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Dana Schellings

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2019

Stories (18)

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18 Stories

296 karma pts

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The Man with the Golden Brother

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #321

The noisy chatter at the bar died down when the overhead music abruptly stopped and the MC walked out on stage. “The results are in,” he said. “I’d like to thank our contestants for the great performances. Takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a crowd that’s been drinking and sing your heart out. Let’s give them all a big hand!” He paused, smiling widely as the crowd followed his command, then continued. “In third place, Sharon!” Mike watched a young blonde woman squeal and hurry over to the stage, where the MC handed her a t-shirt wi...

3 likes

Forever 29

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #317

Poppy barked like crazy at the sound of mail being pushed through the slot, bravely rushing forward to protect the family. There would be no takeout menus or unsolicited requests for money on his watch! Laurie quickly scooped up the mail on the chance there was something worth salvaging, and to her surprise, there was. The square-shaped envelope was crisp and glaringly white, having somehow arrived unmolested. The faux wax seal on the back gave way to her fingernail with little protest, and Laurie pulled out a square of black card stock emb...

2 likes

And on the Eighth Day

Dana Schellings

“Are you there, God? It’s me…” “Michael. Yes, I know it’s you. I’m God, remember?” God said, never taking his eyes off the screen. “Oh, yes, of course,” Michael replied. “Anyway…” “Do you know how many of you there are?” God asked. “Yet I can recognize each and every one of you without turning my head or moving my eyes. Do you understand what I’m saying?” For a moment the only sound was God’s fingers hitting the keyboard harder than necessary. Michael swallowed hard. “Yes, sir,” he replied. “From now on, I will not say a word when I come...

0 likes

Welcome to Blagnorff

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #299

Greetings, Earthlings, and welcome to Blagnorff, a division of Pbbt! Industries. All hail Blagnorff! Pbbt! We are pleased as punch that our planet and your planet have entered into a mutually beneficial trade agreement, which includes our newly formed Department of Earth Resources here at our head office on exoplanet TNT4-5Q. And you should take great pride in being the first Earthlings to…hold on a moment…okay, I’m now being told that “Earthlings” is an offensive term and that I am “worse than Hitler,” whatever that means. I am now to refe...

5 likes

The Bigfoot Society of Scranton Monthly Meeting

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #76

“Good morning, everyone, and happy new year! The first 2021 meeting of The Bigfoot Society of Scranton will now come to order. We’ll start by welcoming new members Marshall and Lisa. Marshall, what beings you here today?” “I’ve been a believer ever since I was ten and my family went camping at Raccoon Creek. One night I got up to pee and I saw a large, hairy, two-legged creature walk through our campsite and disappear into the bushes. My sister says it was just our dad sneaking a cigarette but I know what I saw. She’s been teasing me about...

9 likes

Children of the Candy Corn

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #65

The full moon shone brightly in the dark blue sky, bathing the small town in an eerie white glow. The weather was unseasonably warm, freeing costumes from the burden of winter coats. But best of all, since it was the type of small town where no one locks their doors, parents felt comfortable allowing their little monsters, superheroes and Disney princesses to roam the streets unsupervised. No kid could have asked for a better Halloween, except perhaps one. For Jack, or as he was known tonight, Iron Man, only one thing kept it from being perf...

11 likes

The Legend of Squeak Frog

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #61

The day I became an auntie was the greatest day of my life. I remember the first time I held my newborn nephew, staring down in absolute awe of this brand new human being nestled in my arms. His rosy little cheeks, his chubby little face, his adorable little button nose, and the light blonde fuzz covering his soft little head, which was still slightly cone-shaped from his journey through my sister Anne’s birth canal, filled my heart with a love I’ve never felt for anyone that wasn’t a golden retriever. I knew right then and there that I woul...

8 likes

Schoolhouse of Cards

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #55

Mr. Clark heard the final bell ring one floor above him and checked his watch. Three seconds later the room’s walls and ceiling vibrated as hundreds of feet stampeded through the corridors, shaking loose bits of grime that had accumulated over the last seventy-one years. He silently watched the little hand make its way around the face as the noise grew dimmer, lapsing into compete silence at one minute twenty-two seconds.  Thirty-nine seconds after that, eighth graders Heather and Joshua arrived for the club meeting. No pleasantries w...

5 likes

Imitating Art

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #54

Jackie had been working on Second Chances long enough to know their story before they even opened their mouth. She looked over the middle-aged woman standing nervously in front of them. The uninspired haircut, bland makeup, and mom jeans told her that “Sue” had married young and spent her twenties and thirties as a cook, housekeeper and chauffeur for a gaggle of children. Now the nest was empty and she needed a new purpose in life, which usually meant going back to school. “Okay, Sue,” she said, planting a warm smile on her face, “In two m...

6 likes

The World is a Little More Beautiful Today

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #49

“Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?”  Martha looked up at the woman smiling down at her. She was about the same age as her and was also dressed in her Sunday best, a floral dress with a straw hat. She was leaning on a cane with her left hand, while Martha leaned on hers with her right. They could have been sisters, a thought that sent a pang through Martha’s heart. “No. Please, be my guest,” she said as she pulled out the chair next to her. “Thank you so much,” the woman said, easing into the seat. “I’m Agnes, but my friends call me...

4 likes

Unlocked

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #48

I must have stared at the door to the doctor’s office for a good five minutes. It was made of wood, with the number 308 stenciled in black letters. Century Schoolbook font, I think. I’m a Times New Roman girl myself. Call me a traditionalist. I also noticed that the brass doorknob could use a good polishing. How many hands had to turn the knob to wear it down like that? Amazing where your mind wanders when you’re trying to avoid something unpleasant. Going through that door could change my life for the worse, and I didn’t know if I could han...

5 likes

Submitted For Your Disapproval

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #46

One by one they seated themselves at the big rectangular table in the middle of the cafe. Greetings were exchanged, coffee and pastries were consumed. When the last member had settled in, the bimonthly meeting of the Hudson Valley Writer’s Group began.  “Great to see everyone!” Jenny chirped. “I hope you’re all fully recovered from the excitement of the last meeting and ready to pick up where we left off!”  She was, of course, referring to the customer who’d suffered a heart attack. He was a familiar face in the cafe, one of th...

6 likes

The Essentials

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #31

My mother used to say that quality cookware, a fully stocked pantry, and a cook who wasn’t afraid to get messy were the three essential elements for a perfect kitchen. She rebelled against the idea that the perfect kitchen was a pristine kitchen, the type you’d see on a magazine cover with their sleek granite countertops, shiny hardwood floors, and copper cookware dangling above a white ivory island with a natural butcher’s block top. Fully equipped and fully functional, capable of creating the most lavish feasts, yet these kitchens only cre...

6 likes

Claws of Steel

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #30

I am a cat person and we are, admittedly, a little crazy. No offense to dog people. We know you can be obsessive about your dogs, what with dressing them up in little sweaters and throwing them birthday parties and all, but you’ve never been associated with crazy like us cat people. I am a crazy cat lady and proud of it, as evidenced in my blog, crazycatlady.com. I only have the one cat right now, my calico Lulu, but she is my baby. I literally had to feed her from a bottle when I first brought her home. I may not know what I had for breakfa...

3 likes

Mr. Brown's Retirement Plan

Dana Schellings

Submitted to Contest #27

Everyone, no matter how ordinary they might seem, has at least one extraordinary story to tell. Take the case of an ordinary man named Mr. Brown, a retired truck driver from a quiet New England town. Mr. Brown spent decades driving produce all over the country until his company took him to dinner at a moderately priced restaurant, handed him a gold-plated watch and showed him the door. Since then he’s spent his days watching golf on TV, feeding the ducks in the park, and plotting to kill his wife.     Mr. B...

18 likes