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A. L. V.

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2019

Stories (18)
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14 Followers
3 Following

18 Stories

317 karma pts

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How the Carnation Bleeds

Submitted to Contest #238

 She already knows what flowers she’s going to buy. She already has the cash for it down to the penny in her right pocket. She’s anticipated dirt and snow and already has her worst sweatpants on.              A small bouquet is arranged by the door. Hundreds of other priced blossoms are arranged throughout the store. With the pink carnations she’s picked, countless others fly off the shelves in an instant. There’s exactly twelve in her bouquet. An older gentleman sees...

18 likes 5 comments 5
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A Eulogy to my Love

Submitted to Contest #234

If you had warned me of this tragedy, of the unforeseen inhumanities of what I have and will do, I would have 1) Not believed you, and 2) Would have been appalled at the great lengths I had violated my duty and right as a doctor to ethically serve the sick and injured.It's not that I had malicious intent, not truly. I have saved hundreds of people, worked day and night to help people! I never would intend to do such a thing; you have to believe me!Oh, that annoying bitch of a maid we hired. Milly always coined the term "Cleaning Assistant", ...

10 likes 3 comments 3
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Quantum's Toll

Submitted to Contest #206

The superstitious people of Jitter Hills blame the unexplained disappearances on a local myth known as Quantum’s Toll. Of the sixty thousand people to have ever lived here, over a thousand have gone missing. Every year in school, at least one student cannot be accounted for and it’s the buzz of the semester. Freshman year, it was Juno Smith, our class vice president. Sophomore year, it was Diana Brown from the Archery Team. Junior year, it was Vesta Schwarz who shared a home with three foster kids. I've wondered who the unlucky duck would ...

10 likes 0 comments 0
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Eater’s Paradox

Submitted to Contest #205

        My tongue itches for desserts – the sweet experiences that I forbid myself to delight in.               Even as the suburban with my family inside pulls out of the driveway, it isn't until they turn the corner of my neighborhood that I decide to walk over to the cupboard.               Stop. You need to stop. Control yourself.   &nb...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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There are People here

Submitted to Contest #204

       A bag of silver coins dangles from my hip, completely worthless to me in its current state.             I tie another bag closed, full of old steel utensils, and let it hang from the saddle. I know of a man in a nearby town that can melt scavenged metal into bullets for a decent price. I've given him ample business, and just through seeing his clients I've wondered how many of his bullets have been used to kill people.   ...

15 likes 3 comments 3
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The Climbing Boy

Submitted to Contest #202

Luci towers above the little Charles like the smoking chimneys around them.He holds Luci close to him, silent as a baby lamb following its shepherd. A man with a thick, untamed mustache leads him around the boulevard, checking addresses along the way. As the chimneys rise higher with each house they pass, the more of his rotting smile Charles caught from the corner of his eye. Passerby can easily identify them – the Master with their slouched, unnatural posture and toolbelts, the apprentices in their thin rags that hung like curtains.Once th...

6 likes 1 comment 1
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Capriccio in the Southern Cross

Submitted to Contest #197

[TW: Includes mild themes of violence and substance abuse.] Hawke never seems to worry about where he is in the world.   One morning, he’ll stroll onto the deck and declare that we need to swing the ship ninety degrees to the West. The next, he’ll be pulling out the rum and tequila stock because he found a city in the horizon.  I admire his spirit, but I fear it may be his downfall.  With the Capriccio at sea for weeks on end, it’s difficult to have reliable, new information on the Great War ensuing. I hear the Alliance h...

20 likes 4 comments 4
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The Gentle Bones

I glance at the grandfather clock near the grand piano, not fazed by the fact that it was two in the morning. Is it really that late? Did I fall asleep?I could’ve sworn that it was only eleven. I knew that I had been playing for a while, but I found it hard to believe that it had been three hours. But then again, my head has been swimming with exhaustion and my consciousness has been hanging by threads. I pushed myself off the old, wooden bench and sank into the nearby sofa, where sleep grabbed me faster than I could process.I awake at ...

2 likes 0 comments 0
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A Gracious Indictment

Submitted to Contest #194

Author’s Note: I addressed the prompt metaphorically, I hope this aids in the interpretation of this piece. You may also refer to a video made by Quinn’s Ideas on YouTube talking about the book Echopraxia to further understand the concepts. Please understand that this piece is meant to explore philosophical concepts, and not to insult or target any group. The Creed stood tall and sound - but I couldn’t deny the Gorta that loomed outside it’s front door.The Creed was a cathedral that towered above everything else in the City – ...

17 likes 2 comments 2
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Lit

Submitted to Contest #164

A simple diamond ring reflected the sunlight that streamed through my windshield, and then I promised myself that I would return to the East Coast as soon as possible. Pretend to get along with half of the extended family, check in with my father, and dip before anyone else I knew recognized me or heard about me being in the area.  Given that it was the Midwest, nothing much happened around here besides occasional farm accidents and local school events. I was, unfortunately, the only impressive thing to come from this area besides the ...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Kuru's Dish

Trigger warning: This story contains the following sensitive content: Gore, abuse, and mental health. Please read with caution. The Home was the same as it was when I grew up there. The old wooden floors creaked beneath my heels as I walked inside, the building eerily quiet. But this certain thickness of the air implied that the children were here, they just simply were elsewhere in the house. I shrugged, and brought in my groceries for my feast tonight. Given that I was the Secretary of Agricultural Affairs of Cardimal, I had access to ...

3 likes 0 comments 0
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Where the African Grey Perches

Submitted to Contest #151

I’ve worked here for four months, and not once have I stepped into one of the break rooms. Once the clock strikes noon, several employees rise from their seats to get lunch. Many walk out in groups, making plans to get lunch at a cute café or a food truck. Others pull packed lunches out of their desks. I hesitate to get mine, some coworkers giving me steely glares on the way out. A part of me wants to go eat with Uncle Moore, but I know that would only make things worse. I took my lunch with me out to the main hallway, heading...

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For whom the Teeth Bleeds

Ash looked surprisingly cleaned up, considering that he just returned from an expedition. I could only imagine just how dirty he was - soot and smog all over his hands, imprints from gas masks and protective equipment, the raw stench of the Wastelands that even our thick city walls couldn't block out completely. The toxic radiation that was so potent it used to keep us trapped like rats.    "I suppose the Foals are back in hiding for today? I asked, rather openly considering that we were only in a backroom behind City Hal...

3 likes 1 comment 1
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The Flowers of New Orleans

Submitted to Contest #83

In the Roth Mansion, there have always been a strict set of rules to follow. It's been our lifestyle, our history, our morals, our principles. But possibly for the first time in generations, or ever, the most important rule that we lived by was about to be broken. Never leave the mansion. And for the first time in my ten years of life, I was going to step outside the mansion. I am Azalea Charles Roth, one of the youngest, currently living members of the Roth family, and the great, great, great granddaughter of Charles Lee Roth. I t...

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Auxiliadora Smiles

Submitted to Contest #67

Perhaps what made this job so hard was the fact that, as a Harvester, you had to be ruthless. If you didn't have that, you were screwed. Auxiliadora had that trait, and that's what made her so valuable to the company. Me? I could barely even sleep at night now because of all the harvests I've had to do in the last few months. It haunted me, worse than you could ever imagine. It was like the devil let loose a demon inside me, gnawing away at my insides. It wasn't putting in the effort to escape, it was only there to inflict torment and...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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