Anna Frederiksen-Washington

“You can't judge a book by its cover” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

You can’t judge a book by its cover The chair creaked as Cheryl stood up and stretched her hands above her head. She had been sitting too long in front of the computer and her neck and back had begun to ache. It was not a good sign and she knew it would prevent her from a good night’s sleep again. The library was relatively quiet at this time of the year when all the assignments had been handed in and the university closed the lecture theatres. Most of the students did their work on-line now and the library was not used as much as before. ...

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“Once upon a town” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Once upon a town1963 was an interesting year. John F. Kennedy had just been assassinated, the civil rights movement was growing, and Marthin Luther King delivered his famous speech “I have a dream.” The Vietnam War had started and there was a new band called The Beatles.Jean walked slowly down the main street towards the post office. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and the shop owners were busy putting out the racks with summer frocks and colorful pot plants. She nodded briefly as she passed them.- God morning, Mrs Bently.- Lovely day, Mrs...

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“Tree in a matchbox” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #198

Tree in a matchboxA private school in Australia in the sixties entitled a child to a one-on-one learning basis. That is how Simon’s education started. His parents worked hard to pay for his fees. A blue cap with a matching blazer, embroidered with the emblem of St. Michaels became his first uniform. A small boy in a world where everything had its place and the world outside appeared strange and confusing. A cloak room that smelled of brand-new leather satchels and banana sandwiches.It was during this time he began to explore the books in the...

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“My Beautiful Sunflower” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #191

My Beautiful Sunflower It was early April and one of the last very rare Indian Summer Days where the light and warmth dressed the city in a final promise of summer. Lisen was looking through the florist window on Jetty Road, trying to decide what flowers to buy for her friend Carina’s funeral. She felt sad and strangely weak inside and somehow the flowers did not bring that sense of comfort and strength she had hoped for. She looked at the roses; red, pink, yellow and white and thought of Carina walking through her rose garden with the se...

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“Odd ball Emily” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Odd ball Emily “Speak now.” Emily felt a nudge and looked up at her mum who was sitting beside her at the table. “Come on, out with it! What do you think you were doing?” She looked around and they were all looking at her now, waiting for her to say something. She could feel her face turning redder than the tomatoes on the plate in front of her and she wanted to sink through the floor. There was no way out. “Come on Emily, you have got some explaining to do. What’s going on?” Her father lent towards her and his voice sounded angry. Why di...

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“The Boy and the Mobile” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #189

The Boy and the Mobile"It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark". It was the last evening of the year. Sergii looked up towards the sky, hoping to see a star, but there was only a thick grey blanket covering the area. Sounds of loud explosions came from somewhere far away and he knew instinctively this was not the fireworks that used to light up his town with all the colors of the rainbow to celebrate the coming of the new year. This was something different, something very bad. Missiles launched by the Russians were...

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“Percy, the old rebel Swede” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #177

Percy, the old rebel SwedeThere are no other sounds here at Kangaroo Point besides the heavy traffic passing over The Story Bridge. Main Street is always quiet. It is like being at a dead end and yet there is so much life there in the city across the river. This seems to be a secret place where the fruit bats hang in the paw paw trees at night and the rain flows under the wooden houses like a never-ending river. It is hot, humid and it smells of frangipanis and the tropics. We like sitting in the park under the big Moreton Bay fig tree in th...

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“The Bringer of Stories” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #176

The Bringer of Stories Matilda walked slowly along the main street. She was tired after a long day at school and browsed in the shop windows on her way back home. There was not much to get excited about, she knew them all and they always looked the same to her. Today she felt sad. The results from the latest math’s test were not good and she knew her parents would not be happy. It did not help how hard she tried, her marks never seemed to improve. When she came to the corner, she saw an old bus parked by the curb. It was painted in bright...

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“The Sweet Scent of Eucalyptus” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #175

The Sweet Scent of Eucalyptus Nigel leaned on the shovel as he watched Katherine plant the last of the eucalyptus trees in the reserve. They had planted twelve trees by the early afternoon and would have planted a few more if it had not been for the difficult ground. It was mainly shale and Nigel had to use his pickax to dig the deep holes. He looked out over the reserve; it was green and lush after the winter rains and the young eucalyptus trees from last year looked healthy as they carefully displayed their young leaves. He smiled to him...

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“The Gift” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #174

I have had plenty of time to think on the long flight from Australia to Sweden but I cannot remember the last time I met Ulrika. It could have been just after my mother died and she invited me and my boyfriend to dinner at her apartment in the suburbs of Stockholm. She married a man from Argentina and had a son. I remember thinking how strange it was for her to live in a flat in the suburbs as I was used to seeing her in the grandparent’s house by the edge of the forest up the road from my family home. We grew up together. She was a couple o...

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“The Smile” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #173

She reached for the remote control and turned the tv off after watching “Songs of Praise” which her son recommended for her. It was not that she was particularly religious but the program was usually set in an interesting place and today it came from Inverness in Scotland where she had been on a trip around Europe. It must be over 30 years ago now. It was just after her husband had passed on and her daughter in law was going back to see her father in Sweden. She decided to come with them as she feared the thought of being left alone and ther...

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“From Sweden with love” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #172

From Sweden with love It is one of the first warm days this spring as I stand by the water’s edge watching the sea and the sun reflecting it’s promise of a long hot summer. The day is crystal-clear and you can see every grain of sand on the bottom. I reach for the bath towel and wrap it tight around my body as I become aware of the wet bathers clinging to my skin. The water is cold but it is invigorating and I feel the energy returning after what seemed to be a very long wet winter. As I look out to sea, I notice a ripple only about twenty ...

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