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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024
Submitted to Contest #311
Vivian was standing on the brink of the cliff thinking about jumping off. Why not? Even though it’s not entirely about me, I am responsible. I may as well leave this world for the next. Things can’t possibly go this badly there … wherever “there” is. She reflected on what she had just done. How could I, with my upbringing and considering how much I care about others, do something like this? “Viv! Don’t do it!” yelled Michael. “It’s not that bad…” Vivian turned to see her brother running toward her, waving his arms like he was about to fly ov...
Submitted to Contest #310
Maryanne received an email from her town’s library inviting her to join the next meeting of the Murder Mystery Writers Club. Hmm, interesting. I don’t remember asking to join it.She remembered that she had asked if there was such a thing, having read about a similar group in the town’s local paper. However, there was no time or day of the week listed for a meeting, so she decided to wait until her next visit to the library to ask about any writer’s club they might have.Maryanne had been writing short stories and novellas for three years and ...
Submitted to Contest #309
Amy rented a room in her house to Peter, but she never fell in love with him like she had done with the others.He was a good tenant, sort of, until he broke one of her rules … don’t smoke pot on her property.Amy could smell it when she returned from work on Tuesday. When she turned the corner onto Applegate Street and was about six houses away from her own, there was the distinct smell of marijuana in the air. She instantly knew where it was coming from.Peter was home in all his fragrant glory sitting on the patio, staring (not just looking)...
Submitted to Contest #308
Eight-year-old Lucy walked out of the house onto her patio wearing her new yellow sundress. She held her head high so the diamond barrette in her hair would sparkle in the bright sunlight. Her barrette was placed in just the right spot in her hair. She knew that because she had placed it there herself. Lucy looked down and admired the pink Crocs her dad had given her last week when he returned from a business trip to somewhere she couldn’t pronounce. She looked around the back yard and up at the sky and said, “Florence, look how bright the ...
Jaime was 22 years old and in my classroom for reasons unknown. It was a course in a program that was sponsored by Jackson County for retraining people under 45 years old who had lost their jobs for one reason or another.I was asked to teach the class mainly because the junior college’s full-time teachers refused to do so, and because I was the only student in the school who had a bachelor’s degree. The classwork was ill-defined because it was an extra class that was offered just for some students to gain educational units. I wasn’t expected...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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