“Cost of Living” 1st Place Winner

Money Trees

by Marnetta Singleton
Phone on table with purple drips up top

Editor’s Note

“Money Trees” unravels through a series of phone notifications, and it can be read top to bottom or bottom to top. It’s shocking how much we learn about the unnamed protagonist solely by the notifications left behind—the Duolingo notification while she’s waiting for her prescription at CVS, the choice of where to send money as soon as it comes in, the power dynamics within every exchange—all set against this persistent question: what are we willing to put ourselves through just to keep going? We recommend reading this one chronologically on your phone screen.
Boost mobile notification
Ring notification
Apple Cash notification
Heart rate notification
Ring notification
Messenger notification
Text notification
Missed call notification
Text notification
Cash app notification
Pinterest notification
OnlyFans notification
Apple Cash notification
Text notification
Chime transaction notification
CVS Pharmacy notification
Text notification
Photo notification
Text notification
Text notification
Text notification
Seeking notification
Gmail notification
Messenger notification
Cash App notification
Cash App notification
Text notification
Text notification
Text notification
Booking notification
Duolingo notification
CVS notification
Messenger notification
Messenger notification
Boost Mobile notification
Messenger notification
MyChart notification
Messenger notification
Text notification
Messenger notification
Messenger notification
Indeed notification
Calendar notification
Victoria's Secret notification
PlayStation App notification
Amazon notification
Capital One notification
Text notification
Text notification

Editor’s note: If you are using a screen reader or would like to read this piece as a document, click here.

Marnetta Singleton

“Cost of Living” 1st Place Winner
Marnetta Singleton is an Ohio writer whose work spans horror, speculative fiction, drama, comedy, and character-driven thrillers. She is drawn to psychological and symbolic storytelling, especially the small details people may not consciously notice but still feel. Through subtext, foreshadowing, and layered characterization, she explores what people reveal without meaning to, the choices they make under pressure, and the things they may not yet understand about themselves. Her stories often place ordinary people in extraordinary situations while keeping the deepest conflict unmistakably human.

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