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Donna X

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2022

Stories (4)

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8 Followers

9 Following

4 Stories

106 karma pts

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The Last Tenant

Donna X

Submitted to Contest #176

One warm September afternoon, I gathered the courage to introduce myself. I scurried down the tall Oak, out of the woods, into your big backyard. I stood on my hind legs in the middle of the lawn and looked up at you. You stood alone on the deck, admiring the late summer scenery and said, “Hi, sweetheart! I’m Julie, the new tenant.”I thought you were pretty but wondered why your belly was so round. If you were forty, I’d wonder if you were having a boy or a girl. But at fifty, I wondered if you were having too much chocolate cheesecake. Afte...

11 likes

The Road Trip

Donna X

Submitted to Contest #154

Mild foul languageIn a rare moment of reflection, the young woman occupying the passenger seat of my Toyota sedan turned to me, smiled wistfully, and said, “We’re running out of time.”It was the fourth of July holiday weekend, and all the nation’s fireworks exploded inside my head throughout my rollercoaster ride from Durham, North Carolina to Long Island, New York. I was en route to my hometown to visit relatives who I hadn’t seen in a decade.My trip began peacefully at 6pm on Thursday. I planned to drive three hours and seek refuge in Virg...

15 likes

The Change

Donna X

Submitted to Contest #151

I spent the afternoon of my 50th birthday in my primary care physician’s office, enjoying our annual visit.We exchanged perfunctory greetings. How am I? Peachy. I pictured a wicker basket full of peaches, on top of a red-checker enrobed picnic table that screamed, “Summer greetings.”How’s life? Great. The only way it could be better today was if I were wearing a party hat, blowing out fifty candles on a fire-alarm, mile-high chocolate cake. It would take dozens of firefighters hours to sift through the molten lava of sugar, saturated fa...

14 likes

Active Shooter

Donna X

Submitted to Contest #149

I can still recall the flashing blue siren on top of the Sheriff’s Ford sedan that flickered one last time after the Active Shooter blew it out with his 9-millimeter.Now, I must tell you my story. Before an autopsy does it for me. I’ve been speeding down the Highway of Fear for my whole life. As a little girl, I feared the monster under my bed. Today I fear the monster that breeds in my head. I fear flying. I fear dying. I fear drowning. I fear bridges, balconies, parking garages, pools, bees, basements, and of course, the madness ...

9 likes