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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2023
Submitted to Contest #296
Fiona walked hurriedly past the newspaper kiosk, clutching her purse to her side. She normally would have stopped to talk, like she usually did.This was her neighborhood, after all. She had lived here for eleven years, and she had the place just about memorized. She pretty much knew everybody else who lived there. The neighborhood was small, but friendly. Everyone was on a first name basis. It was a great place to live. Today, she wanted to get home before the downpour began. So not today. No stopping to socialize on the way home. She f...
Submitted to Contest #285
The phone rang for the third time, when Gloria raised herself up off the couch and shuffled over to it. An old landline, but it still worked well. Her cell did not work as well at home. She occasionally lost signal, and like so many other people, she hated when that happened. "Hallo," she said, tiredly. "Gloria," said her younger sister," Leslie. "Finally you answer the phone! I've been trying to reach you for days." What's going on?" "I've been too tired. Working too hard....
Submitted to Contest #283
I was all alone in the apartment for the very first time. Jim was gone. He had been laid to rest just three days ago. My older sister and her husband had stayed with me the entire time. Now they were both gone.They had jobs and two small kids to return to, so they could not stay any longer. Jim's funeral had been small. Exactly the way he had wanted it. Both of us had lost our parents over the years, and all I had left was my older sister. We both came from small families to begin with. That was something that when we first met, we had in co...
Submitted to Contest #234
No one was more shocked than I was. My mouth actually dropped open. I felt great. I looked good for my age. A little tired...yes...but that was it. How could this possibly be? How? I wanted to argue with the doctor. I wanted to point out why this could not possibly be true. But deep in my heart, this explained the tiredness. This explained a few things. Things I had noticed, but refused to think about. Things I kept to myself. I wanted to argue with my doctor, but I knew it would be useless. When the exhaustion reach...
Submitted to Contest #233
Every day of my life...now..... for years ....I have posted online. I have spent all day with my nose glued to my smart phone. Coffee in one hand, smart phone in the other. Days have slipped from morning sunshine into night time darkness, with me still curled up on the couch...posting. I have forgotten to eat, because I was too busy posting. I have lost days on end, too busy posting. I bring my smart phone with me everywhere I go. I bring it with me to restaurants, family get togethers, grocery stores, conv...
Submitted to Contest #232
I have been sitting here all night, to keep this one small flame burning. I do not grow tired. I do not grow weary. I do not grow thirsty. I gaze at the flame. The flame is beautiful. The flame is everything. The darkness surrounds me. And the wind continues to blow. It sounds tortured. It blows in heavy gusts. But the wind doesn't affect me. It doesn't bother me. I am not troubled by it. Only the flame. The flame is the only illumination, in a world of darkness. The howling of the wind is constant. I am all alone in my vigil. There is no on...
Submitted to Contest #227
The first snow of the season....and I was curled up on the window seat... a cup of Ghirardelli hot chocolate in my hand... a knitted afghan over my legs. I had used snowshoes to get here. A short hike from where I had parked the car...and it had been invigorating. The air was sharp and clean. I have always loved the way the air smells when it is just starting to snow. I love the first snow. Everything looks so pure...so pristine.....so clean....so perfect. David and I had bought this cabin 4&...
Submitted to Contest #225
Lena Crosby lingered in her usual spot on her way to work--same as she had done every morning--for weeks. She liked to stand directly in front of the antique shop's large glass display window. Her eyes glued to a small silver framed mirror. The shop had just appeared one day, it seemed. "They must have moved in over a weekend," Lena remembered thinking. For the longest time, she had walked past an empty storefront every Monday through Friday, on her way to the small plumbing supply company where she worked ...
Submitted to Contest #224
I can't sleep. I can't sleep. Will I ever be able to sleep again? Why did this happen? Did this have to happen? I can't sleep. I'll watch television. Maybe that will help. The incessant drone and flickering lights. Maybe that will help. I won't really be watching... though. I'll just be staring at a constantly changing screen. Good idea. Anything is a good idea. I grab the remote and aim it at the flat screen. With a soft click the screen comes to life. Will that help? I don't know. I do not know. &nb...
Submitted to Contest #223
Lisa juggled the armload of books she was holding, praying if the weight were more evenly distributed the books would be easier to carry. I hate Wednesdays she thought-- as she continued down the stairs to the Library and Archives department. --Room 376 here I come- she muttered to no one in particular. Three more weeks of this. Three more chances to break my neck on these stairs. Her college transcript was high on academics and low on service, the Dean of Academics had informed her with his usual sour&...
Submitted to Contest #222
My husband and I had just moved in. Actually, we were still in the process of moving in. We were down to the smaller boxes. Lamps, knick-knacks, stuff you put on your nightstands, end tables, and a few boxes of kitchen utensils. We'd been living on take out for the past few days. Moving is such a hassle, and by the end of each day Bob and I had been just too tired to cook or even think about preparing anything. We had made some poor financial decisions in our lives, and as a result we lost our lit...
Submitted to Contest #221
Here she is again. That annoying woman. Cannot get a wink of sleep. Every time I turn around she is dusting or vacuuming, or taking down curtains and running the washing machine. When I hired her to do just some light housekeeping, I did not realize my day would begin at the crack of dawn. She is middle-aged and she had excellent references, but even so, enough is enough. I climbed out of bed and stomped down the stairs. "Really Mrs. Spitnik, you think you could tone it down just a little?" It's the midd...
Submitted to Contest #220
Jenny Parker and I usually walked home from school together. Maybe "walked" wasn't the right word. We usually raced each other, our cheeks cherry red from running. But not today. Today my father was picking me up because I was spending the weekend with my grandparents. I loved spending the weekend with my grandparents. They live out in the country, while my parents and I live in the city. Whenever I come home from my grandparent's house I always feel like I've been wrapped in a ...
Submitted to Contest #219
The sound of hoofbeats were loud in the early hours of the morning. For those first few seconds, through the thick fog of sleep, Tobin Swinton thought he was dreaming the sound of a galloping horse. But, as the sound grew louder, he sat bolt upright. No one ever roused Tobin from his sleep unless they were holding someone in the Witch Jail. It had been years. Years. He had believed this was all over with. He had thought this had all ended years ago. He had prayed the last one was the last one. Until now, it seemed.&nb...
Submitted to Contest #218
The sun slid steadily through the gap in the curtains. Rita yawned loudly and stretched luxuriously, arching her back and rustling the sheets. Heaving the sheets to the side of the bed, she sat up blinking. She looked at the alarm clock and hit the button before it could go off. A heavy sleeper, Rita had deliberately purchased an alarm clock that was loud, obnoxious and discordant. An actual assault on the ears. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. Cool air hitting her bare legs, a...
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