This periodic magazine highlights a small selection of short stories posted to The Ink Well community that stood out and were awarded a Curie vote. Thank you to all authors in The Ink Well for sharing your creative work!
Important Note
We are showcasing authors who have contributed well-written and edited stories, have read and commented on the work of other authors and comply with all of the community rules posted on our home page. These activities help our community thrive.
The following are just a few of our favorite stories from July 12 to July 18/ 2023.
Featured Author: 
@jhymi
Craving Inclusion
Image designed using Canva
Miriam’s bed was opposite mine and she was putting her clothes together and basically doing a lot of stuff. Then, one of the girls sitting with her own group of friends on the adjacent bed said, “Hey Miriam, go charge my lamp for me.” No please. Nothing at all. And, Miriam went and collected the lamp meekly and moved to the charging area to charge it. I’m pretty sure I had that look on my face that said, “What the heck did I just see?”
But, I kept quiet. And decided to observe her more. When she got back, these girls sent her on multiple other errands and I was aghast. We were all in the same class. Why were they doing this? And more importantly, why was she letting them? Truth is, Miriam was one of my childhood friends but we’d grown up and somehow drifted apart but it didn’t mean I no longer cared about her so seeing that made me more than mad.
Featured Author: 
@nancybriti1
I dreamt that I returned home
Image from personal gallery edited in Canva
Suddenly, in the dream, I felt that something inside me was beating: next to my heart was the seed!!!! Filled with hope, I saw how the seed was alive, full of roots, ready to continue to multiply. No matter how much the university was destroyed, the university had remained within us. It was up to each one of us to take it to other places, to take it out, to transmit it, to sow it in fertile soil. Because the university was not outside, it was rooted in our spirit.
At that moment I woke up from the dream and I knew that it had not been a dream, that it was the reality that we had all lived. In my dream I was late, but in reality I hope to be on time, on time to save my house, the highest house of all: my university, the place where I belong.
Featured Author: 
@lightpen
Assisting my parents
Source
"Fetch water and wash the box." I instructed him before moving into the available canoe to start the day's activities. The job of the canoe is to transport you round the river while you engage in fishing. At the end of a trip back to the starting point, you pay the canoe man.
"Joel, please look after our bread and akara against those birds." I shouted on top of my voice when I remembered that the birds ate my food the last time I came fishing. It destabilized my plan that day to the point that I couldn't stay till the time I used to stay. I had to leave by noon when I was hungry and had no food to eat. I don't want a repeat of such an experience.
The canoeist started paddling while the four of us onboard threw our nets into the river for the first catch of the day. We backed ourselves in pairs and faced either side of the canoe.
Featured Author: 
@deraaa
Mystery Man
Image Designed on Canva.
My friends - two of them - were with me, all relaxed and watching with careful detail my interaction with this man. I knew they’d hound me later but I didn’t care. He went to the fridge to get something and I almost laughed at how much he had to bend to really look in the fridge when my eyes caught something that made my whole blood run cold. His left hand. There was a wedding band on his left hand!
Or was it just a normal ring? Men do that. Looking at it closely, it didn’t really look like a wedding ring but what if I was just feeding my mind with lies? The only way to know was to ask him but how do I go about that without giving out the fact that I was interested in him?
Featured Author: 
@abigail04
My Queen
Source
He carried the basket straight to the river very close to the market and began to wash the oranges one after the other. Mona also followed suit. As she bowed, trying to pick up one of the oranges, she saw a seagull approaching and perching on a golden box. As she saw the box, she shouted in surprise, which made Alex raise his head. He saw the seagull on the box and immediately, the seagull flew from the box to a tree behind them.
Alex watched as Mona carried the box. “Who might have left this box floating on the seashore?” She asked. “It's your luck, you need to take it home, it might be a surprise from the goddess of the sea”, Alex said to her in surprise. “Wow, my father said it. This is surprising. So, the girl I collided with is the rightful one?” Alex exclaimed within him.
Featured Author: 
@kei2
Airah Through the Portrait
Image created with dreamlike art ai.
The painting made great waves in the news just before Airah was born. It wasn't just about how captivating the art was but also about the mystery that later surrounded it. Articles on the Internet reported that it was a painting of a woman sitting on the sand on a beach. She faced the waves while holding onto a silver box by her side. A little to the left was a seagull standing graciously with its white wings ready to take flight.
Arya had the exact box on her shelf. Behind the arm of the woman was a signature, JK 1993- the artist. Several copies of the piece were recreated. However, it became a mystery when the image of the woman mysteriously disappeared from every copy of the painting that ever existed around the world. No expert could decipher what happened. Not even JK himself. It was the greatest puzzle of time.
Thank you for reading our short story highlights magazine!
p.s. You can see the past magazines here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46,47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86,87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103,
104, 105, 106, 107,108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114
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