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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022
Submitted to Contest #251
Sequestered in the library archives, doctoral student Amelia Jenkins gazed at the 15th century manuscript that lay before her. As she lifted the curled edge of the parchment and studied the text, she imagined its author writing these words more than five hundred years ago. The ancient document described the seasonal rotation of crops and the annual harvests of wheat, oats, and barley. Halfway down the page, the manuscript ended mid-sentence, the writer's meticulous handwriting turning to light scratches and dark blots. The author had apparen...
Submitted to Contest #230
As Kendall drove past Long Lake, she slowed to take in the view of the cloud-streaked sky and setting sun that cast an orange glow across the water’s placid surface. It had been twenty years since she'd left her hometown, only returning now for her uncle's funeral. Growing up near the lake, she'd loved the sunsets that cast a crimson hue across the sky and the wavering caws of the loons that echoed across the water. As she crossed the bridge that spanned the widest section of the lake, the opening notes of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" hummed...
Submitted to Contest #225
Amusement park rides swirled around us as the heady scent of buttered popcorn and fried dough wafted through the balmy summer air. Clanging bells, hissing water guns, and popping balloons punctuated the steady din of the jostling crowd around us. I'd brought my teenage sons Alex and Jake to the carnival and they were eager to try every dizzying ride in the park. Standing outside the chains at each ride, I'd watch the two of them howling and laughing their way through the tilt-a-whirl, the scrambler, and the orbiter. As my sons raced to the...
Submitted to Contest #222
Jamie handed the file to Michelle with the reverence of a soldier presenting a folded flag to the widow of a deceased veteran. She lowered herself into the leather-back chair facing Michelle’s desk, sitting on the front edge of the seat with her legs crossed and hands clasped over one knee. When Michelle looked up from her computer screen, her ginger-blonde hair framed the tight contours of her face and cascaded down over her shoulders. “How’d it go?” “Good, I think.” As Michelle scanned through the file, Jamie studied the row of professi...
Submitted to Contest #218
Jamie slithered her hands inside the cushioned gloves, wondering how many other people had stuffed their sweaty fists inside these faded leather mitts. As she flexed her fingers, she felt the heft of the boxing gloves and stretchy tautness of the wraps wound in intricate loops around her knuckles and wrists. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but the lycra workout top she’d donned for this evening suddenly felt as tight as a straight jacket. Her underarms wept with perspiration. She should have ...
Submitted to Contest #181
Velos spied the black-necked pheasant pecking at grain seeds that dotted the ground of the newly harvested wheat field. As she watched the bird hop to its left and poke its gray beak at a dried-out husk, the huntress slipped an arrow from her hip quiver and placed it in the string of her bow. She held her breath as she aimed at the speckled brown feathers just below the bird’s reddish crown. A few seconds later, her arrow found its mark. She placed the bird in her game pouch and whispered words of gratitude to the Goddess. It was going t...
Submitted to Contest #178
Twinkling white lights and long red ribbons cascade down the branches of the towering Christmas tree that greets visitors as they ascend the grand staircase to the museum rotunda. I pause at the top of the stairs to admire the grand tree and take in the sight of the vivid mural that adorns the domed ceiling. It depicts the Greek goddess Athena in golden armor and a pale white tunic standing triumphantly over the war god Ares sprawled on the ground beside his plumed helmet and battle sword. When...
Submitted to Contest #162
“What have you got to lose?” asked Louise as she perused the menu. Wilma slumped back in her chair and stared at the concrete Jersey barrier that abutted their table. She preferred to eat indoors, but COVID had forced the restaurant’s owners to limit seating in the dining room and serve customers outside on a makeshift patio that now extended into the street. “My dignity.” Louise almost choked on her wine. “Your dignity!” Wilma tapped her calloused fingers on the base of her glass. “I don’t wanna move. My home’s here.” She took a long si...
Submitted to Contest #159
You tell me about your bad knee, your achy back, your sore shoulder. I’ve heard your sob stories. I’ve listened to your complaints. I’ve been a doctor for 24 years and I’ve heard it all. You say you need something for your pain. I’ve had two vertebrae in my spine fused together and a metal socket implanted in my right hip. Both times, I went home with a month’s supply of Vicodin. I bet you did too. It’s why you’ve come to my clinic. You’ve run out and your doctor won’t prescribe any more. You come to me with the cash and I provide ...
Submitted to Contest #157
The acrid scent of chlorine wafted up from the pool as Shannon climbed atop the starting block at the first high school swim meet of the 2005 season. She scanned the stands for Coach Stevens and her teammate Rachel, a blonde wisp of a girl with an easy manner, a free spirit, and a smile that made her heart beat faster than swimming 100-meter backstroke intervals. As the shrill beep of the starter's signal pierced the air, she pushed off the block and launched into the pool. She glided underwater, dolphin kicking for added momentum, before bu...
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