Elizabeth Hoban

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2024

Stories (6)

6 Stories

615 karma pts

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“RINGS” by Elizabeth Hoban

Submitted to Contest #287

RINGS A trill ring. Tara startles. Urgent. Slowly, she rises from the kitchen chair. A few minutes later, Tara struggles to take it all in. Seated at their kitchen table she cradles her hot mug of tea as if it were an injured bird. A knife, a scuffle, a pregnant woman, husband, hero. So sorry, ma’am… Two police officers sit at her kitchen table sounding muffled, monotonic, like adults in a Peanuts cartoon. She does not offer them any coffee because she doesn’t have any. She wants them to leave. Thrice, she’d dismissed herself to vomit in ...

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“The Fright Before Christmas” by Elizabeth Hoban

Submitted to Contest #281

The Fright Before Christmas ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through her housenot a present was wrapped, who cared about the mousePanicking all alone, she had no chance of escapeThe stores were all closed, and she’d run out of tape. Stockings needed hanging; the tree needed trimBut without decent toys to wrap, Christmas seemed grimA widowed mom with two children was certainly tragicBut somehow, someway, she needed to create Christmas magic. With such little to go around, she made each item countEverything her boys got...

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“I Know What I Heard” by Elizabeth Hoban

Submitted to Contest #272

On the last night in October of 1984, I was nearly killed by a fire-extinguisher. I was eight months pregnant and couldn’t sleep. Seduced by the bowl of candy not coveted by trick or treaters, I sat in the silent darkness of our tiny kitchen and plowed through the leftovers. Suddenly, the overhead light flicked on, and my husband stood there in nothing but Snoopy boxer-shorts, about to bring a fire-extinguisher down on my head.“What the …?” He staggered back. “You nearly gave me a heart attack; I thought you were an intruder!” He m...

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“REINCARNATION” by Elizabeth Hoban

Submitted to Contest #270

Aisle four of my local grocery store was the least likely place for a flashback but it happened just the same. While I browsed the colorful shelved foods and sundries, my motorized cart, with all its bells and whistles, died. Confident my doting daughter, Elizabeth, shopping somewhere in the store, would eventually come looking for me, I’d no choice but to wait.A kind, young man stopped and asked if I needed assistance, but I reassured him I was fine. Apparently, noticing my POW hat, he respectfully saluted me. “Thank you for your service, s...

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“Degrees of Parenting” by Elizabeth Hoban

Submitted to Contest #262

That last day of July was so hot, even How hot was it? jokes had long since worn out their welcome. When Jack’s wife, Jess, begged for a much-needed weekend respite from their 5-year-old twin boys, with plenty of notice, Jack wholeheartedly agreed. A summer weekend of quality time alone with his sons would be a memorable bonding experience.“C’mon, Jess, how hard can it be?” Jack had said.“This, coming from a man who believes shoving quarters up his nose constitutes entertainment. Good luck.” Jess had laughed and before he knew it, ...

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“You” by Elizabeth Hoban

🏆 Winner of Contest #260

We were death partners before we were friends. The day we met some 30 years ago, I was so pregnant with my first child, I resembled an over-stuffed sausage about to burst its casing. I’d forsaken style weeks earlier when my shoes no longer fit. I couldn’t even reach around my massive torso to shave my legs; limbs sporting enough hair to scrape clean a barbecue grill. You, on the other hand, had just wrapped-up an open-house and strode across my threshold for the first time, like a seasoned runway model. I’ll never forget your chic...

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Author bio

I write because I don't know how to stop. Books: The Final Mission, a Boy, a Pilot and a World at War (Westholme), The Cheech Room (OldLIne), and The Secrets That Save Us. (OldLIne). I have been on numerous writing sites over the years. Reedsy is my very favorite!

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #260

You – read story