Menu

Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Directory

Contests

Magazine

FAQ

Bailey Peters

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2025

Stories (8)

Comments

Library

5 Followers

3 Following

8 Stories

119 karma pts

?

The Witch and the Never-Ending Need to Communicate

Submitted to Contest #310

Argie always found books easier than people. They spoke whatever language she felt for the day; poetry, thriller, nonfiction. She was a witch who could convey her emotions to others without uttering a single word, easily manipulating light that people recognized as her feelings. While she preferred to keep quiet and let her power replace her voice—to the point where moving towns meant no one knew her name—those emotions were never truly understood. Others would nod and smile when Argie let off a flurry of her thoughts put into tangibl...

2 likes

Sunday Again

Submitted to Contest #309

TW: DEPICTIONS OF DRUGS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND ADDICTION I used to make omelets for my daughter every Sunday. She would get bored since her friends were all attending church. Her mom’s never been and it was easy for me to drop out of the habit of going once we married, so my daughter didn’t go either. It didn’t matter how many times I told Nadia she could play outside, she’d still end up with her eyes on her phone and waiting for a friend to text back.“You know you have two consoles you could be playing on right now? If you really don’t want ...

8 likes

A Basket of Strawberries

Submitted to Contest #308

The streets of Noewinny were flooded with lights, food, and most of all, people. Every door was open and every window was cracked. The whole town smelled of an assortment of strawberries; baked, fried, cut, smashed, and plates of it were being passed around in the large clearing around town square. Even those indoors were as much a part of the festivities as those dancing in the streets. Everyone except Caitria. The little girl ran through the streets, dodging men and crawling under skirts. People yelled as she passed, and behind her, an old...

3 likes

The Monster in Monster-Killer

Submitted to Contest #307

There have always been monsters at Oaken Ash Academy.They weren’t fae, nor did they come with rows of jagged teeth. They came in fleshy meat suits, wearing school uniforms with their heads held together by plaid ties.It took one week of junior year for the monsters to reveal themselves. One moment I was eating lunch, the next, a hand gripped my hair.“It’s kinda long for a guy, isn’t it?”Then my face was shoved into my tray. I knew going from a public to a private high school would be jarring, but it was in that first month that I realized th...

10 likes

A Journal for Melanie

Submitted to Contest #306

April 30th, 2014 Hello, diary 2.0! It’s been too long since I talked to one of you. Mom took forever getting you after I filled the first. You might be surprised to hear that I already filled one of you up, but you’ll soon understand why. There is only one thing that I need you for, and it’s not to tell you about friends or boys (EW). What filled the pages before yours was my sister, Melanie. The singular worst thing to exist. I don’t know why sisters were invented. All mine does is stalk the hallways in the morning hours, raid the kitchen...

7 likes

Tommy Gun

Submitted to Contest #304

“Bang!” Tommy held his thumb out, the tip of his finger toward my chest. I only blinked as I stared at his finger, imagining it recoiling and smoke pouring from the end. “You’re supposed to be dead now, Logan,” Tommy withdrew his hand, tucking it in his pocket like it was a holster, “Why are you just standing there?” “I don’t think I like playing cowboys,” I knew I didn’t like it when Tommy mentioned the game. I didn’t want to ruin the fun, though, and Tommy always pitched a fit when he didn’t get what he wanted. Tommy’s face contorted as if...

5 likes

Two Lies

Submitted to Contest #303

“The decision will be made tomorrow. As of now, this meeting has officially concluded.” Chairs scraped the ground as they were pulled out from the tables cluttering the throne room. Nobles clapped and cheered, whispering among themselves about the coming decision. The Queen was going to rule that all from the Lower Isles were to follow martial law. Every hearing under the suffocating lights of the chandelier agreed, every aristocrat in the room chanting for the peons to be controlled and silenced. I knew it would be so; it is why I spent my ...

9 likes

Phone Etiquette

Submitted to Contest #302

There is an unspoken public phone etiquette. That’s what Ben always believed. While he didn’t like technology much, there were various things he considered just fine for a person to use their phone for when in public. He considered silent scrolling annoying, but just fine when quiet. Anything that resulted in a person keeping to themselves was good; about the only thing that Ben used his phone for was reading, and public reading of any kind got Ben’s approval, even if it was done on a phone—this could be books, emails, messages. It didn’t ma...

8 likes