In His Own World (Yao Bo)
Inspiration Words: Running and Building A small takeout container of rice and another small box with some chicken and vegetables sat on the table near Yao Bo’s (yow bwoh) computer. He had started eating, but then he forgot about the food he had ordered when a zombie...
Stuck (Tan Shuwen)
Inspiration Words: Italian and Cat Shuwen (shoo wuhn) looked at her patient, who was waving her arms in circles and hitting anything they connected with. She tried to focus on calming her patient down, but Shuwen found herself wishing she could just swing her arms...
Where Family Comes Alive (College girl)
Inspiration Words: Keep and Moon I had begged Mom to let me stay home instead of going to Conghua (tsohng hwah), a suburb of my city, during the Spring Festival holiday. I know the whole family is supposed to get together for the most important holiday of the year,...
Mr. Fisherman (Mikael)
Inspiration Words: Fishing and Japan Mikael (mee-kayl), a Russian student, labored through the Chinese passage while his classmates listened to him read. When he came to a word he couldn’t recognize, he paused and waited for his teacher to offer the word. He knew the...
Find the Light (Zhanqi/Adam)
Inspiration Words: Pilot and Light Feng Zhanqi (fuhng jahn chee) stepped into the airplane hangar, savoring the last few seconds of bright sunlight. He walked toward the Boeing 747 and thought about how he would fix the problem in the small engine room. He would...
Food is Life (Delivery Guy)
Inspiration Words: Neon and Perhaps Food. My life mostly consists of food. I’m around food all day, every day, but even though I’m around so much of it so often, I rarely have more than five minutes to eat a meal. Oh, and weather. The weather is also a huge part of my...
Far from Home (Ellie and Qunying)
Inspiration Words: Remorse and Plate Ellie pulled another sweater over her head and put on her coat. Then, she wrapped a scarf around her neck and pulled a hat over her ears. She was nice and warm inside, but the moment she stepped out into the gray day outside, she...
Wedding Dresses and Eggs (Anne, Samantha, and Becky)
Inspiration Words: Candy and Surreal Anne looked around her at the hotel room in Hunan province. Samantha sat on a chair staring at the door where Becky had just walked out. “Can you believe our little Becky is a bride?” Samantha said the words as if she was in shock....
Where’s the Path? (Paul)
Inspiration Words: Bell and salary Paul stared at the computer screen before leaning back and rubbing his eyes. It was 8 p.m., and the office was still full. Most people were sending emails, contacting customers in the West, and trying to hammer out the details of...
Numb the Ache (College Student)
Inspiration Words: Mercy and Bond I ended the call with my mom and climbed into my bed. I’d been trying to call her more frequently, after what happened. Inside the mosquito net, I felt like maybe I could hide from my roommates. It was the middle of the day, but since...