Cassandra Fan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2023

Stories (16)

16 Stories

368 karma pts

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“Coffee and Sun Tzu” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #200

Samantha lounged over the café sofa as she dramatically sipped her latte. She grinned, examining her prey, watching him grow more impatient with each second. The art of creating tension was one Samantha’d practiced for years. There was no better way to control someone’s every action. But like any art, it required precision. Anything, from a misplaced word to the tiniest stammer could ruin everything. Sun Tzu once said one must be subtle to the point of formlessness, but fortunately Samantha was the goddess of subtlety. Before her sat a man w...

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“The Red Light” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #197

The red flashing light, Brendan knew it well. The one he should’ve listened to. Dangling in the corner of the sky as he rocketed forward. The moment replayed before him, repeating in slow-motion. The drops of rain, the headlights of cars cutting through the night, the shining blue eyes on her horrified face. And there it was again, that accursed light! Taunting him. Then the world faded into focus and he was no longer there. The light faded into a humming line on a monitor to his side, suddenly spiking to life. In an instant Brendan knew whe...

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“Where Four Remain” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #196

Nearly four minutes ago the last deserter left through the gateway. The last sight that they would have seen before escaping to the other side was the field. A barren, open stretch of wilting grass, a muddy hue of sepia and faded brown. Those further ahead perhaps would have looked back as they faded into the spiraling neon blue abyss, a final glimpse at the long line of their kin, patiently waiting their turn, stretching to the horizon. Strangers and family alike, they all sought a common goal: escapism. Long ago, the land served as an airp...

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“Recorded Logs of a High School Counselor” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #195

tw: mentions of violence, and incompetent leadershipMarshall came in... Yes, that Marshall, the one with the oily black hair and acne. He’s been coming more consistently over the past few weeks… Yes, really! Today we talked about college, what his goals for the future are, all that jazz. He still needs to retake a few classes if he’s going to graduate with the rest of his class, but you know? I think he’ll be able to pull it off. He’s changed. He’s taking charge of his life again, thinking about what major he’ll take and scholarship programs...

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“Rob of Rust” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #194

A mother and an infant sit at the edge of the fountain, watching intricate streams and waterfalls cascading across the white marble in pure silence. Across the way, a group of teenagers stand, whispering softly to maintain the peace. Surrounding them are ever more, flowing in every direction, crossing the core of the world on course to their next destination. Today, as every other day, they have come from across the towering vibrant city, past the holographic screens and platinum skyscrapers to gather at center square to, if just for a momen...

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“Route 173” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #193

“You know? Maybe this is a sign from the universe. Nowadays we live life so fast we’d hardly even notice if it ‘poofed’ into thin air! Think about how much we’ve missed trying to rush to the end instead of trying to enjoy things as they come. Maybe we all need to just slow down, take the easy route, you know?”“Rael you crashed the goddamn car.”“And?”“You blew up the engine, destroyed the hood, there’s a cylindrical dent in the roof…”“And?”“Because you were going so fast you somehow crashed into a cactus.”“Exactly! We were going too fast, the...

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“Sakura Tea” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #191

The shopkeeper's bell rang a frantic ‘ding-a-ling’. Yes, that clattering bell sound followed by the heavy door slamming shut as busy footsteps clambered into the shop. Aspen knew it well. He’d worked here long enough to tell most of what he needed to know just from a customer’s entrance. What'd it be this time? Man in a sweaty business suit who ran here from work looking for a quick anniversary gift? Parents getting a bouquet for their kid’s choir show? Teenager home alone trying to replace the flowers he let die? That happened unnaturally o...

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“The Life of She Known as Seraphina” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #190

To the community that made me, well, me, thank you. I would not be here without you. So, I guess the best place to start would be here. Fun fact about my life: there are these carpeted stairs in my house that go up to the second floor. One of those ones that turns in the middle with a wider step, one large enough to lay on. My mom says it's like my second bedroom. When I was little, small enough to squeeze onto the stair lengthwise, I would fall asleep there, basking in the ray of sunlight that peeks through the window. I’m too big now but ...

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“Winter Rose” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. You could feel the icicles forming on your eyes and mouth, the cold slowly suffocating you. You screamed out into the icy waters, furious yet too scared to join it. And so you just sat there, praying for either a miracle or death. But the blizzard would never yield, and thus you couldn’t either. You turned your back to the frozen lake and went home. Now you’ve returned, tracking onward through the waist high snow into the ruins of a forgotten world. The only source of warmth ...

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“Point Eleven Percent” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #188

tw: alcohol, themes of manipulation, cheating, abuse If there was one thing Dolion loved about his wife-to-be more than anything else it was her smile. That intoxicating smile, a smile that brightened up the darkest corners of his mind. And her laughter! God, her laughter was brighter than the stars. It was hard to pick just one, he was obsessed. Amidst the traffic, he would swing his eyes off the road ever so often to get a glimpse of her. Michaela noticed, of course, blushing and laughing, telling him to keep his eyes on the road. Her l...

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“what's the point? we're gonna die anyway. Just get on.” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #186

“.......Look, to say that for destruction there is no beauty would be a shortsighted tragedy.” “…” “Look, is there not some level of beauty in this? For you and I to be able to witness the end together?” “…what the hell you talkin about..?” “Pardon me?” “WE ARE GOING TO DIE OUT HERE! WHAT PART of that do you NOT UNDERSTAND?” “Calm yourself. Just breathe. Everything will be fine, my friend.” “… heh, WOW. wow…..” “What?” “everything will be FINE, huh? this. is. it. we are all that’s left now. if anything that there’s a, ‘shortsighted tragedy!’...

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“Stars Not of Gold” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #185

1000 years ago, a dragon fell from the heavens, plummeting from the stars. Caught stealing from the Dragon King and sentenced to exile, he was stripped of flight and fell to Earth, only to return once he’d repaid the price of that stolen. With his fall, the Great Mountains shattered into being, Serpent Valley between its peaks. Humanity discovered the dragon, worshiping it out of fear. Cunning, and eager to return above, he demanded an offering for his mercy. Each year, the dragon roamed the fields, collecting gold from each village he passe...

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“1540 Whenroe Street” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #184

Life Goes On I run through the pouring rain, despondent pitter-patters resounding around me. I’ve missed the rain, I’ve missed it since we arrived 3 years ago. I am 14 now, still a child yet far too old. I keep moving. I don’t know where I’m going, but I will soon. Somewhere I’ll never have to miss the rain. Before, we lived in Hawaii. We had a small house next to the shore, on weekends we would walk to the beach, mama, papa and me. Back then it wasn’t crowded, just us and the neighbors. My best friend was Minna. We built sandcastles toge...

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“Sincerely Mistaken” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #183

“It’s like a light show. A really damn weird light show.” Andrew Taker muttered that to himself as he carefully stepped through the hallway on his way to first period, eyes darting across the room. The horde of people made the room particularly hot that day. He partially unzipped his jacket while holding his backpack tightly to his chest with his other hand, subconsciously paranoid about the watching eyes of those around him. It was a shocking sight for Andrew. Coming from a small town in Mississippi, his schools were full mostly of white fo...

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“Honey Caramel” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #181

As she hiked her way higher and higher up the rocky mountainside, Caramel would periodically stop and gaze out at the incomparable view. From this height, the crowded and tumultuous city she had called home for her entire life became little more than a pebble on a hillside 100 miles away. “Like something straight from a nature documentary,” she muttered to herself, taking everything in before she turned back to continue her climb. She had left for the mountain before the sun had risen, before anyone would notice that she was gone. Put on her...

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Author bio

she/ver Aspiring writer and story weaver. Very bad at being concise with stories. and working to cut down short story lengths from 3000-4000 to 2000-3000.