Edward Roberts

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2023

Stories (9)

9 Stories

160 karma pts

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“What. Is. My. Name.” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #255

Like every other work day for the past two years, I arrived for my shift at 5:45 AM after stopping at the corner florist to pick up a fresh bouquet for the lobby. With a freshly pressed doorman’s uniform, matching cap, a smile and a name tag that read ALDEN, I was the youngest doorman to ever grace this lobby and was determined to keep the forty-eight residents of The Gloucester happy from sunrise to sunset. I replaced yesterday’s flowers and tidied the lobby. If one of the leather club chairs were askew, a few residents were prone to ...

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“Hard to Hear” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #230

After a weekend away with the girls, my body tingled with anticipation to be home with my boyfriend, Matt. However, the joy of arriving home was dampened by the exhaustion of a three-hour drive and the presence of another car in my driveway. Apparently, my boyfriend’s twin, Michael, extended his two-day visit with his brother. More accurately, Matt spent the weekend babysitting his trouble-prone twin, protecting Michael from himself. Each change of season brought a new drama from which Michael needed extricating. If he wasn’t being hunted by...

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“Dance of the Fairies” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #229

Oliver threw his scarf around his neck, stepped off the train and walked along the platform at Boston’s South Station. He was surrounded by other holiday travelers pulling large suitcases, sporting heavy, overstuffed backpacks and pushing strollers with travel-weary children. He entered the grand concourse of the train station and scanned the expansive space. Even without the festive decorations in place, he admired this building for its artistic and majestic character deriving, in part at least, from its high ceilings, ornate chandeliers an...

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“‘Twas the Night Blitz Saved Christmas” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #229

Blitz watched the digital clock placed above a sign that read International Date Line as it changed from 11:59:59 PM to 12:00:00 AM. An alarm, both musical and jarring, sounded throughout the facility. Another twenty-four straight hours of living hell, he thought to himself. Last minute updates to the naughty list, ensuring the correct type of batteries go in each stocking and updating weather reports in real time. Maybe this year Christmas can go smoothly. He moped over to the wall phone then punched in a code to make an announ...

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“Your Secret Is Safe With Me” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #225

Karen held the artifact with two hands, turning it over to inspect every inch. The pewter hand mirror had impressions of the Romani Chakra symbol on its backside with interwoven vines and thorns along its sturdy handle. She remembered playing with her great grandmother’s hand mirror for hours, imagining some magic within revealing far away, mystical forests or foretelling her future. When she mentioned to the shopkeeper that it bore an uncanny resemblance to her great grandmother’s hand mirror, the shopkeeper said, “Perhaps this mi...

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“Caregivers” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #224

Warning This story contains graphic and disturbing content. Dusk He will be in with my medicine any minute. My body and mind have adapted to this new and peculiar schedule so I almost wake up automatically now. It’s dark in the room. I can’t read the expression on his face because of the mask. I think it’s a he; I feel the roughness of his fingers as he puts the pills in my hand. Yes, it’s a he. Even in my half-dreamy state in the darkened room, I can make out the wide shoulders filling his shirt. They want me to sleep. That’s wh...

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“A New Freedom” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #224

A New Freedom“I can’t sleep.” I said it out loud to myself. My partner was asleep in bed next to me and my kids were safe and sound in their slumbers as well. Why, then, did I feel so alone?I lived my whole life believing that no one on Earth felt as outcast, alone, afraid and discontent as me? I was terminally unique. This feeling of distinctiveness set me apart from everyone else. Living with a self-image that vacillated between narcissism and inferiority pushed me away from any meaningful relationship with family, friends and co-work...

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“Don't Sh*t Where You Eat” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #223

** This story contains mature language. ** Don’t Sh*t Where You Eat Olivia followed closely behind her boyfriend, Chase Walker, as he twisted his body left and right maneuvering through the massive crowd in his living room. He held his red Solo cup over his head. Drunk or soon-to-be-drunk college students filled every room of the spacious house. Deafening, pulsing music shook the walls and floors. The hoppy aroma of beer and the skunky stench of weed filled every room. She counted four beer kegs while forcefully pushing herself toward t...

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“The Ghost of the Carolina Rediviva” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #223

** This story contains mature language. ** Prologue I stood ten feet from a skeleton, laying face down with its bony fingers against the wall. My foggy brain could not recall their anatomical designation. The skeleton was covered in dust and stone debris so it must have been here a long time. I took small measured steps, then knelt down next to it. Putting down my badge, I used two hands to clear away some cobwebs and studied the bones. Had this person died a tragic death inside this wall? It was a haunting and tormenting scene. ...

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Author bio

I am a physics teacher by day and a writer the rest of the time. I try to not to spend every writing minute thinking about all the other things I have to do. When I am doing those other things, I'm probably thinking about my next story. I am currently writing a coming-of-age / adventure novel set during the Golden Age of Piracy that explores themes around morality, justice and where those concepts diverge. I would welcome the opportunity to join a fiction writing group and get the feedback of beta readers, editors and other writers. I live in Massachusetts with my husband, three adopted children and two rescue dogs.