The Next Chapter Room

Category: Short Stories

  • The Keeper

    The Keeper

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    Detachment did not arrive all at once. It came in pauses.In moments where her hand no longer reached for the phone, then hovered, then rested.In the absence of urgency rather than the presence of certainty. She noticed she no longer needed to check.Not because she was free.But because the need had softened. There was a…

  • Almost

    Almost

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    Detachment did not arrive all at once. It came in pauses.In moments where her hand no longer reached for the phone, then hovered, then rested.In the absence of urgency rather than the presence of certainty. She noticed she no longer needed to check.Not because she was free.But because the need had softened. There was a…

  • The Departure

    The Departure

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    The invitation came wrapped as a question. “You’re invited,” he said.“But aren’t you working Monday?” It was offered on days he already knew I could not go. I recognised it instantly. I wasn’t invited. My stomach dropped.The door widened. I said it gently.How it landed for me.That I would rather honesty than something half-held.An invitation…

  • The Gate

    The Gate

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    During our time together, there was a gate. I never went past it. I was never invited inside.He would stand there waiting, beside it, every time. At first, it felt practical.Later, it became familiar.Eventually, I understood it as something else. It was a physical boundary I was not meant to cross.And quietly, it was an…

  • Containment.

    Containment.

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    They both brought boxes. Hers was open. Not overflowing.Not chaotic.Just open enough to show there was something inside. You could see it had been tended to.Sorted.Considered. When something landed between them, she didn’t throw it back. She placed it in the box. “Let me sit with that for a second,” she would say, steady. Her…

  • The Ambiguous Ghost

    The Ambiguous Ghost

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    The ghost is not fully formed. The possibility of it is there. I sense it before I see anything. Not a presence exactly. More of a shift. The room feels slightly less empty than it should. The light holds longer in the corners. The air pauses, as if waiting to be noticed. When I look,…

  • Ambiguity

    Ambiguity

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in ,

    WordPress Daily Prompt – What Bores You? Ambiguity bores me when it is used as a shield rather than a reflection. It often shows up dressed as depth or flexibility, but underneath it is a reluctance to choose, to name, or to be accountable. There is a place for ambiguity. Not everything is ready to…

  • Learning as I Go (with snacks)

    Learning as I Go (with snacks)

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    If there were a biography about you, what would the title be? Daily Prompt I have learned many things the hard way and a few things the joyful way. Mostly, I am still learning. About people. About myself. About when to pause, when to speak, and when to quietly sit with a cup of tea…

  • The Coercive Controller

    The Coercive Controller

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    He was a breath of fresh air.Until he wasn’t. The connection was instant.I told myself I had been through a lot.I deserved to give this a chance. He said he could see us lasting.That this was something special.I was hesitant.I wanted to believe. He was attentive. Consistent.Yes, I thought. That’s what I need. He mowed…

  • The Party

    The Party

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    It was almost exactly a year ago. We had just reconnected after a few weeks apart.The distance came from another party.A rupture.One where he had been inappropriate with another woman in front of me. Still, I was hopeful. It was his younger daughter’s party.I arrived early, at his house first. A small pre-gathering before the…

  • The Last One

    The Last One

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    I had been through a lot.I had learned a lot.I had grown a lot. I was looking, not really engaging.Not really expecting. And then there he was. Honest.Conversational.Well kept.Stylish.Quirky.Great chat.Consistent.Open. A coffee date.This is pleasant. Another date.This is great. Measured.Easy.Humour.Depth. Such potential.Ah, I thought.This is not my usual.But I have grown.I recognise a quality man…

  • The Scanner

    The Scanner

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    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    I scan.Not because I want to.Because I had to. I learned it in childhood.Scanning to make sure my mum was still breathing. I learned it through sexual assault.Through abuse.Through relationships. I learned to notice the pause before the pause.The invitation that softened.The door that stopped being held. I felt withdrawal before it was spoken.My body…

  • The Cake

    The Cake

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    The cake had been going well. They had laughed while mixing it, flour dusting the bench, music playing low. It felt easy. Comfortable. The kind of moment that suggests there might be more of these ahead. Then, as Mara slid the cake across the bench, it tipped. The cake cracked and sagged to one side.…

  • After the Cake.

    After the Cake.

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    For a while, Mara thought about the cake more than she expected to.Not the moment it cracked, but what happened after. How quickly it was lifted.How decisively it was thrown away.How little room there had been to pause. She understood it now. Jon hadn’t meant to hurt her.He simply didn’t know how to stay with…

  • The Cup Cakes.

    The Cup Cakes.

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    Mara made cupcakes the next afternoon. Not because she needed sugar, or comfort, or distraction.She made them because she wanted to stay with the memory long enough to understand it, without replaying it. She moved slowly. Measured the flour. Cracked the eggs carefully. Let the kitchen be quiet. As they baked, she sat at the…

  • Empty

    Empty

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    They told me they were empty. Not in a dramatic way.Just a statement, offered early.I nodded and stayed. I walked alongside them.I offered time.A small box of moments.We talked. We laughed. We shared stories.There were hugs. Ease. A sense of something forming. They told me again they were empty. I stayed.We did things together.We went…

  • The Sideways Talk

    The Sideways Talk

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    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    Things had changed. It wasn’t“Do you want to come to the river with me?”, anymore. It was“I’m going to the river. Would you like to join?” No longerThis is something I want to experience with you. Just an open door.No invitation held. I felt it immediately.The door cracked.A breeze through the room. We went to…

  • The Pool

    The Pool

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    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    He gifted me the pools.An experience. A place. At first, it felt like something shared.Something that was introduced through him. When everything ended, I didn’t stay away.I went that first weekend knowing he was out of town.Not to avoid himbut to give myself space. I knew what I needed.The water. I craved the weight of…

  • The Frosted Glass Kiosk.

    The Frosted Glass Kiosk.

    —

    by

    Harper Leigh
    in

    The kiosk was made of frosted glass. You could see the outline of the person inside.A shape moving.Hands arranging something.A silhouette leaning forward when someone approached. From the outside, it felt safe.Contained.Orderly. She worked inside it. People came up to the small opening at the counter.Ordered what they needed.Exchanged a few polite words.Moved on. She…