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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022
Odin’s mom stopped in front of the big glass door. Squatting down next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “When we get inside, I will buy you a treat. You are going to sit next to me at a table and eat while I talk with a friend. I brought some play dough for you to play with when you are finished eating,” she explained. “Okay, Mommy,” Odin said. She took h...
Millie pushed her comforter down to her ankles and sat up. Mom had just tucked her in, but she wasn’t ready to sleep yet. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and slid to the floor, slowly, so her feet wouldn’t thump. Then she tiptoed over to her window and peek through the blinds. It was still light out, and Millie could see the neighbor boys playing basketball in their driveway. If it ha...
Estelle Anderson tore through every drawer in her desk, desperately searching for her notes. In 15 minutes, she was due to lead a book club discussion for parents of young children. They had all read a book that explained how children were designed to learn through play. This was the first meeting of the book club, and as the newest librarian at the Mercyville Public Library, she’d had to fight hard to convince her coworkers that the book club was needed. She couldn’t let it fall apart before it even had a chance to really begi...
The new couch arrived in a box that was taller than Winston, and twice as long. Winston watched as Dad dragged the box across the garage. He was heading for the recycling pile. “Wait!” Winston blurted, just as Dad was about to flatten the box. “Huh?” Dad paused. “Can I play with that?” Winston asked. Dad thought for a moment. “Sure. I’ll p...
Ezra stepped out of his mom’s mini van and was immediately hit in the face by a gust of wind. He reached back inside and grabbed his hat from the cup holder of his booster seat before pushing the button to close the door. Ezra stuffed his curls into the knit cap and pulled it down past his ears, then zipped his sweatshirt as high as it would go. It wasn’t cold, but he didn’t like wind. ...
Leo buried his toes in the sand, then wiggled them free. He jumped up and tossed 2 handfuls of sand into the air, before he took off running. He circled laps until he was so dizzy that he had no choice but to collapse along the shore. Leo rolled onto his back and moved his arms up and down against the sand as his legs went side to side. “I’m making a sand angel,” he giggled. ...
The gates of Camp Play All Day swung open. Mom nudged Mae, and she took a cautious step forward. “Welcome! I’m Natalie. Are you ready to play?” a woman chirped in Mae’s direction. Mae looked around the yard and saw a mountain of cardboard boxes piled high next to the back fence. To the left, there were tables loaded with paint, tape, glue, paper, and what seemed to be eve...
Kite waited patiently all the long, dark winter for the sun to return. Crumpled up in a tangled heap on a top shelf in the crowded, musty garage, she counted down the days till spring. While mice tiptoed across her tail, she dreamed of soaring through the sky. When sleds and shovels were taken out for snowy fun, she longed to feel the wind on her belly and warmth on her back. Just when she though...
One bright morning in early spring, cars honked, buses held up traffic, and bicycles whizzed down the street as the city awoke. The neighborhood dogs barked and howled, sounding the alarm that Purrl was slinking down the sidewalk on her way to the park. The usually bustling playground sat empty for now, and that was just the way Purrl liked it. Children often confused her. They were loud, and unpredictable. They...
trigger warning- death Miriam sat in her car and waited for the shock to wear off. She’d always known it was a possibility that the family she worked, for would decide to send their youngest child to that awful academic preschool down the street, but to be told it was a certainty felt like a slap in the face. Why couldn’t parents understand the harm that occurred in those types of school environments? Not...
“It’s mine, and you can’t have it!” Jack shrieked. He yanked a stick out of Dominic’s hands, then whacked him on the head with it, before tossing it into the growing collection at his feet. Dominic howled as he rubbed the side of his head. Tears spilled from his eyes, and snot dropped from his nose. The other children in the playscape stopped to stare at the small boy cowering on the ground, and ...
Cora and her parents had just moved into a small cabin at the edge of a forest known to some as the Pristine Pines. While her mom and dad were busy unpacking boxes and arranging furniture, Cora decided to explore the woods. She glanced out the window and saw that the sun was shining in a sky that was brilliantly blue. She knew that both the sky and the sun were deceiving, and the crisp air would ...
My nanny makes me and my brothers go outside almost every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s pouring rain or if there’s a blizzard she’s taking us out. She even got my mom and dad to buy us rain pants that we can wear year round, so mud puddles or slush won’t keep us inside. On some days I put up a huge stink when she tells us it’s time to go out. I refuse to put my snow pants on, distract my brother...
Edie awoke to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof. She yawned, stretched, and rolled over. As she drifted back to sleep, she could hear her baby brother, Whit, crying from down the hall. A few moments later, or so it seemed, Edie’s mother burst into her room. “Oh no, you’re not up yet? Edie, we’re late. You’ve got to wake up!” Her mother gently shook Edie’s shoulde...
It was 4:34am when I rolled out of bed, bleary eyed with a head full of tangles. I stepped into my slippers and shuffled first to the bathroom, where I took care of business, and then to the kitchen. I flipped the light switch up and winced as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. I yawned, stretched, let out a big sigh, and began to fill our backpacks. I stuffed every available pocket with sandwiches, snacks, extra mitten...
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