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Annalisa D.

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (66)

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80 Followers

50 Following

66 Stories

2169 karma pts

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The Bulletin of Missing Things

Annalisa D.

Every work day morning, Ted grabbed his “World’s Most Okay Dad” mug filled with tongue burning hot coffee and went straight to the “Missing Things” bulletin board. Keith started the board when he pinned up a paper detailing his stolen ham-and-cheese sandwich and asking for anyone with information to contact him. He even had a picture of the lackluster sandwich. Perhaps he took pictures of all his lunches every morning. For what reason, Ted couldn’t possibly guess. Now everyone posted their missing things, hopeful of finding the thief and put...

4 likes

Something of Value

Annalisa D.

A sense of pride billowed through my fluffy cotton stuffing and excited tingles tickled through my fibers as David carried me up the stairs to the red front door of his wide, cream-colored house. Moments ago, David had rescued me from a pile of one-eyed dolls with choppy haircuts, tattered teddy bears, rusty tricycles, and coffee stained books. He pulled me free of the endless smells of vomit, rotten fruit, and spoiled meat. Then placed me in a cool car with smooth, clean seats and the glorious smell of artificial strawberry air freshener.&n...

4 likes

The Most Famous Portrait

Annalisa D.

Note: This story is connected to "Burn The Future" for anyone interested in more. I stared at the painting, wondering why someone would allow such a grotesque piece to be exhibited in a museum. Vomit-yellow colored snakes curled around a naked woman. Was it some sort of biblical reference? The details of her body suggested the artist had never actually seen a naked woman, or perhaps she was a human-adjacent alien form. Hideous colors clashed together poorly. The look of sheer horror on her face sent shivers down my spine. “She was on...

4 likes

Love Lake Killer

Annalisa D.

A sense of dread churned in my stomach, thickening like cream to butter. The office clock’s ticks sounded too slow. I wondered if the battery was dying. “Rachel?” I jumped up and gasped. Sandra laughed. “Jumpy today. Everything okay?” I nodded and reached for the papers she held. “A little preoccupied, I guess.” “Big date night plans?” Sandra’s cheeks dimpled as she grinned. Romance was her favorite topic of conversation. It made sense. She was young, single, and devoured romance novels at an impressive rate. I could...

4 likes

All Around Us

Annalisa D.

My lungs burn from the crisp winter air. A metallic blood taste pours up from my throat and coats the inside of my mouth. I can’t really feel my legs anymore, but I try to keep my stride short and my cadence high. My feet keep slipping on icy patches, but I can’t slow down. My nose and cheeks sting, but sweat coats my back and armpits. The sound of Matty’s wheezing assures me he is still close by. Running is harder for him, and I wish I could carry him. I want to see how far behind us the creature is, but I know looking is foolish. I want to...

6 likes

Undertow

Annalisa D.

Warm droplets of water gently wash the icy chill of winter from my arms. My cheeks and jaw relax with the soothing pleasure, but my nose remains an icicle. Blue paint swirls around my feet and runs towards the drain. It’s frigid, dark nights like this when I miss my husband the most. I can still picture his face for a moment before it fades to black. A knock on the door causes me to jump and almost lose my balance on the copper tiled shower floor. It’s seven thirty in the evening, and I live in an isolated home along the shore. My neigh...

5 likes

Playing Games

Annalisa D.

Content Warning: Some adult language and themes I wanted to be pretty. Pretty enough to make boys crazy and inspire songs, poems, and stories. That must feel so powerful. People lied and said it wasn’t all beauty, and sure, some boys loved girls with pleasant personalities. That’s another type of love, though. It’s appreciating practical value. Acceptance, not desire. Pretty people shifted the world with their presence. Changed how people acted. I craved that desperation to impress, but I looked as plain as possible. Incapable of elicit...

7 likes

The Hero

Annalisa D.

Feeling frustrated with his day, and perhaps the world as a whole, Elijah abandoned his routine and ventured into the woods. He had never followed this trail before, and he had no idea where it would end up. None of that mattered. At that moment, his only concern was moving as far away from everything as possible. Sweat soaked through his white button up dress shirt and the wet material irritated him. He loosened his red tie, but left it dangling around his neck since he didn’t know what else to do with it. With a laugh, he considered...

7 likes

Ride or Die

Annalisa D.

Content warning: Blood, cursing, violence, sexual violence My head throbbed, demanding pain killers. Irritation flooded through my body. Only sleep cured my migraines, so waking up with one felt hopeless. With a sigh, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Then I realized I couldn’t normally do this. I kept my bed pressed against the wall, because I liked confined spaces. I looked down at the thick white comforter that also wasn’t mine. Where am I? I didn’t recognize this room. Clothing, used dishes, food wrappers, an...

8 likes

Blueprints

Annalisa D.

“So, what’s the catch?” I eyed the concert tickets that Angel handed to me, suspiciously. Front row, center seats to my favorite band would be an overly generous gift from anyone really, and Angel wasn’t a particularly generous kind of person. He kicked at something on the dusty floor. “Look, I got to let Joel go.”“Let go, like in fire?” “Yeah,” he nodded. “I mean, hey, you know he doesn’t really want to be doing this.” I think of Joel at home staring blankly into the TV screen, more like a robot that had been powered down tha...

8 likes

Secret Weapon

Annalisa D.

The news warned about a killer on the loose, but it’s hard to worry too much about monsters roaming around out there, when you have them inside your own home already. “A killer on Halloween? Sounds like a prank,” Dad grumbled while popping open a can of beer. “The news is all a joke.” “They’ll come for you tonight when you’re all alone,” Sadie, my obnoxious older sister, threatened. I rolled my eyes, and said, “let ‘em. Nothing I can’t handle.” Having Halloween all to myself wasn’t an issue. I liked handing out candy to t...

7 likes

The Halloween Party

Annalisa D.

I’ve never believed in love at first sight, until I saw him standing there in that blood-soaked, white t-shirt. He even had that bit of blood on his chin and neck. The ghost face mask hanging from his back pocket was a nice touch. I had the biggest crush on Billy Loomis when Scream came out, and this guy looked just like him. Same gorgeous hair and brown eyes I couldn’t help but get lost in. Why do they pick such hot actors to play psychopaths? Maybe it’s to help us empathize with the victims and understand why they’d trust them. Still, ther...

9 likes

The Halloween Desk

Annalisa D.

Submitted to Contest #166

I loved the first morning of October each year. I had my box of Halloween decorations ready to snazz up my office cubicle. Spiderwebs to line the partition walls, a cauldron filled with candy, orange lights to sparkle around my computer, little trick-or-treater figurines, plenty of pumpkins with long, twisting stems, and a cd of creepy music to play on repeat. Every other month, I felt as invisible as a ghost haunting my work space, but this month, people stopped by my desk and acknowledged my existence. Women would stop by to take a sm...

25 likes

Dangerously Bored

Annalisa D.

Content warning: This is meant to be satire, so it could all be perceived as offensive and touches on many triggering topics.“Nothing makes for an exciting election season like a well-timed murder,” an old man wearing a mustard-colored cardigan says to the chubby white haired gentlemen across the booth from him. He raises his thick caterpillar eyebrows to emphasize the statement.I couldn’t help but listen in when hearing a line like that, and luckily they both spoke loudly enough to eavesdrop with ease. “What’re you going on about?” The...

7 likes

A Punch to the Face

Annalisa D.

Vicky, my roommate, looks at me with wide-eyed horror as I step into our apartment. A package of ramen noodles slips from her perfectly french manicured fingers. “You’re supposed to be at work.” “I got fired,” I shrug, while hanging my backpack on the coat hanger. “For what?” It’s well into the afternoon but she’s in an oversized t-shirt with bedhead hair.“Punching this guy, Casey, in the face.” She gasps. “Relax, I didn’t do it.” Confusion twists her slender, spray tanned face. “Nick did it, but I said I did ca...

6 likes