"No November" by Nicole Dong: November 2025 2nd Place

I sat on the couch. “It’s gone,” I said, calmly.

“What’s gone?” she said.

“I woke up this morning, and it was gone. It was just missing. November wasn’t there.”

She had a look of concern on her face.

“Have you been taking your medication?”

Of course. She’s taking the world’s side. Laugh with or be laughed at.

I laughed hysterically.

“You all think that you’re right! You think I can just swallow it down with the pill! It’s real! Where did it go?”

She didn’t answer. Her pen kept moving across the page. Something about the lighting in the room was annoying me.

Then she looked up and leaned forward. The edge of a page peeked out. And there it was.

The page was dated 11/3.

Ha!

“What is that then?” I said.

“What?”

“The date. That’s November.”

“No. November isn’t real,” she says in her calm voice.

“Yes, it is! Stop lying to me!”

“I think we should take a break –”

“NO!” I shouted. “You took it! You’re keeping it from me!”

“Sit down, please.”

I grabbed her wrist. I snatched the notebook and read what was written on it.

I don’t remember the rest of it clearly. Shouting. The crash of glass.

When they came for me, I told them the truth.

“She had it. She was hiding November!”

They didn’t believe me. They said it was an episode.

In my cell at night, I can hear it. Leaves falling and the winds whistling, the noise echoing across the halls.

I think she opened the notebook again. I think November’s finally coming back.