X
X

once upon a time...

Next door to happiness

They say Happiness lives in that house. Normally I don’t believe nothing anyone tells me, but after walking by that door every day and staring at the sunshine color, I decide to grab an ounce of nerve and knock. I wait and sweat and fidget until finally, the door cracks open, and then swings wide.

Light, warm and soft, seeps out and spills over me. Inside, birds chirp and the air smells of apples and cinnamon. If my heart wasn’t pounding hard against my chest I might have thought I’d died, skipped on by the pearly gates, and landed right inside a new Eden.

“Is Happiness here?” I ask.

“It’s here if you want it,” said a whispery voice. “And there’s apple pie too. Fresh from the oven. Come on in, now.”

I won’t tell you everything that happened, but I will tell you this, I found Happiness, and she makes the best apple pie.
 


 
This image and more of Carmen’s photographic prints and merch are available for purchase at Fine Art America.

2 Replies to “Next door to happiness”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

White barn with stormy background

Hinterland is Real

They say seeing is believing. I didn’t know what that meant until that night. I was coming home late, later than I should, and I knew I was going to catch heck. Momma didn’t even pretend to be patient when me or my sister wasn’t home in time for dinner.

Read More »
Postcard-sized flash fiction about the things we think we know about others, life, death, and everything in between. And it all starts with an image...

Deadly Mist

The mist crept closer, slithering across the boot prints she left behind on the soft, moist ground. She urged her legs to go faster over the uneven path. A leafless tree grabbed at the flying strands of her long silver hair as she ran past. They hung like shiny tinsel

Read More »
Postcard-sized flash fiction about the things we think we know about others, life, death, and everything in between. And it all starts with an image...

Path of the Dead

The path of a ghost is etched into the earth, hammered and chiseled by heeled boots, flat leather soles, and the barest of feet. I follow the prints up and over the rise. There is a man standing by the car, smartly dressed in black pants, an unblemished white shirt,

Read More »

Newsletter

Get release updates and your FREE story, just tell me where to send it.

 

Let’s Connect

All written material and images found on this site belong to Carmen Kern and Djinn & Tonic Publications. Ⓒ 2024. Read Privacy Policies and Cookie Policy here.