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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022
Submitted to Contest #277
THE WAYS OF THE WICKED The staff room was almost empty, a few teachers were using their prep time to get some lesson planning finished. Ivy Thornton crossed the threshold and let out a loud sigh. “Hey there,” called out Mark McGuire, “How's it going?” He took a closer look at Ivy. “You look… stressed.” “Stressed isn't the word for it. Overwhelmed! Like I’m in a sinking ship. Like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. Like I will be on stress leave by the end of the semester or maybe by the end of the month. Ivy gave a nervous ...
Submitted to Contest #276
THE BLIND DATE I applied the lipstick with care and precision. I wanted to look my best tonight. I hadn’t been on a date for a long time. It wasn't easy to start dating again after my divorce. I was feeling lost, raw, and vulnerable, and my trust in men was at an all-time low. But my friends and co-workers encouraged me to get a babysitter for my nine-month-old son and two-year-old daughter, and actually have some adult time in my life. I spent my days working with children and my nights and weekends as the sole support and careg...
Submitted to Contest #275
RUNNING OUT OF TIME I stared out the cell window. My hands grasped the cold iron bars, and the rough metal dug into my palms. From my vantage point atop the scarred wooden stool, I could see the castle bailey which served as the market square, and beyond … the gallows. It was a typical Autumn morning, windy and gray. I saw my cousin swaying in the wind, suspended from the gallows. An hour before, I heard his last pitiful pleas as they placed the noose around his neck and he begged for his life. All he received for his plea ...
Submitted to Contest #274
WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE I’m a bit of a control freak. There! I’ve said it, owned up to it, confessed it, and they always say that confession is good for the soul. I’m also a very analytical person and for a long time, ney, most of my life, I have long analyzed why I am such a control freak. It has to do with fear. Intense, utterly unrestrained, uncontrollable … fear. I remember the day, the fateful day, when for the first time and the last time in my life, thus far, I lost all semblance of control. The fear ran so deep that day, that ev...
Submitted to Contest #273
THE SPANISH GALLEON “Okay! Okay!” Riley looked around nervously, making sure the coast was clear. “Don’t tell anyone! You have to promise me.” “Dude,” said Trent, rolling his eyes. “What are you looking around for? We are in the boonies. There probably isn’t a living soul around here for twenty clicks.” “Yeah, well you can never be too careful.” Trent rolled his eyes again. “Got it! What's up? What’s the big deal?” “You have to promise,” stressed Riley. “What? Are we like ten years old or something? Do you want me to pink...
Submitted to Contest #272
Danelle Forester ran along the forest floor, dodging low-hanging branches and roots that threatened to trip her with every step. It was dusk, twilight, that in-between shadowy time; halfway between daylight and darkness where shadows deepen and one's heart starts to palpitate just a little faster, for no apparent reason. As the Shadows grow longer, objects seem to merge, forming an endless sea of darkness. In Danelle's case, the dusk only compounded the issue. In the distance, she could hear the baying of the hounds, drawing ever close...
Submitted to Contest #271
All my life, I felt like I didn’t belong. I always felt I must be a foundling, perhaps left in a basket on a doorstep in the middle of the night. A quick sharp rap at the door followed by running feet as someone dropped their unwanted load and beat a hasty retreat to nearby bushes or down some dark laneway. In my head, the scenario changed regularly. Sometimes I felt that the person who had abandoned me ran quickly away without ever looking back. At other times I felt that they may have hunkered down behind some bushes, watching and wa...
Submitted to Contest #270
The smell of the tea filled the air, strong and pungent; just the way Mark, her husband liked it. He called himself a “Tea Connoisseur” and enjoyed experimenting with exotic blends and brews. Callie did a second check of the tea tray to ensure that everything was perfect. It had to be perfect. Antique teapot on the right side of the tray, the single matching china tea cup, and saucer just below. Check! Sugar and cream to the left of the teapot. Check! The small basket of scones wrapped in white linen, piping hot from the oven. Check! Callie ...
Submitted to Contest #269
FOUND TREASURE “We’ve been walking for days. I think we are lost. I think we should turn back. We’ve already lost two sherpas.” “They are not sherpas,” corrected Reggie. “What are they then,” said Jake with sarcasm. “Oh please enlighten me, oh mighty brother?” “To begin with, Sherpas are Tibetan people from the Himalayas in Nepal. They act as guides for mountain climbers and hikers.” “Whatever! They are just our mules.” “You might be less condescending, more respectful, and more politically correct. We are not in Tibet, not even...
Submitted to Contest #267
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES - THE STORM The storm-tossed boat bravely tried to weather the storm. It was rocking and rolling with every pitch of the waves which threatened to overturn it. The bottom of the boat was filled with water, capsizing and tossing the occupants into the salty brine was a distinct possibility. The Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, however, was designed for superior stability despite its lightweight construction. RHIBs were frequently used in military operations, therefore the specs required high-performance capabilities from th...
Submitted to Contest #266
THE RELUCTANT MUSE Mitch sat in front of his laptop propped on his oak roll-top desk. He opened several pigeonhole drawers at the back of the desk, looked absently inside them, and then closed them. He typed a few more words, then closed the roll-top desk carefully and lifted the lid just as carefully, listening as the slats of the sliding cover traveled along the tracks on the desk. He repeated this several times, after the third time he stopped and backspaced the few words he had written and typed a few more. He was working on deve...
Submitted to Contest #263
Gage sat in the window seat of his cabin and fidgeted with the pad of paper and pencil beside him on the dusty old cushion. He had picked them up at least half a dozen times in the last half hour. He had started to sketch the view from the window seat but hadn’t made more than a few half-hearted lines. Usually, his creative juices were working overtime, but today he felt like a parched lizard sitting by a cactus in the desert. He had nothing, zilch, nada. One big fat zero. He loved art, drawing, painting, and sculpting. It was his raison d’ê...
Submitted to Contest #262
SUMMER HEAT “It's so hot you could fry an egg on the asphalt today.” gasped Kirk Greene as he entered his house and dropped his messenger bag and mail onto the floor. His pitbull stared at him in stunned surprise. Something was not right. The mail and bag were always placed neatly on the console table just inside the front door. The mail was sorted into various categories depending on its importance and urgency, then placed into the letter trays to keep it organized. The house was only slightly cooler than the temperature outside. Kirk...
Submitted to Contest #261
THE UNSUNG HERO Jake Walsh slid down the fireman's pole at Fire Station # 5. It was a daily ritual that he performed to help keep his head in the game and a daily reminder of why he had become a fireman and what it meant to his family and the community. He could have taken the staircase like all the rest of his crew did, but that would defeat the purpose of the act. Jake stood at the bottom and ran his hand along the sturdy brass pole. As he did so, he remembered back to when he was eight years old and the tragedy that had occurred th...
Submitted to Contest #260
The Lamb and the Lion I heard the door slam and the sound of packages tumbling to the ground. I remembered an expression my grandmother always used just before my brother entered a room. “Gird your loins” was her expression and I quickly came to understand that she meant, prepare yourself for something unpleasant or challenging. A moment later my brother poked his head around the open door of the family room calling out,” I’m back” in a sing-song voice. I gave a quick sigh and pasted a smile on my face. “So how was your foray into th...
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