June 2018

Author: Ashley Ardor
At 26, Ashley is a student chasing a BS in Software Engineering and presently working in Property Management.
“I find my time most occupied with work, school, and writing on Instagram, or working on my book, ‘Venu’. I stick mostly to
science fiction. I like the hard sciences, I literally spend all day just listening to lectures on physics.”
The Human Battery
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi
“Money has come to you unexpectedly and you’ve started to think of future endeavors and personal
interests. You may want to consider investments in property. There is no need to rush to a decision, however.
Also, your romantic life has been a bit dull under this configuration. It’s time to spice it a bit! Get dolled up, go
out to your favorite bar, but watch out for things in the sky.” My eyes skimmed the few sentences, getting
caught on the need for a night out and decidedly so, made up my mind to get caught up in the dog and pony
show. After all, I had not come into any windfall of money big or small. Actually, I lost one of my two jobs.
I was a small woman, in a large city, with bills over my head and dreams larger than life. Would it have
been behooved of me to do what I was supposed to: go to school, become a lawyer or a doctor, live on call and
mercilessly to the tone of a beeper, begging me endlessly to the bedside of people I couldn’t assist? My opinion
says no. Sure, I wasn’t rich, but I also wasn’t some fickle jerk. I was not an assassin nor someone who loved
feeding on children. No, I was surely average, and honestly, that was okay with me.
My life has been cut and dry for a few months now. I find myself working more than I live; just following
the path laid out before me. I’m no longer able to hold down life without feeling like I’m losing all control.
It’s as if I were in a pirate ship being attacked by one of those dastardly sea monsters, just waiting to be crushed
and taken under to meet my fate. I continue playing around with my ex, knowing that decision is not the best.
At the same time, flirting playfully with all the men around, and actually becoming quite attracted to one. It is
ripping my mind to shreds of useless confetti paper.
Tonight was definitely going to be in my cards. The night of freedom was knocking at the back of my
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