Beth Jackson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (22)

22 Stories

1640 karma pts

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“A Lovely Pair” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #264

“Well, you can go with Martin then.” Aunt Viv stares at me, and with the subtle lifting of her chin, the snare snaps shut.I fumble for an answer, glancing around the table, hoping for an ally, but everyone here is well versed in the art of dodging Aunt Viv’s ire.I’m on my own.“Pray tell,” she says, her gaze blasting through her mean little spectacles, “Is there a reason you can’t possibly accompany Martin to the wedding?”The clink of cutlery ceases, the gauntlet has been thrown, and in the silence, it roars. It’s a miracle her chin hairs are...

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“Enough ” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #218

I nudge open the front door and the silence of your absence tumbles towards me in a deafening wave of inevitability. I stumble back, and the door slams, leaving me dithering on the front steps, breathing heavily, unable to cross the threshold and step inside the coffin of our relationship.One day I will.Just not today.#I cried at work today. Just in case you care. Mary from Accounts found me. The nauseating wave of expensive perfume and clacking heels preceded her pre...

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“Just” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #212

Kat hovers on the threshold, one boot raised, and the meagre scraps of fabric she considers fashion, flapping against her thighs.“And stay out of my room. Don’t rifle through my shit or anything,” she says.I blink. Vulgar accusations from my flatmate aren’t uncommon, but still, it smarts when she throws such slander with gay abandon.“I shall do nothing of the sort,” I say.“Whatever.”She strides down the front steps, past the patch of flourishing dais...

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“Staring at the Lawn Muffins” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #187

CW: Swearing, a fat cat, drop-kick ex, some defecation, frogs...“I can’t take any more of this shit,” The Man says and walks out the door, slamming it behind him so hard the windows rattle and several of The Hellions begin to cry.The Lady gathers The Hellions into a pile, and they weep and wail, holding onto each other in a heaving heap of misery.While I don’t desire to exit as dramatically as The Man, I too cannot cope with the level of negative emotion in the room, and I flop off the...

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“A Hidden Story ” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #186

A schoolboy crouched in the alleyway, his red-rimmed eyes wild and desperate in his swollen, puffy face. He darted forward as Edmund passed, hand outstretched, fingers brushing his heavy woolen coat.Edmund recoiled, snatching his briefcase out of the boy’s grasp. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice brimming with indignation and more shock than he cared to acknowledge.“Sir, can you give—”“Most certainly not,” Edmund said, and strode on, staring resolutely at the bus stop ahead.

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“Self-Discovery ” by Beth Jackson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #183

“We’re just too different,” I say, and shoot him. Point blank. One to the head. Bang.He collapses in on himself, folding and contorting into a crumpled heap of offal, leaching his blood onto the thirsty ground.I toss the gun on the grass beside him and jog through the summer flowers towards the trail down to the beach.#And here I am. Choking in the city. Assaulted by the cacophony of nighttime suburbia, scuttling through the light, creeping through the darkness. Stagg...

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“A Positive Contribution ” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #161

Grace wiped a spot of blood off the table, smearing it back and forward with her index finger. She glanced at the clock under the security camera. Nearly lunchtime. One more to go. “Come in,” she called. Footsteps clomped in the hallway, and she nudged a glass of water towards the centre of the table. And then slightly to the left.One more. She could do this. “Ready, Doc?” a guard asked, pausing in the doorway.  He was gripping the shoulder ...

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“Something Broken” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #157

“Vince and Sal have invited us out on their yacht next weekend.” Ben glances at me before dropping his gaze to his phone.The lounge is cold. I sip my coffee and stare at the wilting pot plant in the corner. And the silence hangs over the casually thrown gauntlet.He coughs. “I’ll tell Vince no, then?”I grip my mug. He’s serious. Tiny ripples of horror radiate through the coffee.He waits for my answer as though he’d asked if we wanted to spend a weekend with our closest...

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“Sweet, Savage Love” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #156

“Go to hell, you saggy-faced frumpy old bag.”The words hit me, piercing the tender space between my chest and my heart. My daughter. Screaming at me. Rage puckering her acne ridden face, and her limp hair clinging to her scalp as she flicks it in defiance, stopping short of giving me the single middle finger.The door slams. I blink. My Cassie. Screaming at me. How the hell did we end up here?I walk into the kitchen and grip the bench, my knuckles white, heaving shaky breaths to fight o...

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“The Time Cheat ” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #151

“So, tell me why you’re here?”Len picked at a thread on the couch and avoided eye contact with the psychologist. Why was he there? Mostly because of his heartless, cheating, thieving monster of a wife, he supposed.Ex-wife.“Closure,” he said.The psychologist nodded, her face impassive behind her steel-rimmed glasses. She glanced down at her notes.“I see here you’re suffering some health issues?” she asked.Len shrugged. He was sixty-e...

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“A Work in Progress” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #150

“Nine, eight, five, three, three…”He reads the numbers, and my face burns. I stand at the edge of the hallway, somewhere by the swinging doors, and posters advocating Girls in Science. A group of teenage boys loiter by the pinboard.The first tests results are out. The scores printed next to the ID numbers. And there’s unrest amongst the troops.“Is it you, Troy?”“James?”“No, he didn’t finish.”“Cody? Surely, it’s not you?”<...

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“The Resting Place” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #149

CW: Mention of bloodA light flickers and I open my eyes. I’m nowhere. Drowning in white. I roll onto my knees and cough.Streetlamps stretch into the fog, and I stagger to my feet, stumbling towards the light. A man leans against the closest streetlamp, and I freeze. I look at his shoes.Boots. Heavy black boots, with scuffed toes and worn yellow stitching, frayed laces tied in a clumsy bow.The pressure in my chest eases, and I run towards him. He turns. His face is bla...

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“A Perfect Lie” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #148

She’s there. She’s always bloody there. In the driveway, with her white hotpants and pink oversized tee sloping off one shoulder at a jaunty angle.I slow to a jog and wipe my forehead. My face is hot. Probably red. And blotchy. Running doesn’t agree with me.I avoid eye contact as I turn into my driveway. She’s standing by the roses, secateurs primed, deciding which beauty she’ll castrate from the bush.Their garden is all straight edges and manicured lawns. Roses and dainty flowers jost...

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“The Enduring Present” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #128

“Why don’t you have a cup of tea?” Gina sounded weary, even over the phone. “You know, take a moment to relax.” Her voice leeched its warmth. “There’s no one after you, Matt.”“I’m driving.” Matt adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “To your house.”Gina sighed. “Well, I’ll make one, then. Are you just leaving the farm? I’ll have it ready when you get here.”Matt glanced in the rearview mirror. Nothing. Just fingers of inky darkness stretching behind him.“Your doors ...

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“Where You and I Meet” by Beth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #118

CW: Domestic Violence“Why are you so chipper today?” Gill asks, brushing bleach on her client’s hair in short, efficient strokes.I smile at her matronly interest in my love life. And her ability to sniff out gossip. “Nothing.”“There’s something.” She raises an eyebrow.I sweep the hair on the floor into a pile, ignoring Gill’s piqued interest prickling on my back.“It’s possible I’m seeing someone.” He has a chiselled jaw and an office with a view of t...

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Author bio

Cat lover. Cake lover. Mother of four. Writer.

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #114
The Hallowed Ground – read story

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

Contest #183
Self-Discovery – read story
Contest #116
The Price of Life – read story
Contest #109
Always Check the Dryer for Crayons – read story