Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (10)

10 Stories

196 karma pts

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“Love and Ghost Stories” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #171

I try to escape my past, but it somehow finds a way to follow me, no matter where I go. I left my old hometown to get away from the place we once lived. Where we had all our happy memories, and the sad ones too. How foolish I was to believe I could get away from him! No matter where I go, he’s always still inside my heart and my soul. How can I get away from a ghost who insists on living inside me? Even now that he’s dead, maybe even more than before, I think about him every day. Is it grief or merely my imaginat...

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“No Final Goodbye” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #169

I watched as the coffin was lowered into the unforgiving ground of this awful February day. James was the only boy I had ever kissed, the only one I had ever loved. It felt so unfair to have him cut down in his prime. A germ, smaller than the head of a pin, was his death. Tears rolled down my face, as I stared at the frozen ground, saying my final goodbye. I stayed far longer than the other mourners, wanting to spend just a few more moments with his body, though I knew his soul was no longer there. I saw a shadow f...

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“No Second Chances” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #168

I ran after the damn train, yelling, hey mister, can’t you see me? It was a hopeless endeavor, as no engineer or conductor is even going to slow down for a 60 something geezer who got to the station a couple of minutes late. If they only knew how important that day, that train ride was to me. I was on my way to an interview for what could have been the opportunity of a lifetime. I threw both my hat and my art case down in frustration. No use crying over missed connections. I sat down on the nearest bench, mopping m...

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“Mortal Danger” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #167

Carla looked out into the quickly gathering storm, watching the lightning flash. She had always been fascinated by lightning. All that power, unleashed in a moment, never knowing where it might strike next. It reminded her of her partner, Shawn. His was a mercurial personality, someone you never knew what to expect from. It wasn’t the angry skies that brought him to her mind, but the unpredictability of it. Shawn was a wild card at best, at worst a loose cannon. That very daring and bravery was what the resis...

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“Psychic or Just Sick?” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #167

There are days when I wonder if everyone else sees what I see. If they felt what I do, they would get no peace. I know I don’t…These fantastic visions can’t be real, can they? It started on a fateful day in September I’m sure all of you remember, but not like I do. I heard the screams, felt the terror of each person on those planes. The sounds will haunt my nightmares all my life. I can’t get the faces or the voices out of my head. I feel like I’m going insane an inch at a time. When those towers went...

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“Dream Worlds” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #167

Neurons fire, messages zooming from one synapse to another. Then the hour gets late, and the person whose skull I inhabit goes to sleep. This is my favorite part of the day, by far. Her life is boring from a brain’s point of view. She reads a book occasionally, but she’s no rocket scientist. Sometimes I wish we brains could have a convention and discuss our time off together. I bet some of the most banal citizens you meet have a fantastic dream life. They’d have to, or we brains would get bored, and no one ...

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“Second Thoughts” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #166

I gave up on my Dad calling without an agenda long ago. Yet I’m seriously considering doing what could cause a rift between us. Again I give him the benefit of the doubt, and get disappointed every time. I’m giving it one last chance, and he can either run with the ball or fumble. It’s up to him. Give me a break, I thought. How can this person expect anything from me when they have disappointed practically everyone who ever trusted them? I mean, that old trope that says forgive and forget can only be pushed so far, at the...

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“See Through Me” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #166

The fateful words had just rolled off her tongue, it was too late to take them back. “I quit” is a pretty hard thing to erase once it has been said. Sarah had worked for the worst boss in the world for what seemed like forever. She was condescending, aggravating, and most of all, impossible to talk to. Sarah had many complaints about having to work for Betty, but she didn’t want to lose her job. It had taken too long to find a placement. Oh, how she longed to tell that sorry excuse for a boss exactly what she thought o...

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“The unveiling” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #165

The Unveiling George and Alice had a short courtship. That tends to happen when a baby is on the way. They were married in a simple ceremony in the park. Nothing could have been more romantic. They were together for ten years, some blissful, some less than excellent. Alice used to watch George as he slept, marveling at her good luck. She kept looking past the flaws, not knowing how deep the cracks in his personality were. Then, after a decade of living and loving and hoping, the blow fell like a palm tree in a h...

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“The birdhouse maker ” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #164

He woke up and prayed every morning. He never really asked for anything, just thanked to the Lord for his life, his wife, and the rowdy family next door. He almost felt like their second grampa, and they often made him smile as he watched them play. It was a large family, and it would take a mean old Grinch not to fall for their cuteness. But to him, it was a chance to be a friend who could give produce from his garden, make toys for in his woodshop, or just lend a friendly ear. So he was as close to them as a mere neighbor could be. He ...

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Author bio

A writer and musician from Texas who loves her hubby and her dog. I love to write, and I hope this community will help me improve my skills. I also have a blog with poetry and other stuff that doesn't fit any prompts yet. CaligirlIntex@blogger.com I've been writing for a long time. I hope you enjoy the journey as my stories continue to evolve. Even if I'm never lucky enough to be a winner, your comments and encouragement keep me going. Thank you for taking the time to read my work.