He found her.  She screamed.  No one heard.

(Created for a short story contest.)

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Julia Elaine Langman

“Hear that?”

“Thought it was you.”

They were both wrong.

(Created for a short story contest.)

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Julia Elaine Langman

You told me the truth and we were never the same.

(Created for a short story contest.)

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Julia Elaine Langman

Destiny’s Coming

I kept running, but it was too late.

(Created for a short story contest.)

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Julia Elaine Langman

Esta un rapaz chorando na rua e un “Yonki” que pasaba por ali lle pregunta:

-¿Que che pasa rapaz?

-Que a miña nai caeu polo balcón e agora esta no ceo.

-Enton di o “Yonki”:

-Deus! como rebota a vella.

One rainy day, Oscar was sitting at his window watching raindrops roll down the glass.  He wished he could go outside to play, so he began to imagine…

It was a bright, blue, sunny, summer day in July.  Oscar was walking in the park and watching birds.  He saw a swift speeding through the air, a cardinal casting this way and that, and a lone falcon flash past.

They all flipped and swirled and dove and twirled and Oscar thought, “I wish I could soar through the sky like that magpie.”

“But boys can’t fly,” thought Oscar.

Skipping down the sidewalk, Oscar peeked up at the canopy of the trees.  He saw helicopter seeds hovering down from a maple, blossoms blowing from a dogwood, and leaves landing under an oak.

He watched as they glided and flew and drifted and blew gracefully to the grass and thought, “I wish I could sail through the air like cherry tree leaves.”

“But boys can’t sail through the air,” thought Oscar.

Running through the field, Oscar looked into the sky and noticed the clouds.  He saw floating fuchsia flamingos, puffing powder-purple peacocks, and swelling soft, silver sheep.

He gazed as they wafted and changed and billowed and waved and thought, “I wish I could hang across the horizon.”

Just then, Oscar saw lightning in his colorful, cloudy sky.  He blinked and then remembered that he was back in his room at the windowsill imagining the birds, trees, and clouds.  “I guess I can’t float or drift or fly high in the sky,” he thought.

But suddenly he had the most wonderful thought.  “I can use my imagination to dream and travel and create and dazzle.  I can fly with my mind.”

And so he did.
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Illustrator wanted.  Send samples to julangman@gmail.com.
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By: Julia Elaine Langman

Edited by: Amanda Harvey

2 spoonfuls* of sugar (but no medicine, Mary Poppins)
2 spoonfuls of instant coffee**
Milk
Favorite coffee mug (ESSENTIAL)

1. Start by heating the milk of your choosing in microwave or in a pan on stovetop.  Use your coffee mug as a way to measure just enough milk for what you’ll be drinking… because no one likes to have to drink left over hot milk, especially when that nasty film forms on top (unless you’re Norwegian, allegedly).  To avoid said film, stir milk occasionally on stovetop, or if you’re using a microwave, make sure to heat milk right before step 5.

2.  Rinse and dry mug.  With clean, empty mug begin making cappuccino paste by plopping instant coffee and sugar into mug.

3.  Add one spoonful of milk to mix of coffee and sugar in mug.  Be sure not to add too much milk as the paste will not thicken then, and you’ll spend hours trying to get proportions right again.  Also, not enough can be said about choosing the right spoon.  Much of the success of this recipe rides on a sturdy, hard-working spoon that’s of desirable size.

4.  Then, stir vigorously and thoroughly (approximately: 2-3 minutes).  Stir until your palm gets blisters and your hand feels like it’ll fall off.  (If this actually happens, I’m sorry, but I did warn you.)  Stop only when the mixture turns a beige color and is really viscous.  When it’s finished, the paste should stick to the spoon when you turn it upside down.

5.  When paste fulfills these requirements, shlop heated milk into mug and let sit for 5-6 minutes, or until the milk dissolves most of the paste.  Stir, regularly this time, add more sugar if you have a sweet tooth, then imbibe and revel.

Notes:

*I use spoons about the size of half a tablespoon.  If you’d like to make stronger cappuccino, use larger spoons, always maintaining even proportions of coffee, sugar, and milk.

**The chunky kind of instant coffee is what I use.  I’ve never tried with the super fine espresso kind.  Regular coffee grounds don’t dissolve and therefore produce chunk-uccino.  If that’s your thing, go for it… weirdo.

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By: Julia Elaine Langman

Edited by: Amanda Harvey

I have loved you and 
I have died but
Not in the way you thought.
That old, sharp dramatist created the characters of you and me so well
But he got the names wrong.
Also, I didn’t suffocate but lived without breathing.
Unaware, you kill me still;
I’m innocent but fucked.

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Julia Elaine Langman

…iesta.  That’s s-i-e-s-t-a.  I would bet that a lot of people have heard of siesta: the midday rest period that is most commonly associated with Spain.  Actually, it’s usually one of those words people know about Spanish even if they don’t speak the language: right along with sombrero, uno, and cerveza…  No hablo español.  You know, the básicos.

True—

Spain isn’t alone:  The concept of the siesta came about as a way for people who worked in the sun to take refuge from hot conditions.  In Spain, the siesta probably originated in the south.  However, traditionally many cultures in the warmer climes practiced the siesta.  Allegedly, some Asian countries do even now.  In my experience, I saw shops close around lunchtime in Santorini, Greece and Porto, Portugal, though I can’t officially say people were siesta-ing.

In Spain, a lot of offices (government, law), banks, and local shops (flower, auto-repair shops, pastry shops, etc.) close for siesta.  Actually, banks and government offices close to the public around siesta-time each day and don’t reopen.

False—

Not everyone is sleeping:  While some people eat lunch at home and may opt to nap or power nap, others simply watch TV for a bit as a way to relax.  People who have to stay at work may be able to get a coffee after eating, but more often than not they get a standard lunch break and then go back to work (ex: primary teachers, construction workers, office workers… the majority of people, actually).  

***

Misconceptions aside, the siesta is practical in a few ways.  Firstly, lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Spain and after eating, it makes total sense to take it easy since the body already wants to rest so it can focus on digesting.

Secondly, the siesta is convenient for small to-do items in the middle of the day that otherwise would have to wait to be done in the evening.  Of course, no to-do items should generally require anything be done in the aforementioned closed establishments, but grocery or clothes shopping is possible.  In other words, any to-do items that include catching up on TV shows, window shopping, and maybe finishing last minute homework can be accomplished while Spain is, for all intents and purposes, closed.

Another plus to the siesta is that when shops open again at 4:30 or 5:00 (they close around 8:30), it’s great for having things to do in the evening: window shop, go to a bar/cafe.

That is, if you have the evening free.

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Julia Elaine Langman