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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024
Submitted to Contest #325
The only life I know I was in the middle of working on the final chapters of my book when my daughter’s laughter made me look through the window. The study, or „Mom’s writing room“, was on the ground floor and the French doors opening to the patio allowed a gorgeous view of the lush backyard and my kids playing there with our dog.I was not a dog person, actually, I liked animals but not in my house. However, the kids wanted a dog, of course, and now our clingy Labradoodle, Lady Dana, followed them around and all of us like a shadow.I sighed ...
July started with a sudden fever (38.5°C, or 101.3°F if you like it better that way).“Virus”, was a universal verdict from the medical professionals. “Stay at home and rest as long as you have it!”Apart from the temperature, there was nothing else wrong physically. I didn’t feel tired, restless, listless, or experienced bouts of sleeplessness. I even slept well, ventured out in 40°C to run some quick errands, read, did yoga, all the while living in a haze of 38.5°C.The second week I thought I could do a bit of cleaning. I ended up with three...
Submitted to Contest #324
Lena was looking at the cobalt blue sea. It was so peaceful and she felt so much at ease, especially when she felt two arms hugging her from behind.„Enjoying yourself?“, a seductive voice murmured in her ear. She nestled more into the hug and closed her eyes. She felt secure. Held. „I got you“ feeling all over her.She woke up slowly, listening to the soothing sounds of the seagulls, breathing in salty air. Eyes still closed, she enjoyed the peace, the sounds, the smell. She turned around in bed and opened her eyes to the new dawn – her windo...
Submitted to Contest #323
CW: Anorexia, implied sexual violence, mental healthFrom the moment I saw her on the window of the maternity ward where my daughter was standing, showing her to us, I knew my granddaughter Selena was special. I know, you will say, “How could you see that from far away?” but my gut was rarely wrong.It was a varicella epidemic in the region at the time, so we were not allowed near the baby. That’s why the hospital window was the place where we saw her cute tiny face first. That face with fluffy hair, piercing eyes and soft mouth, her tiny body...
When you hit more mature years, and if you have managed to mature with them and gain some wisdom on way there, you realize you need people who are going to do the same you do for them: accept you as you are, respect you, love you, cheer for you…You don’t need a rival, or a frenemy, no idea what is worse. As the years go by, I simply remove someone unbearable regardless of the years we have spent as "friends“. Less stress, more time to devote to the people who deserve it.Ever since we were kids, Suze was kind of self-absorbed and focused on h...
Submitted to Contest #322
CW: Themes of emotional abuse and familial trauma When Tonya was six, her mother took her to the school psychologist to have her intellectual and cognitive abilities and capacities tested prior to starting primary school. She was standing in the corner while the psychologist talked to her daughter.- So do you have many friends?, he asked.- I do but sometimes I hide from them in the cupboard when they come calling me to come out to play, said Tonya seriously.- What do you mean?, the psychologist was confused.- Well, I want to read and they al...
Submitted to Contest #321
AND THEN THE STORM WAS OVER WhatsApp Call – August 2013 Sheyla: Hey! Just saying hi from the airport! Got back from Rhodes. I am vacillating between Antalya and Amsterdam for the second part of my vacation - as long as it starts with an A.Evan: Cool choices. Give me a heads up if you decide to come to Antalya.Sheyla: You need an alert? Why, it's a big city, don't worry!Evan: I kinda feel you’d like to see me if you come to Turkey thou!Sheyla: Well, not sure, we didn’t part as friends exactly. And I don’t really care anymore!Evan: It is more ...
Submitted to Contest #318
I had always known the delicate ache of being almost but not quite. My life was marked by a pattern of nearlys: I was the best at the French competition and lost by one point because a teacher walked in and slipped the answers to her student and the duty teacher simply turned a blind eye. Yes, I was unstoppable later in high school but it was a nasty sting. Despite being introverted in early years, I was quite popular and had lots of friends who always managed to choose someone else to be their bridesmaid, maid of honor, a godmother to their...
Submitted to Contest #292
The painting was a gift from her close friend. Luna loved the photograph of the two of them when they decided to spend the night on the cliff overlooking the Lake, just dark figures barely visible in the glory of the rising sun and the azure blue sky.It was one of those summer nights when you had a feeling the night skies would open and take you into their loving arms, an unforgettable memory for both of them, when they discussed their respective futures, her friend’s future marriage, her life now that she was all alone and free which was b...
Submitted to Contest #289
You were always somewhere at the back of my mind, hiding in its shadows and pulling at my heart’s strings on rare encounters.It was a mellow Saturday evening. I was 12 years old, walking up the Main street with my mom. While passing by a fountain, I noticed a group of graduate high schoolers, catcalling, whistling, monkeying around. A short, brown-haired girl got my attention. She looked so sad and hurt it was almost palpable. She was looking at you like a wounded soldier with a pleading look. You extracted yourself from your gang and s...
Submitted to Contest #288
„I am thinking of visiting that place everybody is talking about“, he said casually while getting out of the shower with a towel around his waist.I froze inside but continued to stack the dishes in the dishwasher. „I am thinking…I…I…“, kind of hit me in the head. HE was thinking.My hands continued their robot dance with the dishes while he went to the bedroom to change for brunch we were having with his parents.I wiped off the invisible water stains and tiny crumbs off the counters. I needed to make my hands busy so that I wouldn’t take that...
Submitted to Contest #285
I remember the times when ghosting, being left on red, being Seen with no reply, blocking, muting, unfollowing, and breadcrumbing in particular, had completely different meanings, or no meaning at all. The good old times. No cell, no gain, no pain. Or was it really like that? I remember when I met a guy back in the ‘90s. I was leaving a bar toilet and he took one look at me in my tight long dress with a thousand slits and went to buy me chocolate covered peanuts wrapped in a piece of newspaper from a street vendor. He presented them to ...
Submitted to Contest #270
THE LAST LUNCHThe meals in our house were used as a fighting arena where my brother would pick a fight with Dad over the most trivial matters to vent his frustrations and anger over God knew what and made us want to run far away from their vicious exchanges of cataclysmic proportions. Their specialty were fights during Christmas Eve dinners and Easter lunches – the solemn occasions were ruined, the past holidays viewed as unpleasant events we tended to forget as soon as possible and the forthcoming celebrations were anticipated with apprehen...
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