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Bernadette Beauchamp

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020

Stories (34)

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54 Followers

13 Following

34 Stories

624 karma pts

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Paradise Lost

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #248

Four years old is way too young to make life choices.At least, that's what I tell myself when I try to console myself over the mess I made.I wanted a baby sister and begged and begged my parents for one, so there's no one to blame but me.My mom expressed that she had only planned to have one child, but she wanted me to be happy, so little Stephanie was born. I was so thrilled. She was lovely and precious and I vowed that I would be the most helpful, best big sister ever. I would do anything that it took. The beginning of our sister...

7 likes

The Reset

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #245

The streets of our tiny kingdom were soaked in sunshine as people got ready for today. It was as if even the Sun got excited for what was happening next.The Reset was about to begin. Every thirty years, the world was drenched in darkness as the Sun decided who would lead our people for the next third of the century.Being only twenty-four years old, this would be my first time witnessing the Reset.I have heard that the Leader was a surprise to our kingdom time and time again at the beginning.But now, there has been talk that wise men could pr...

5 likes

Reality is Bending

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #239

"Shimmering in the sunlight, bright, rainbow pony beads sprinkled the grass when I came back from my break. I would have thought it beautiful if I had not heard the sorrowful cries coming from ten feet away. Those cries and the way Julian tried to fix it, that's when I knew that day was going to be Hell." "That's when you knew?" the detective asked, "I would have thought the gerbil would have been the sign." "It was a hamster," I corrected. "Hamster?" "Yes, we had a class hamster." "The police report said it was in pieces when they got there...

5 likes

Am I Here?

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #230

Darkness engulfed the men in front of me to the point that all I heard were silhouettes chattering, only pausing to take quick breaths, and get back to the greatest issue at hand. The smartest men I knew were chattering away. Three problem solvers in front of me and yet, they felt no need to deal with our lack of light, now that the sun was making its exit. Of course, they wouldn't because it was always Sarah who remembered to put on the porch lights. She would always add twinkle lights with colors that matched the season for some extra warm...

5 likes

Tossed

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #218

A combination of fluff on top of hardness told Emma she had passed out on the floor when she started to become aware of her surroundings. Wet, sticky warmth slid down her neck and a void of ringing filled her ears. “I must have hit the back of my head,” she thought. These details were all she could manage. How she got there was so far away and exhausting to remember. Her body in the present would be easier to check in on. From top to bottom, just like when she would fall off her bike as a kid. Head, pounding, arms, moving fine, legs, moving ...

10 likes

A Hug Goodbye

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #218

A bit of jiggling and some muscle to lift the knob and click. I heard the deadbolt slide like a vault. A ton of strength is needed for this old door. Old door, old home, old memories. The antique door on its own held memories. When I was so tiny that I clutched onto my crocheted toy bunny for comfort, I would trace the grooves of the sunflowers etched into the wood, waiting to be greeted by hugs and promises of cookies. When I was in middle school and had to stay with Gran while I was sick because Mom had to work, I remember leaning ag...

11 likes

This Mountain Follows Its Own Rules

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #217

The intel for this assignment was a mess and the only reason why Marksman James Pearson bothered to volunteer was the possibility that he could help recover seven missing girls. Kidnapped by sex traffickers made his blood boil. That's all he needed to know. The other intel, the witnesses' reports had to be a mistake or the people in these mountains were doing a lot of drugs. Their statements…they couldn't be possible. "You're here," rang out from a man in uniform approaching Pearson's truck, "I'm Police Chief Hawkeye. Glad you found us easil...

5 likes

Your Blood Looks Best Inside You

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #215

Warning: This story contains moments of self-harm, violence and gore. There is a lot of references to blood in this story. The color of blood is the truest red there is. It never disappoints. Even when it dries, you can still see the deep strength of the red. It is so beautiful how it flows, thick and elegant. How could anyone not enjoy the sight of blood? When I was eight, my eyes opened to how beautiful blood could flow. Jacob Henry, who was in my class, cornered me on the playground. He delighted in telling me how ugly and weird I was...

9 likes

Distancing Touch

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #213

Raven had never thought looking at her own hands could make her cry. Disbelief rushed over her as she tried to separate what she remembered of her hands and what was attached to her now. A clunky gear shifting sound made a “chunk, chunk” noise as her hands stuttered while she rotated them. She could see the skin combined with metal and wondered what the Hell happened last night. How did having a beer while sitting on top of her car at the end of Palomar Airport result in this? Why couldn’t she remember anything? Just watching some planes tak...

3 likes

Painted Secrets

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #200

Refracted lighting and bright colors caught Camille's eye as she wandered down the pristine Fashion Street of Carlsbad. Each shop had some sort of hook to get people in the door. Inviting scents or colors to cover up that each store was another high-priced clothing store or make-up store, but this place seemed different. It looked like it was as magical as it appeared. Camille hovered in the door, noticing the artwork as the main attraction, not a hook. "You don't need an appointment for this gallery. You can just come on in and look around,...

8 likes

Superhero, Dream or Reality?

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #167

If only it could have been as easy as exiting the tunnel, but the situation only got worse as we entered a landscape covered in flames and dense, nightmarish smoke. I reached behind me and as I hoped, the precious little hand of Dylan grabbed mine, along with the hands of Rose, Mateo, and Alex. They were still safe with me, for now. "Stay strong Little Ones," I declared, "We can get through this." "Are you about to slay the dragon?" a voice rang out through the tunnel. "Sully? Sully, are you near?" I called out. My heart sang with reli...

3 likes

Freeze This Moment

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #165

The mood on the busy street of Escondido felt cruel and harsh with the sun beating down, making the concrete feel like it was the base of an oven, meant to cook all of California. As soon as Amelia walked through the bakery door, the world felt comforting and kind. She took in the warm scents of cinnamon and nutmeg that seemed distinct to Dylan's pastries. In a dream world, those smells would have indicated that she was home. Now, standing in a small crowd, swooning over their choices of treats, Amelia stood in the background needing to make...

4 likes

Curse or Miracle?

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #160

The weather was dust more than anything else. On this hot Thursday in August, there was a searing sun and clear skies but if anyone in town mentioned anything about the weather, it was that the dryness was making a haze of dirt and it exhausted everyone. Deputy Reese thought it a waste of his time to be sent on an errand to pick up the young lady at the airport. Now returning to the dismal town, he wished there would be more excuses to leave soon. “Ma’am? Ma’am,” Deputy Reese wondered what was up with her. The entire encounter from the airpo...

6 likes

My Sister's Side

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #157

Steam filled my area of the kitchen, and my red hands should have indicated to me that the water was probably too hot, but I was so happy to have at least one part of my body not be ice cold that I didn't care. Julissa, my younger sister was dancing around pretending her nightgown was a ball gown, obviously not bothered by how cold the apartment was again. Mama would sometimes bang on the pipes, morse code in Brooklyn to raise the heat. I never really noticed an improvement when she did it, so I wasn't going to bother to try. I was just cont...

8 likes

A Sorrowful, Precious Second Chance

Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time.” Crystal barely heard the declaration even though Brian was right next to her. She was too absorbed in the decorations to be completely present. Balloons made to look like bubbles were strewn around the gymnasium, green streamers hung from the ceiling, and purple and blue lighting glided around the floor making it look like it was meant for dancing that night. Is “Under the Sea” still a popular theme, Crystal wondered. Maybe it was just easy and hence, still popular. “Out of time? No one arrives at parties when th...

8 likes