Francesca Mohan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (9)

9 Stories

185 karma pts

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“Deadly Grits: The Dystopian Diner by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #110

Deadly Grits: The Dystopian Diner by Francesca Quarto The diner was set like a jewel in the surrounding ring of blackness. As it crunched under my boots, the sound of the gritty soil was magnified in the great void of endless night. I was lost and knew I’d never find my way out of the deep valley. I laughed cynically to myself, when the delusion of hope flared at seeing something other than rocks and death. Hope that I’d be rescued before I turned into just another desiccated creature lying on the scorched ground. I’...

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“Just Desserts by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #100

“Deadly Desserts” by Francesca Quarto The table was like a setting sun, floating inside the otherwise gloomy dining room. It was alight with candles; five burning in each candelabra; five gleaming silver holders running down the center of the long banquet table. The dark wood of the table appeared lustrous under the gentle sway of the flames. Each place setting was laid with near geometric precision, not one spoon or knife breaking the perfect line and pattern. The fine china was a delicate cream, bordered in intricat...

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“A Christmas Goblin by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #96

A Christmas Goblin "Nothin' tastes better, me dear, than a nicely roasted goose!" The old man looked proud of himself as he plucked the big black and white bird of its feathers, its head drooping like a large tear drop, from his knees. He was careful to put the feathers into a much-dented washtub, knowing they’d to be used inside a winter comforter by his dear wife. He was quite pleased with this acquisition, newly made by him when he raided the nearby farmstead of Cormack Murphy. It was in the darkest hour of night, ...

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“The Only Road Home” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #92

The Only Road Home by Francesca Quarto She believed she was invincible. The goddess had given her that impression after all. She had surmounted incredible obstacles to survive. She was feverish with hope and the energy of youth. "Here, take this stone and you shall prevail, daughter," the goddess told her; the smile of the cobra before it strikes curling her beautiful, cold mouth. But goddesses have been known to manipulate the truth to suit their own ends. Was this to prove one of those times? Her life, her futu...

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“Magic Waters by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #87

Magic Waters: Another Tall-tale "Ah, yes. Ye 'n me 'ave survived yet anutter winter." Or so thought the sheep herder, as he poked at the well-thawed ground with his staff, following the placid, dull-witted mob. They were making their way out of the flimsy pen enclosure where he'd been counting faces, and looking for any signs of illness among them. He knew his sheep better than he would his own children, if he'd had any children. He recognized the oldest to the youngest, and grieved as deeply as a father, at the dem...

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“A Garden To Die For by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #86

A Garden to Die For: A Eulogy for Spring "It's absolutely breathtaking, Meg!" gushed one of the Mornay twins. Meg couldn't tell them apart, so she merely smiled, bowing her head demurely. Meg Randall was hosting the 'The Mississippi Bountiful Gardens Society' at her country estate. This was their first gathering since reforming, a process that occurred on a yearly basis as members always seemed to drop off after the first meeting. The current group had high hopes of avoiding that outcome. ...

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“Love's Trap, by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #85

Love’s Trap Thom Love was an unusually clever twenty-eight-year-old. Even as a young boy on the fast and furious streets of Brooklyn in 1911, he was considered a sharp kid. He had a reputation for always besting the local gang of bullies. After years playing the avenging angel for his baby brother, Albert, he had plenty of time to perfect his tactics. The fates were unkind to little Albert. He came into this seething cauldron of poverty and ignorance, generall...

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“The Stars Are Dying by Francesca Quarto” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #83

The Stars Are Dying Captain's Log: HMS Star Chaser; Twenty-ninth Cycle- Year of Apocalypse, Galileo Sea There is little time to do more than mark our identity here, and the date of The Ultimate Cataclysmic Event. No time to list the names of my crew, who, having served His Majesty with valor, have all preceded me in death. Alas, my only companion is my ghostly reflection in the glass of my cabin window. It is clearly visible against the pitch-black-void surrounding the ship. A never-ending, ...

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“Blood of My Blood” by Francesca Mohan

Submitted to Contest #82

Blood of My Blood She screamed like a banshee; caught in the trap I had so carefully laid for her. The high, piercing wail of agony and frustration ran through my ears like shards of shifting glass. I had to cover them before my eardrums burst. The suddenness of the quiet returning, warned me that she was either dead, which was unlikely, or she was working on the escape plan used again and again, over the past twenty-four hours. The same twenty-four-hour day I had just lived through, to the same point in time, every time, without a minutia ...

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Author bio

I write under the pen name Francesca Quarto to honor my Italian ancestry. My books are multi-genre ranging from Urban Fantasy to Paranormal and modern day mystery. Currently working on the latter in s murder mystery set in the high plains of Texas. I always say, "Read it if you can't live it!" Life is an endless story. Francesca Quarto