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Cindy Calder

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (77)

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75 Followers

25 Following

77 Stories

1785 karma pts

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A Poet is Born

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #111

It was an excruciatingly bitter, cold night in January of 1788 at the house on Holles Street in London. Frost littered the windowpanes, icicles hung from the rooftops, and snow fell softly with gaslights spreading their dim light across the cobblestone street as the wind howled its' fury. Upstairs on the second floor, a lady’s maid mopped Catherine’s brow as she strained and pushed for the nineteenth time. This was decidedly proving to be no easy endeavor, and young Catherine cried softly between contractions, fearful she would be unable to ...

17 likes

El Amor

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #110

Mariposa sat at the small table in the dimly lit diner better known as the Café Bohemia on the dusty road outskirts of Havana, Cuba, patiently awaiting her date's arrival. Havana, though somewhat laid back in nature, was a growing and busy city, and it was possible that Santiago had been detained by unforeseen events at La Tienda de Escritores, or The Shop of Writers, where he worked in the city. The old bus that traveled this way could have also been running late and delayed him. Either way, Mariposa reassured herself he would arrive shortl...

8 likes

La Mort des Apparences (The Death of Appearances)

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Zelda said, reaching across the space betwixt she and her husband of eighteen years. She lovingly caressed his forearm in an attempt to assure him that his despondent thoughts were due to nothing more than the gloomy weather that had filled the day.“We have plenty of time to go all the places and see all the things your heart desires, Jacques. Life is still young and full of possibilities. Why in heaven’s name are you speaking as though your world has suddenly screeched to an unexpected stop and will never resume?”J...

10 likes

Disillusionment

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #105

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” - George Bernard ShawEmily sat at the table, slowly stirring her coffee. What had happened the previous evening had left her more than restless throughout the long night. This morning, she was weary, her nerves frayed and her thoughts jumbled. She had not expected the reaction she’d received when she’d told Joshua she was leaving him and taking Zoe with her. She had expected an angry, belligerent man, but all she had witnessed instead was a seemingly ...

10 likes

The Magic Window

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #103

Sophie loved exploring, and today, she was making her way through the brush and forest to find places that remained yet undiscovered. Her best friend, Abby, had ditched her in favor of shopping with her Mom, but Sophie preferred trekking through the woods any day to picking out a new outfit. As she topped a hill, she saw a small house she’d never spotted during her travels in the woods, situated just inside a large copse of trees. It was then, and in vivid detail, she recalled a dream the previous night about a house that looked identical ...

13 likes

The Allure of the Forbidden

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #103

Valora was tired and more than ready for bed this evening. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to the comfort of her soft mattress with its fresh, sun-drenched linens and plumped up puffy pillows. As she perched herself on the edge of her bed, she picked up the old, discolored photograph that she’d found in the antique shop earlier that day. She didn’t know why, but it had held a fascination for her, and she’d impulsively purchased it. She slowly turned the photograph over and read the inscription on the back of it again: “Ar...

18 likes

Rising Like a Phoenix

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #103

In the late afternoon each day, Tessa walked the cliffs of Cornwall, looking out upon the vast ocean as she awaited the return of her beloved sea captain. The Trevose Head Lighthouse stood at the ready, able to provide guidance to any incoming ship out on the seas. It had been over a year since she’d seen The Sappho draw near, but she held steadfast to hope as she waited, walking amidst the flower encrusted cliffs high above the lapping ocean’s waves, ever ready to see the sign for which she waited daily to see: a blinking lan...

20 likes

Heather of the Moors

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #103

Her name was Heather, like the heather that was scattered endlessly across the moors.The moors of Dartmoor called to her, both in her waking hours and her dreams. Each night they beckoned as she slept in the comfortable bed that had once belonged to her parents. And each morning as she awoke, the smell of heather and a fine mist seemed to permeate the room, although she knew well enough that it was merely the remnants of dreams that lingered so.Born in the year of 1928, Heather had been named for the lovely flowering plant that grew upon the...

15 likes

Christmas of 1910

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #102

“Yes, Lizzie? What was that, dear?” Lizzie’s ninety-two old grandmother, Sarah Lois, looked up at her granddaughter and asked as she sat rocking before the warmth of the fire. Her gnarled, arthritic hands were busily at work on an afghan that was to be a wedding present for Lizzie’s older sister, Suzanne, who was to be married in the spring. “Please, Grandmomma, tell us the story. You know how much we love to hear it!” Lizzie begged, her blue eyes full of anticipation. Her grandmother smiled and quietly placed the crochet needles and afghan ...

16 likes

The Gift

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #102

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” – Alexander PopeThe desire for revenge is a built-in facet of human nature, and science leads us to the conclusion that the capacity for forgiveness, like the desire for revenge, may be yet another facet of human nature. Forgiveness and the lack of forgiveness can be akin to a double-edged sword, and each cuts thus. If one does not forgive, it only serves to eat away at the soul, like a stonecutter’s hammer and chisel, slowly chipping away at the large slab of marble. But to forgive also deepl...

18 likes

A Twist of Time

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #99

The day was a formidable one at best with the downpour of rain and the occasional streaks of lighting that stretched across the expanse of the skies as well as the ominous rolls of thunder. Looking out the large window that practically covered the entire wall of one side of the den, Piper yawned and relaxed, sinking deeper into the cushions of the comfy sofa, the book she was reading perched on her chest. It was such a dreary day that she could not help feeling sleepy yet again even though she’d slept later than usual that morning.Her normal...

13 likes

Eternal City

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #99

I’d finally done it, and my heart was bursting with emotions to which I could not lay a name. My nearly lifelong dream had manifested into a reality. And what a wonderful, amazing, and unforgettable reality! I had waited years for it, and it had not disappointed in the least. It was just as I’d always known it would be and had been more fulfilling than anything imaginable – save giving birth to two children – in my lifetime.It was nearly sunset, and I sat drinking a glass of Tuscan Merlot on the outside patio of La Soffita Renovatico, a...

16 likes

Enduring

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #99

Greta felt the sun on her face and the wind in her hair during the long drive to the coast. Having the top down on the old Mercedes sports convertible was heavenly, especially this time of year. There was little that could beat it on any given day. The scenery of North Yorkshire that stretched before her on the winding road was stunning, soothing and filling her restless soul with rolling hills and a lengthy highway leading her to her beloved seashore.Greta had been making this annual trip for twenty-nine years and looked forward to it each ...

15 likes

The Dream

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #98

It was a normal day when Zoe awoke. She got up, brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed for work as usual. Before heading out the door of her loft apartment, she stopped in the small kitchen to enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of buttered toast. It was while she was sipping her coffee that she remembered the dream.The previous night, as she slept, she’d had a dream that she now suddenly and in crystal clear detail recalled. She straightened where she stood as chills moved down the length of her spine. How odd that she’d had the dream to be...

11 likes

A River of Fortune

Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #98

Amelia had lived on the river as long as she could remember. The home had been her great-grandfather’s home before it had become her grandfather’s and then eventually passed down to her father. Now it was her home, and the love she felt for it was immeasurable. Not only was there a sentimentality in the home itself, there was a depth of calmness and reassurance from the surging, winding river that ran past it and far beyond, providing a serenity as well as sustenance from its waters for all who resided therein.The cabin’s furnishings were sc...

10 likes