ER Castaneda

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

Stories (23)

23 Stories

430 karma pts

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“Captured on Camera ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #258

Thirty-six-year-old photography hobbyist Jack Stevenson steadied his Canon EOS R5 at the pelican, hit the shutter button, and took a picture, all without making noise and scaring the bird away.  He took several more photos, watching as the pelican carried a fish in its mouth, and flew away. Jack smiled. Although his work had been featured in a few magazines, he loved nothing more than the stillness of taking photos at the beach early in the morning, before the throngs of people made their way to this particular beach, causing wildlife t...

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“My Best Friend ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #255

TW: Death My best friend died on a sunny Friday morning, two days before National Ice Cream Day. We had planned on going to Baskin-Robbins as we did every year for National Ice Cream Day, each eating one cone with a single scoop of ice cream - plain vanilla for her and a chocolate chip ice cream cone for me. We'd enjoy the cones on a picnic table right near Baskin-Robbins, licking the ice cream from the cones as fast as we could before the summer heat caused the ice cream to melt and drip onto the ground. Then we'd take a walk at the park ne...

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“Celebrity Insider ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #254

June 4, 2024  8:02 AM ARE ACTORS STEPHANIE SMITH AND CASEY REYNOLDS NOW DATING? Twenty-three-year-old actress Stephanie Smith is rumored to be dating her co-star, 30-year-old Steven Reynolds, from their new hit movie, It Takes Two to Tango.  Which would be sweet except that Steven Reynolds is currently married to 30-year-old Casey Reynolds, a high-end real estate agent. Celebrity Insider has included exclusive photos from a recent night, in which Reynolds is shown to be trying to sneak out of Smith's condo in the middle o...

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“A Moment in Time ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #253

The weather is sunny and moderately windy at Carol's Carnival Rides, a pop-up traveling carnival that has arrived in our area for the weekend. I'm surrounded by carnival games like The Milk Bottle game, Whack-a-Mole, Water Gun Race, Apple Basket Toss, basketball game, and more. To the right of me, I see a Balloons and Dart game, and a boy of about ten jumping up and down, hysterically happy after he manages to break a green balloon with one of his darts. "I can't believe I did it!" he proclaims eagerly to his pleased parents, ...

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“The Woman Beside Me ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #252

It started in Target, where I was picking out some creme-colored, large towels for the bathroom. She, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-40s with a blonde, short, choppy, inverted bob with a side-swept fringe and chunky highlights, looked like the definition of a Karen. Because I never did learn her true name, she inwardly, was always "Karen" to me. 'Excuse me," said Karen when she bumped into me when I unfolded a bathroom towel to make sure it was the right-sized towel. She looked almost comical in her baggy capri pants, t...

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“Pages and Ages ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #251

Twenty-five-year-old Max McReynolds walked into the small bookstore, The Book Buffet, every Saturday precisely at 9 am, once it opened. The Book Buffet was the only small, business-owned bookstore for miles around, accepting and selling donated books. Max always arrived promptly when the store opened, and checked out the area for new donations every week, knowing he needed to keep buying as many books as cheaply as he could as he read books at an unquenchable pace. He loved to earmark pages, highlight or underline specific passages...

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“Sexy Interruptions” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #250

"Hi, Ann!" I uttered as soon as Ann opened her front door. "I've got some juicy dets," I practically shouted, embracing her in a hug. Chuckling, Ann hugged me back and responded, "I can't wait to hear all about it." "Aunt Susan!" Corey yelled as he ran from the adjacent room, toward me. "Did you bring Hot Wheels for us?" I turned toward five-year-old Corey. "Hey there, Corey," I gave an awkward little wave. Behind Corey, Aaron, Corey's two-and-a-half-year-old brother and practically shadow, followed him into the room...

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“Desperate Remedies ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #248

TW: eating disorder; mental health A mixture of black, white, brown, and yellow foods combined with bile and red blood comes out of my mouth as I forcefully vomit, pushing my two fingers deeper down my throat. I grin as I see the package of Oreos I ate come back up, the half pack of bread with cheese and ham, and Lay potato chips. The food lands in the toilet bowl with a sickening plop, and as soon as my stomach feels empty, I flush the toilet and watch my shame swirl away.  I pace the room, willing myself to stop thinking of food the ...

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“Doubt rhymes with Workout” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #247

Alyssa put her hair up into a ponytail, got out of her car, and walked toward a place she never thought she would ever allow herself to enter.  A gym.  Twenty-five years old and overweight, Alyssa had promised herself a long time ago to never focus on the weight on the scale, to eat the foods that made her happy, to accept her body for what it could do. She went on leisurely long walks to enjoy nature, but refused to go to the gym because it held no interest for it. Why would she want to exercise in a dull place?  But onc...

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“The Ultimate Prankster ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #246

"Ahhh!!!" she screamed, as the dark figure in a Jason mask popped out from a hidden corner in the hallway. She kicked the figure in the groin. The figure clutched his groin in pain. "Hey!" the figure yelled. "It's me!" "Justin?!" screamed Stephanie as she searched for the light switch in the dark. Her fingers finally grasped the switch and she flicked the light on. "Are you kidding me?" It's three in the morning. I have been begging you to stop these awful pranks." "What's going on?" asked Mark, her husband, stumbling from the master room in...

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“This Little Light of Mine ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #232

TW: Suicide, Gun Violence Danielle closed in on tiny, wooden round table about 4 feet in height, with a small, black candle atop it. She was outside. Atop the small candle was a very small flame, and Danielle put her hands near the flame for warmth.  She didn’t know how she knew, but she needed to keep the small flame alive or something bad would happen.  She couldn’t remember how she got...

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“Drowning on Dry Land” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #171

Standing at the top of the mountain, looking at the lush greenery of trees  surrounding me and focusing on the waterfall off in the distance, I realize I made it!  I made the climb! I began to tear up.  One year earlier:  The millisecond right after I stir and am awakened, right before my eyes shoot open, is one of the guaranteed great moments of my day. I don’t know where I am, who ...

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“Chainsaws are Loud. ” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #170

“Common sense is not so common.” - Francois-Marie Arouet “I’ve got a plan!” I said.  “Let’s hire someone with a chainsaw on Craigslist!”  I can still smell the mixture of burnt wood and fabric, see the thick gray smoke wafting in the air, hear the blaring sound of the fire alarm, see the people running into our apartment, willing myself to turn back time and make better decisions....

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“Imprisonment via Train” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #168

She stared out the train window, watching the scenery whiz by quickly as she made her way home.  If she squinted her eyes, the trees, dilapidated houses, homeless encampments, and open space all seemed to intersect together into one big blob.   Her train rides to and from work and home were approximately an hour and a half long with 10 stops.  There was approximately 10 minutes between each stop.  Sighing...

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“Just another Manic Monday” by ER Castaneda

Submitted to Contest #163

The U.S. Bank Tower building in Los Angeles suddenly collapsed on a Monday morning at 10:30am.  Cheryl was walking to the printer -  for another mundane task as a clerk - when it happened. The only thing she could remember before the collapse was a loud noise and all she could think was, “Earthquake!” before she blacked out. When Cheryl came to and tried to move, she discovered her leg was...

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