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Bonnie Clarkson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2020

Stories (38)

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62 Followers

24 Following

38 Stories

672 karma pts

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Communicating the Problem

Bonnie Clarkson

“I see,” said Roxie, my wife, “you’re working on a computer puzzle. You gonna call your health insurance company?” “Yes. The last time I was on the phone thirty minutes before I talked to a real person.” “I’m leaving, so I don’t hear you yell,” said Roxie. I placed the call to Medi-Agape Health Insurance Company. A recording came on, speaking first in Spanish, then Chinese, then German. I said, “I can’t understand you.” The speaker said in a monotone voice. “I hear you speaking English.” “Yes, I want English.” “British, Australian, American...

2 likes

Quilt of Life

Bonnie Clarkson

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6 KJV. Sixty-year-old Liz Glover recognized the number of the person calling, and debated about answering. Her conscience got the better of her. She lifted the cell phone to her ear. “Hello, Renee,” Liz said to her baby sister. “Hello, Liz,” said Renee. “I know you hate to have me call. But I really need your help.” “I won’t babysit your eight-year-old grandson again! He locked me out of your house and made faces at me.” “No. That’s not i...

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Thread of Guidance

Bonnie Clarkson

“Listen to me, Dad!” Dad rolled the creeper from under the car, but did not stand up. “What is it, Tanner?” “I want to know what you are doing,” said Tanner, the eight-year-old boy. “I want to help.” “I’m changing the CV axle. I’ve taken off the brake and the outer tie rod. I’m lowering the control arm with the ball joint. Then I will pull the CV axle. Do you know what I’m talking about?” “No,” admitted Tanner, “but I can learn.” “Most of these pieces are heavy for me to lift. Let alone an eight-year-old like you. Besides, there’s no room f...

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Possessions Versus Life

Bonnie Clarkson

“Hello, Dad? My phone just alerted me of a wildfire in our area.” “What?!” “Wildfire,” said Bradley, his thirty-five year old son. “Evacuate. It’s estimated to reach us in one hour. You have to pack and be ready to move.” “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s clear out there. It’s like those annoying tornado warnings. They’re gone before we hear the siren. Tornadoes have always twisted their way around us. It’ll be the same with this fire.” Bradley groaned. “I will be taking Geraldine and the kids to a safe place. I’m packing to evacuate. I’ll be there...

2 likes

Living in the Past Now

Bonnie Clarkson

Brrringg. Grampa picked up the receiver to answer the phone. “Hello.” “Hi Grampa. I tried to text you, and it wouldn’t go through.” “I have a land line. It can’t take texts… Are you… Kurt? The sound is staticky like.” “Yes. This is Kurt. Your grandson. My cell phone doesn’t always get good reception. Didn’t your phone tell you who was calling?”  “No. My phone doesn’t show that.” “My phone does,” said Kurt. “It puts up the name. I about couldn’t find your phone number. I had to ask Mom. She told me to look it up in the phone book. I coul...

1 like

Something's Missing

Bonnie Clarkson

“Would you go to the grocery store and get me ice cream and chocolate syrup?” Rod stayed in his recliner. Elena, Rod’s wife, pulled the curtain aside to see out the window. “Snow’s supposed to turn to ice. I don’t want to go.” “You know you want some, too.” Elena let go of the curtain and put her hands on her hips. “I’ll go if you put up the Christmas lights. I’ve been after you to do that for two weeks now.” “Oh, all right.” Rod heaved himself out of his recliner. “I’ll get the ladder out of the garage.” Elena headed to the bedroom. “I’ll g...

3 likes

Quest for Stories

Bonnie Clarkson

Dust flew in the 80-year-old house’s garage as Marta and her parents hunted for tax papers of the deceased grandmother. “I wish she kept all her tax papers in one place,” said Dad. “She never was organized,” said Mom. “Here’s a paper we need.” She shuffled through the papers. “The rest are old letters.” “Can I have them?” asked Marta. “You never know where inspiration to write a story will come from. Who are they from?” “I have no idea. You can have them, but look through them on your own time. I want to be done by dark. The electricity wil...

2 likes

Thou Fool

Bonnie Clarkson

Based on Luke 12: 16-18 With a smile, Edward Horton scanned his south 80-acre corn field. It looked to be a bumper crop. The leaves of the corn starting to turn brown, meant time to prepare for the harvest. After checking the combine, he planned to bring his files up to date. Lestor Horton, Ed’s neighbor, pulled his truck to a stop next to Edward’s truck to visit. “Morning, Ed. I didn’t see many weeds when it was green. Your field is looking good. When you figure you’ll harvest it?” “It’ll be ready in a few weeks. It better not have many...

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Husband Material

Bonnie Clarkson

Warning: 3 short paragraphs of suggestive sexual content and 2 sentence about abortion. I made sure I followed my hope-to-be future husband, Taylor Rift, in the cafeteria line so I could meet him. Handsome. Designer clothes. He’s even a senior with an accounting major. I’m a freshman with an accounting major. Maybe he can help me. Similar interests. We could start a business together. I smiled.           He observed the other girl college students there, but they ignored him and spent ti...

1 like

Mail Order Marriage

Bonnie Clarkson

           In the airplane, the mother frowned, rolling her head in a circle while being ignored by her daughter who stared out the window.           “Marie-Anne.” Mrs. Dickson, the mother and twice her age, grabbed the daughter’s arm to make her pay attention. “You’re twenty-six years old. I can’t believe you agreed to be a mail-order bride. Straight out of the old westerns. What if he is a gunslinger?”     ...

3 likes

That Ain't Junk

Bonnie Clarkson

"Look at this storage container!" said Terry, the man nearing forty years old. "How can two people collect so much stuff? But. I guess they had forty-eight years to do it." He shook crumbs from a toaster. "They didn't even pack the stuff clean." CeCe, his wife, made a face. "I'm not surprised. They didn't believe in cleaning house. Why would they care about a storage container?" Underneath its overhead door, an eclectic mix of furniture, small household appliances, and glassware with plates prevented entrance. The precarious stack of...

2 likes

The Rustic Gourmet Restaurant

Bonnie Clarkson

“What kind of restaurant has menu items like Snapping Bisque, Green Long Fries, and Ess-Not Soup?” Jonathan Hogson pointed at his cell phone while looking at Ashley Fontaine, his fiancé. “They don’t give any description.”“My parents picked the Rustic Gourmet restaurant because it’s their favorite. Los Angeles ranked fifth for its unique foods.” Ashley closed her eyes and held her arms at her side while spreading her hands near her face. “The food is so good it is… it is… memorable.”“I won’t eat it until you tell me what it is.” Jonathan cros...

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A Farmer's Last Resort

Bonnie Clarkson

           Fred Asher drummed his fingers on the desk while waiting for voicemail to connect him to Representative Delves.            “Hello, I’m Angelica Janzen, assistant to Representative Delves.”            Fifty-year-old Fred remembered when the representatives used to answer the phone themselves. “I’m glad you called,” said Angelica in a friendly voice. “We want to...

3 likes

Gardening Punishment

Bonnie Clarkson

Gardening Punishment           Riding home from the hospital, the mother, like a refrigerator, faced straight ahead and did not say anything. A deep frown accented the years of being the mother of her teen-age son, Rodney, who rode in the passenger seat.           He snuck a peek at his mother before resuming watching businesses and houses go by. She did not turn to look.          &nb...

3 likes

Locked Out

Bonnie Clarkson

Locked Out            Josh Skeldon, Bartmore High School Leopard basketball star—known for his three-pointer field goals—silently stalked behind Melinda Roffe who held hands with Aaron Asdemol. Josh’s friends, not far behind, watched with amusement.                 “Do you understand how to solve for ‘x’ in all those parentheses in algebra?” asked Melinda. “I got lost after he said, ‘distributive law’.” &nb...

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