of.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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Six Word Story (77)

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Nothing gets done unless someone is willing to get their hands dirty.

In the western cultures we admire cleanliness, and the modern way of life. But underneath the white walls, and pavement, is the evidence of people who wheren’t afraid of a bit of dirt.

Art making is no different.

We paint, we sculpt, we gather, and glue. A writer creates a ‘dirty draft’ before shaving away exes prose and blowing the fragments into the waste bin at the back of the mind.

We can not remove the muck of ‘making’ from life.

It might be dirty, but it’s beautiful.

I, for one, am thankful that God himself was not afraid of the dirty work of making.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroeft

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Six Word Story (76)

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They are a comfort. They tell us someone took the time to fix us up. Sometimes, they come with a kiss.

Bandaid, we wish they could fix everything, don’t we? We run around slapping them on every scrap and bruise like a three-year-old. But in reality, they are not always enough. They can hide the real problem.

Don’t let a bandaid fix keep you from healing. But also, hold dear every kiss they come with.

©2022 Mary Grace van der Kroef

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