Ayelet Portman

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (5)

5 Stories

78 karma pts

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“Duck Herding 101” by Ayelet Portman

Submitted to Contest #78

I stare out across the small yard, the ducks staring back at me. There had to be at least fifteen of them, looking confused, all scattering in different directions. “This way!” Dad yells, trying to herd them in the right direction, around the first two cones, through the makeshift tunnel, up the slide and around the bend. He keeps screaming at the ducks, as though they are humans and will obey his commands immediately. He uses his wooden stick to try to scare them into moving in the right direction, but it fails and only scares them mo...

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“The Mother That Could Have Been ” by Ayelet Portman

Submitted to Contest #63

“Carefully use the scissors to curve your way around the paper, and then—voila!” Lily finished the leaf cutout and put it on the table for her daughter to see. “Whoa,” Alyssa whispered, her eyes widening, as if it was the coolest thing she had ever seen. “How did you do that?” Lily couldn’t help but find her daughter’s amazement amusing. Lily laughed. “Do you want me to show you again?” Alyssa nodded, and Lily pulled out another piece of paper. As she was folding the paper over and over, she thought back to when Alyssa was first born. It had...

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“A Boy's Best Friend ” by Ayelet Portman

Submitted to Contest #61

A ratty old teddy bear. The left side’s seams are broken halfway down the bear, its white stuffing beginning to spill out of the side. One buttoned eye is missing, while the other hangs loosely, as if it could fall off at any minute. “Can I have it? Pleasseee? I want it so bad.” Jonah whines. “No,” she replies. “Not today.” She looks more anxious than usual, lines of worry etched across her face. Jonah does not understand. He wants the teddy bear, and therefore he should get it. “Why not?” He asks again. It is not a good day for her. She i...

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“Faith in Strangers ” by Ayelet Portman

Submitted to Contest #52

“It’s starting to get bad out there,” Paul says, as he pries the blinds open using his fingers. “Maybe we should put the car in the garage before it gets stuck in the snow and we have to spend hours digging it out tomorrow.” Leanne sighs, ignoring the impending snowstorm that the weatherman has been talking about on the news since the beginning of the week. “I don’t care about the weather, Paul. We need to finish our discussion.” Paul turns away from the window and faces Leanne. “I told you, Leanne, I don’t want to talk about this anymore....

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“A Clear Night Sky” by Ayelet Portman

Submitted to Contest #51

PROLOGUE “Close your eyes,” Dad says as we step out onto the porch on the slightly breezy summer evening. I let him guide me outside, slowly taking my hand and ever so gently pushing me by the back. “Okay, open them,” he tells me, after what feels like hours, instead of seconds. I slowly open my eyes and let the beauty of the night fully surround me. I lose my breath and cannot believe the sight I am looking at. “Wow, it’s beautiful,” I whisper, “I’ve never seen the sky like this.” As we stand there admiring the stars, Dad points to ...

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