Ali Lee

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (5)

5 Stories

98 karma pts

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“Old Man Belfield” by Ali Lee

Submitted to Contest #102

Trigger warning: Sexual assaultI spent nine years on campus, coming and going from that ugly, functional, concrete sprawl. I used to arrive early, the headlights of my car seeking out a space in the almost-empty car park, then shoulder my gym bag and trudge to the sports centre. After a solitary, silent work out, I would shower, return to my car and swap my sports gear for an armload of enormous, disintegrating ringbinders, with sharp edges that cut into the thin flesh of my arms, and my heavy backpack, with straps that dug into my shoulders...

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“Zanzibar” by Ali Lee

Submitted to Contest #101

I’m an expert at packing. I’ve written several blogs on the subject, made videos for YouTube and Instagram and even hosted a Facebook live Q&A on the subject. Yet I’m staring hopelessly at the empty suitcase. I can’t seem to remember how to begin. The screen doors are stretched wide open, but it’s muggy and hot, not even the faintest breeze disturbs the air. The brilliant blue of the Pacific Ocean is visible through the mosquito net, which lends the view a fuzzy quality. I’d prefer to slide the net back, to take in the brilliance of...

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“Chilli Con Carla” by Ali Lee

Submitted to Contest #100

I have it all laid out on the counter: minced beef, an onion, two cloves of garlic, cans of kidney beans and tomatoes. The cookbook is open in front of me: “Easy Student Eats”. Not a glamorous title, but the recipes are pretty good, especially for someone like me who isn’t much of a cook. The author, a boy with spiky hair who looks about fourteen, smiles obnoxiously from the cover. Darren Fielding, junior celebrity chef. Much as I hate his smarmy face, I appreciate his easy-to-follow recipes. Mum and Dad are away and the house is mine f...

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“Lunch Buddies” by Ali Lee

Submitted to Contest #97

Samantha could have sworn she heard someone knocking at the window, which was unlikely given her office was on the third floor. Also, Samantha couldn't remember the last time anyone (other than her boss or the occasional colleague) had sought out her attention. That's what happens when you move to a new country, a new town, start a new job and then a global pandemic breaks out. But there it was again; not so much a civilised knock as an insistent rat-tat-tat. Samantha leaned around the computer monitor, which had been strategica...

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“Time To Wake Up” by Ali Lee

Submitted to Contest #96

I surface, battling through darkness. Flashing lights illuminate my passage, throbbing in the grey matter behind my eyes. I'm conscious of pain, but I'm not experiencing it's full unpleasantness yet, for which I'm thankful. My mouth and eyes are dry, my neck is bent at an awkward angle, my left arm is twisted uncomfortably under my torso, my bracelet is digging into my wrist and my earrings are digging into my neck. I've woken up like this a lot over the years (more often recently) but I've never quite gotten used to the sheer awfulness of i...

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Author bio

Lifetime book nerd, finally getting around to writing some fiction after about a zillion years becoming a scientist (oh the irony!). I enjoy literary fiction but will read just about anything if it's well-written. Hope to work on developing my writing skills and produce some decent-quality short stories based on whatever pops into my head.