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Time and Tide - "Bargaining" | Penana
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Time and Tide
ISSUE #15
Author: Viktoria Fyodorova
Time and Tide
Author: Viktoria Fyodorova
ISSUE #15
"Bargaining"
No Plagiarism!rKCvZ19iE1wq9EfSK15nposted on PＥNAＮＡ

Why?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ35n8o8TX

Why was it him?

Why did the world take my parents’

only biological child?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46so2GilFT

Why wasn’t it me?

I have sinned so much in the past few years,

to the point that I have lost track

of all the horrible things

I have done.

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiuizagmbh

Why was my brother the one punished

and not me?

Why did this have to happen so close to his

32nd birthday?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOcbecero1

After everything he has been through,

this is how the world repays him for

overcoming his

alcoholism?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9l3axduEQ9

Why is the world such a cruel place?

Why is there just as much good in the world

as there is evil?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpI3PfRZ1O3

Why were Mom and I the last people

he talked to?

Why did he die

only 20 minutes after getting off the phone with us?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazBfaF7lMb

Why did he accept those drugs from someone?

a straight-up murderer?

on the street?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3szzN6zFz

Why am I still here?

Why did I survive those 24 hours

on the doorstep of the orphanage

in frigid Russia,

with only a blanket and crib to guide me?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAvKJzlVVH

Why,

out of all the orphans,

did my adopted parents

choose

me?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntzoHyOh1B

Why did my brother want a little sister?

I was a chubby, little thing—

severely malnourished—

and now I struggle with anxiety.

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7eXNwFfMM

Why is grief so

mentally and physically exhausting?

Why are there so many people

who support us?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UNpvmJtTV

Is this really what love is all about?

Is that all grief is?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe0zWjHGJ3

Why am I down here

and not with my family during this time of mourning?

Why did I come back to school

only a week after the tragedy?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C028jkpjf

Why am I so desperate to succeed,

considering the current circumstances?

31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zmvZmiekQ

Most importantly...

What is the true meaning of this anomaly

that we call “life”?

216.73.217.19

ns216.73.217.19da2
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Time and Tide
Poetry
Adventure
Short Story
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026
Total word count: 3,470
Total reading time: 16 Minutes
adventure magic comingofage college timetravel warriors poetrycollection foundfamily animals destiny lifelessons prose diversity nostalgia collegestudents symbolism writingchallenge undiscovered schoolassingment wildcard
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