Fi Riley

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2024

Stories (4)

4 Stories

264 karma pts

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“The Favour” by Fi Riley

Submitted to Contest #271

Dominic hated industry events. Actually, he loathed them. He preferred the word loathed. The way it sounded as it rolled around his mouth, taking form. Hate was so common. So abrupt and throwaway. Harsh and sudden, revealing an ugliness. Loathe was smoother. More sinister. It sounded soft, sumptuous, seductive even, despite its meaning. It suited him. He smiled to himself. Always tinkering with words. Always spotting the most creative angle to take. He was good at this. Hence, why they had asked him to attend tonight’s event. He loved the wo...

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“The secret ingredient ” by Fi Riley

Scratches were the sign of an adventure. That’s what Alex told herself as the bramble tore into her arm. She couldn’t resist jumping in a puddle that sat unobtrusively at the edge of the path. Muddy knees were also the sign of an adventure. The muddier the better. She loved the sound of the splash; the squelch of her gumboots in the mud, and the little shiver of glee that made its way into the open through the giggle she was unable to repress. Owen wasn’t in the mood for an adventure. He never was. She really wished she’d chosen a better sid...

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“One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi ” by Fi Riley

🏆 Winner of Contest #267

His visit wasn’t planned. Yet when she saw the car pull up, riding the cusp of a tempest, Eve was unsurprised. Headlights sweeping up her driveway in this remote, vast space they called home could have been reason for fear, panic or, at the very least, an unsettling unease. But looking up from the sink, where she stood carefully drying a crystal wine glass, seeing the lights, she immediately knew. Rafe was behind her in a second, all agitation and tension, hating surprises, hating things out of his control.  ‘Who on earth can this be at...

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“Edge of Nothing” by Fi Riley

Submitted to Contest #266

Yesterday I died. It was a sad, sombre affair. I was alone. Except for Joel. Joel, who was always with me. Even at the very end. Or, I suppose, especially so. Facing death held a magnificent horror for me. Most people either have faith or don’t. Think they’re worm food or else are going to meet their maker. I was on close personal terms with my maker. I knew the end was the end. Whenever he was brave enough to see it through. But it was done. It was over. I could let go. At least, that’s what I thought. Joel had other ideas. It was he who ne...

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Author bio

A Kiwi-based British writer, currently dabbling in short story writing and sharing my prose ponderings. I’m in the joyful abyss of querying my debut novel and starting the road to writing my second. An avid reader and dedicated pussycat pamperer, I live with my partner and our two moggies, Apollo and Artemis, in Auckland’s beautiful North Shore. My love of storytelling started in primary school with the writing of storybooks (and producing them with felt tipped pens and a stapler) and my passion for great literature as I studied through secondary school cemented my desire to study English, leading to my degree at the University of Southampton. In more recent years I’ve been a regular Nanowrimo participant and have played with creating short stories to offer vignettes of small life moments, mostly told in the female voice. My story One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi is a Reedsy Prompted contest winner and has inspired me to craft more in this form. After years of forging a career in the not-for-profit sector, I embarked on a side hustle in yoga teaching, and trained in elemental yoga, which often emerges in my writing, using the elements as a backdrop for my stories. Alongside these two careers I’m completing my aspirations by making space for my original passion - immersing myself in beautiful storytelling and finding unique perspectives to explore through my writing. X - @firileywrites

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #267
One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi – read story