Twenty-One
– Nonfiction by Niko Alexandratos –
Honourable Mention in the 2025 Dreamers Micro Nonfiction Contest and featured in issue 20 of Dreamers Magazine
You would be twenty-one now, the age I was when I made the choice.
I wonder what life would have been, a mirror universe where a different me made you possible. Not regret, but second guessing.
But it was a non-choice, these other paths only visible now, looking back. I wonder if you see it the same way, or, on seeing my life now, if you feel cheated.
In the liminal space between waking and sleeping, I feel you with me, within me. You are not lost, I carry you under my skin, an ember of radiant heat and light.
About the Author – Niko Alexandratos
Stephanie Lafleur is a Human Resources professional with a writer’s soul. Raised in Northern Ontario, she now lives in Ottawa with her husband Jamie – her in-house jester, muse, and daily reminder not to take herself too seriously. She is quietly observant, infinitely curious, and firmly convinced that “normal” is just a setting on the dryer.
Read More Creative Writing
- The Second Half of Winter
- Fledgling
- Results of the 2025 Dreamers Flash Contest
- First Snow
- 2025 Haiku Contest – The Winners!
Meanwhile, at Dreamers…
Last chance! Stories of Place, Home, and the Meaning of Dreaming
The deadline for the Dreamers Writing Contest on place and home is January 31. Submit a heartfelt story, poem, or essay reflecting on belonging, memory, displacement, or the meaning of home. Open internationally. $250 CAD prize and publication.
Editor’s Note: Issues 21 and 22
We’re pleased to announce the simultaneous release of Dreamers Magazine Issues 21 and 22.These two issues were shaped during very different moments…