Amanda Rantanen

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (5)

5 Stories

104 karma pts

?

“Blood Brothers” by Amanda Rantanen

Submitted to Contest #206

Growing up in the seventies was about as "un-woke" as you could get. For starters, my kindergarten teacher punished a girl who probably had a learning disability by making her sit under the teacher's desk. It was an old style desk with a solid back panel and stack of drawers on the left and right. Almost daily, the poor child was forced to crawl down in the dark, cramped area and sit by the teacher's stinky feet. Back then, a lot of the older teachers wore pantyhose and heels with skirts. I would guess the child had a close up...

Read story

“Northwoods be Jammin’” by Amanda Rantanen

Submitted to Contest #205

The light of the full moon cast its glow on the Thimbleberry patch making it an especially good night for Sierra Ann Squatch to pick berries at her property near Copper Harbor, Michigan. For the past several years, Ms. S.A. Squatch has been living alone in a secret location deep in the woods. We had the rare opportunity for an interview with Ms. Squatch, who is the owner of Northwoods be Jammin’. She allowed us to meet up with her at midnight in the middle of nowhere so long as we didn’t bring cameras and we promised not to disclose her exac...

Read story

“Peregrine White - Part 2 ‘Rite of Passage’” by Amanda Rantanen

Submitted to Contest #205

[The story is based on real people and true historical events. The narrative is fiction.] Susanna and her five year old son, Resolved, stood on the deck of the Mayflower as they watched her husband, William, and several of the other men row to shore in the schloop. The men were going to the mainland to decide where to build houses. It was a chilly November day in the harbor at Cape Cod. Susanna wrapped the shawl around herself and it barely covered her protruding belly. She felt a hard kick that took her breath away and felt as though it ...

Read story

“Peregrine White” by Amanda Rantanen

Submitted to Contest #204

As Susanna sat in her room watching the clock she kept smoothing down her billowy skirts and taking deep breaths. The Cuckoo Clock struck three in the afternoon, a little wooden door popped open, and out came two alpine dancers. They spun around, then quickly went back inside and the small door closed behind them. Normally, the amusing clock would bring a smile to her face but today she bit her lower lip, closed her eyes and waited for William to come back. She needed to have a serious talk with him. At last the door to the stateroom...

Read story

“Wild Soapman” by Amanda Rantanen

Submitted to Contest #204

Since moving into my great-grandfather’s homestead deep in Oregon’s Cascade Range in 2020, it’s been just me and Poncho, my trusty Bernese Mountain Dog. My great-grandfather was Samuel Adams Squatch, otherwise known as S.A.Squatch. You might have heard of him but you likely never saw him. I bet you are wondering why I would want to be alone in the wild west. The answer is simple and complex. I’m a germaphobe. I was freaked out about the novel virus, I hated wearing masks over my huge beard, and I am scared of needles. It’s called trypano...

Read story

Author bio

Amanda loves people, golden retrievers, breve lattes, libraries, and Michigan. Doesn't like bad drivers, snakes, olives, dentist offices, or Florida in the summer.