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Christine Roddie

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

Stories (22)

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22 Stories

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WOW Online Request

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #306

Clayton introduced me to the HQ group as the latest member of the security team at the satellite tracking station. Then he added, in his own words, “She also plays World of Warcraft.” Oh No! He mentioned WOW. He doesn’t know what he just did! I slumped down in my chair and tried to hide behind the guy in front of me but realized we were on a video conference call, and I could easily be identified at any time. Half of the HQ group on screen moaned, “Ohhhh…” The other half nodded and grinned at the camera. To me, it was a mixture of horror and...

0 likes

Time to Quit

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #305

The meeting started as usual. The ladies, all over 55, talked to each other at the round table up front. All the rest of us sat at round tables on the sides and in the back. Our opinions didn’t matter as much as theirs, or so they thought. I sat at the farthest table in the back, as usual. My position in the club was Parliamentarian … you know, the one who is supposed to know all the rules and maintain order in the meeting with regard to procedures. The older women were, of course, in charge. Two of them swapped the office of President and V...

3 likes

Turn Right or Left

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #305

At the intersection of Home and Darlene’s I stopped and remembered the oft-repeated story of the Devil and the Angel standing at the crossroads. The Angel never lied, and the Devil never told the truth. Which way should I go? Ask the Angel and she says to the right. Ask the devil and he says to the right. The same applies to me: Home to Angel or Darlene’s to Chaos. So, of course I chose to go to the left. Yup, I made another mistake in my mind and so I turned right. Whew. It’s a good thing I have a memory for trivia like the fact that if th...

4 likes

A Writer's Schedule

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #304

Okay, so I’m a night owl. So what. I can still have friends, go to church, eat breakfast on time, and write my heart out before I have to go to work in the morning. I’ve been doing this for five years now and so far I haven’t had any bad side effects. I think. Well, I’ve run through three boyfriends and lost contact with my cousin in Alaska, but, hey – who needs to know what’s happening in Alaska, right? I’ve traveled the world (in my mind anyway) and enjoyed learning about people everywhere. What a species we are! We communicate in meaningf...

6 likes

An Incident on the Bridge

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #303

At the Old Times Café, Billy told his story. “I saw the whole thing. Marlene was out of control. She tried to stab her ex and throw him over the bridge into the river. I swear.” He told his new friend, “It’s a long story, Joyce. I don’t expect you to understand. It’s not about anything that occurs in your world, and I wish it hadn’t occurred in mine. You see, this is how it went – this is what brought Travis here: It started two weeks ago when Taco drove his rig into town and saw Marlene at the Old Times Café. He rolled in looking for a soli...

4 likes

Mixed-Up Messaging

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #302

Jim was enthused. He said he had a surprise for me and couldn’t wait to take me to a special place to show me. This is it. This is the “special” day I had been waiting for. He led from the cabin to his Jeep Comanche, an old white pickup truck that had been used on many fishing and hunting trips, and politely opened the door waiting for me to climb in. He then went to the driver’s side and jumped in behind the wheel. I loved riding in his Jeep pickup. He drove down the dirt driveway to the main road that all the cabins in the area used to ge...

10 likes

Family Can Break Your Heart

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #301

Wanda stood at the front of her cousin’s house dialing her cell phone. “Hi! I’m in the neighborhood, can I come in?” “What? What are you doing in my neighborhood? No, no, no. I can’t see anyone today.” Wanda looked at her phone and then at the house to be sure she had called the right person and was at the correct address. “Okay, well I’ll see you next time then.” Click. Marsha had hung up. I wonder what that was about. I don’t see anything going on here and there are no noises or anything. Oh, well, next time I’ll call ahead. Wanda went hom...

6 likes

My New Island Home

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #300

From my window seat, I saw a double rainbow over Oahu. I was sitting on the right side of the Hawaiian Airlines plane and was able to see several islands and the Honolulu Airport (HNL) before the Boeing 747 turned on final approach. I saw the Koolau Mountains, Honolulu Airport, Pearl Harbor, Kapolei Airport and Waianae beach before the plane made a hard right headed for HNL. I saw the sparkling blue ocean below, a horizon with white clouds splitting the blue sky and darker blue water, and more sea below before the plane flew over the shore o...

4 likes

Time Travel Guru

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #299

Derek wasn’t supposed to do it, but he told his sister Sandra about the aliens’ plans he was talking about with his Dungeons & Dragons friends. He told her about their theory that the President was being programmed by humans and aliens in a secret hideaway in Colorado.He said, “It’s like he’s a puppet who doesn’t know what he’s saying or doing. If what we researched is true, then his staff, or a previous president, perhaps using Artificial Intelligence, is running the country.”Sandra decided to go along with her teenaged brother who was ...

8 likes

Reinventing Mary

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #298

Mary danced on the table like there was no tomorrow. This was not like her. She was usually reserved and somewhat awkward. But she knew she had to change to have the kind of future she wanted.They all stared, then laughed, then clapped their hands and several of them reported her to her boss. He was astounded and confronted her about the office party last Friday. She was taken aback. He sounded disapproving and she was confused.“But you liked it when Schatzy danced. You did! I saw it in your eyes last year at the Christmas party where everyo...

8 likes

George's Promise

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #296

George McMahon had just started his first job as a Ford car salesman. He worked at a dealership in town that had a reputation for being fair but not as personable as some other dealerships.The owner of the dealership, Simon, liked cars and in particular liked antique cars. In fact, he was even featured on a local TV show at antique car auctions touting the merits of various cars for sale. Simon’s specialty was restored collectible Fords.One day, Simon bought an old Ford convertible at auction because it wasn’t selling, and he had a keen eye ...

6 likes

What Portal?

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #295

The portal was right there behind the closet door.Joanne said, “No, don’t bother. I hang things up in this closet over here. That door doesn’t work.”Mary glanced sideways at her cousin and instantly knew something was off. She never tells me what to do when I’m a guest in her house. This isn’t right. I wonder what’s hiding in that closet.Joanne hung up Mary’s jacket in the closet at the end of the staircase, not the one by the front door. Whew, that was close. I’ll have to cover that door with a curtain or piece of furniture or something. Ma...

4 likes

Say It Again, Dan

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #294

“I don’t have a ‘World’, Rob,” said Dan.Rob answered, “Really? But you have a brother, Dan.”“He’s not my world. He’s just IN my world, but not OF my world.”Rob was momentarily confused and said, “Uh, okay, if you say so.”“I do. You just spent ten minutes telling me about your world, Robert, and I didn’t feel a thing. It’s your world, not mine. You chose your world, Rob. You chose to get married, have a child (who lives in another state and hardly sees you, by the way) and live with two cats and two dogs. You belong to a club you don’t like w...

6 likes

Aboriginal Vision

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #293

Bert was on an installation team of General Dynamics engineers who were implementing a computer system upgrade at Pine Gap, a joint Australian-US satellite tracking station, located 19 kilometers (12 mi) south-west of Alice Springs, Australia, that employs about 700 Americans and Australians. She had been at the Joint Defence Space Research Facility for only three days and the engineering team she was on was exhausted. One of their crates containing critical computer equipment had been smashed by a forklift driver in California and they...

6 likes

Are You Going or Staying?

Christine Roddie

Submitted to Contest #291

“Why are you running away from me?”“I’m not running from, I’m running to!”“What?”“I’m not leaving, Mom, I’m moving TO!”“What do you mean, where is TO?”“To my life. You know, the life you wanted for me? The reason you made sure I am healthy and educated?Why did you spend money on my education and training, not to mention Dad buying flight lessons for me so I could fly his plane?Why did you insist I go to college?What did you think I would do after college, or obtaining a pilot’s license?Stay home with you?Dad is out in the world, but I should...

8 likes