Ashley Brandt

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2022

Stories (9)

9 Stories

220 karma pts

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“The Cat Claws” by Ashley Brandt

That cat came with the house, according to my Aunt Lenora’s Will. She’d stated it plainly on the first page, under a header called The Cat Clause. Her lawyer removed his reading glasses and shot me a smug gaze; he and my aunt had been lifelong friends, and when she’d received her diagnoses, she’d contracted her best friend and lawyer Georgie Pine Rudriger the second to draw up her last Will and testament. <...

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“The Wind Phone” by Ashley Brandt

The Wind Phone The flight from DFW airport to Northeast Japan took thirty hours. My head felt fuzzy and my legs cramped from the prolonged activity. Climbing into the taxi, I gave instructions to the driver and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. I rested my hand on the tiny clay jar tucked in my carry-on bag. The tears came often, sometimes uncontrollably. I stared out the window at ...

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“The Ghosts of Elephant Mountain” by Ashley Brandt

The cabin on Elephant Mountain had not seen occupants in three decades. Mr. and Mrs. Dillinger, a middle-aged, reclusive couple with no children, built the cabin in the late 1800s. It was said that Mr. Dillinger was sterile after a bout of the mumps during his childhood, and Mrs. Dillinger’s body was riddled with cancer. Having no extended family, the couple retreated from society to live in the rural mountains ...

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“The Gift of Goodbye” by Ashley Brandt

Uncle Don and Aunt Lynette whispered in the love seat across from mine. Cousin Charles picked at his teeth, his large form hovering in the kitchen doorway, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Rod and Finney sat to the right of the hearth, which cackled with a glowing flame.The drapes in the living room had been drawn back, revealing the picturesque snowfall beyond it. Despite the odd collection of relatives, some of whom I hadn’t seen since I was five, our little gathering made an ideal representation of Christmas morning. ...

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“My mafia romance” by Ashley Brandt

Tristan Morelli slid into the seat next to mine, drawing a collective breath from the rest of our Poli-Sci class. The entire Morelli family was well-known in Boston, and Tristan was the oldest surviving son of the Morelli empire. I tried not to squirm as his expensive cologne drifted around me like a circle, caging me in place. I could sense him in my peripheral, tall, dark and commanding, and utterly self-assured that t...

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“The Man In Black” by Ashley Brandt

The breakfast tray sat untouched on the bedside table as Nurse Teegan shuffled around the room adjusting monitor settings and pretending to document my vital signs. Her auburn hair was perfectly coiled on top of her head, and her scrubs sat crisply on her narrow frame. Her eyes were large and brown, magnified by thin framed glasses with red rims. Every so often those eyes would shift to me before darting back to her comp...

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“Breakthrough” by Ashley Brandt

My second life started on May 6, 2012. I drove to the Virtual Lifestyle Assignment building, which was situated at a right angle to the highway and across from Moody's delicatessen on Broad Street. I couldn’t believe my luck; This was the first and only time I’d ever won anything, and the timing couldn't be better. My nephew, Ajax had passed away in a terrible motor vehicle accident only two weeks ago, a loss that left ...

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“Struck by Lightning” by Ashley Brandt

The traffic on Deedson road was at a standstill. Griffith Middle School had seen its last day of the school year, and the students surged from the entrance, cheering and tossing aside their old notebooks like discard. On the front lawn, harried teachers called out commands to behave over the summer, and shouted at wayward students to cross at the cross-walk. Lawrence Weber opted to take the back way home, avoiding the ma...

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“The Fortune Teller” by Ashley Brandt

Mr. Leery’s hot dog stand greeted the visitors of Chameleon’s Circus with the mouth-watering smell of hot dogs and the eye-catching and colorful disarray of a dozen flags, all hung haphazardly along the cart. Mr. Leery was as colorful as his props, with a dazzling shock of white hair, mismatched socks, a protruding belly, and parachute pants that looked as though they might carry him away. Beyond him, Madam Cyris’ Fortune Telling Tent lay closed against the summer heat, occupied by Madame Cyris herself and one paying...

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Author bio

Ashley Brandt is a Paramedic and a published author. Born and raised in Southern California, Ashley and her husband relocated to North Texas ten years ago, where they currently live with their two wonderful little boys. Ashley is an avid reader, addicted to coffee, and spends as much time in the bookstore as she can. More of Ashley's works are available at: www.ashleybrandtbooks.com.