Carmen. I stumbled on her page in summer 2024. A short clip : the curve of her neck breathing in the naked sun ; no filters – just skin , movement , moles . I scrolled __ Her framing—pulled me in. So I wrote. She replied. Quick clever uneven. ____ We met . —there’s anContinue reading “Carmen”
Author Archives: Arnest Makhin
Pippi
Even from a distance, knowing nothing about her, she struck me as, how to put it, pleasantly a little crazy. Hair: short, messy, as if an egg with green paint had been smashed over itFace: large, not beautiful, but not ugly eitherClothes: worn-out Pippi Longstocking My dog, of course, didn’t pass her by and wentContinue reading “Pippi”
Zoé
Zoé came for the second time. She paid the full fee again. You might remember her—she’s living with long Covid (https://yourstoryby.me/2024/06/10/zoe/). Before we began, she smiled and asked, ‘Could you pull the blinds down? It’s very stressing for me.’‘Of course.’ The light softened. My two dogs lay close to her. The cat hid behind theContinue reading “Zoé”
Veronika
Is there any emotion present in you?I’m very nervous. I notice how calm you are, and I feel like my own energy is all around me. I almost want to steal some of your calm.What do you mean by ‘my energy is all around me’?I’m a loud person, she gasped. I don’t know the rightContinue reading “Veronika”
Polina Melnikova
Polina was in Budapest for a few days and wanted to meet for a session. I was four hours away in Serbia with nothing better to do, so I cranked the old BMW and pointed it toward the border. Budapest still felt like a first date — tempting, with curly hair, lemonade, and green tipContinue reading “Polina Melnikova”
Lindsey Sandbrook
Most recently I did some work for an organisation who was trying to write a report about regeneration, and that’s working with mostly Indigenous people, capturing the process of how they’re working together. Indigenous to which land?Lots of different ones, working across the world virtually. That noise is gonna get frustrating! — she said, asContinue reading “Lindsey Sandbrook”
Erika
You said you feel hot. Elaborate on this feeling.Yeah, so, it’s the first summer since I’m cancer-free. My hemoglobin was so low I had to do three blood transfusions. For the past two years, I was always feeling cold. But now I’m back to feeling normal weather, so I feel hot. And that’s good. ReallyContinue reading “Erika”
Lisa
How are you feeling today?Good. I woke up feeling a bit sick, but it passed quickly.What was hurting?For some reason, my nose was swollen. I was all puffy, even though I drank very little yesterday—just a couple of glasses.And a lot is how much?A bottle. But it varies. If it’s a binge, then, well…What’s aContinue reading “Lisa”
Luca Kristof
“I’m here,” she texted me.I stood across the one-lane street from a six-storey white Bauhaus building, fronted by a tidy stretch of greenery and a low stone fence with metal mesh between the pillars. It was warm and sunny—one of those beautiful spring days.“I don’t see you,” I replied.I crossed the street and saw aContinue reading “Luca Kristof”
Kira Keller
A glass vintage German teapot with green tea and two cups sat between us.“You said you were ignoring your needs—what kind of needs?” I asked.“To… what are my needs? To bond, to feel secure, to have inner balance. I didn’t know what my desires were, because I was always with friends, family, boys, and… yeah.”Continue reading “Kira Keller”
