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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022
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...
Submitted to Contest #259
The Elephant in the Room The elephant in the room was large and somber. It stood amongst them breathing heavily, stomping its feet from time to time, yet no one chose to look it in the eye. Eduardo wiped his brow with his red handkerchief. He was hungry; he was weak, but his faith was strong and his belief in his family and his country was solid. He lived each day, each hour, each minute with hope. He firmly believed that if you had no hope, you had nothing. and Edwardo had spent most of his lifetime with nothing. He had determined the day ...
Submitted to Contest #258
THE ADRENALIN JUNKIE Aria clambered up the side of the cliff, searching for each handhold and each foothold until she finally reached the apex. Her camera case hung safely on its strap around her neck and down her back to avoid hitting the jagged rocks while she climbed. Reaching the top, she stood quietly for a moment, regulating her breathing after the exhilarating but exhausting climb. She could feel her heart pounding, feel the blood pulsating through her veins, feel the rush of adrenalin that always accompanied her need for that ...
Submitted to Contest #257
DEAD RINGER “Kara! Kara! Wait up!” The shouting was accompanied by panting. “Oh my gosh, I can't believe it’s you. Kara wait up.” She heard the voice behind her as she ran down the beach feeling the sand between her bare toes, the sun beating down upon her. She kept running. “Kara,” he cried again and she felt the tug as he grasped her arm and then aggressively swung her around to face him. “What are you doing,” she cried, pulling away from him violently. “Let go. I haven’t any money on me and I'm not wearing any jewelry.” He reached ...
Submitted to Contest #255
FAITH AND HOPE Layla made her way unsteadily from the washroom to the bed, her hand desperately clinging to the IV pole for support. She paused for a few moments as a wave of pain drenched her body leaving her depleted. The short respite from her journey across the hospital ward enabled her to continue her barefoot trek. She knew she was supposed to put on the slippers by the side of the bed, but truthfully, she didn’t have the stamina for it. Reaching the side of the bed she turned and positioned the IV pole the way the nurses had ta...
Submitted to Contest #253
FOREVER Kori flipped over onto her back on the deck chair and raised it into a sitting position. She adjusted her sunglasses and reached for the sunblock on the small side table abutting her chair. As she slathered the fragrant coconut sunscreen over her body she looked around and sighed with satisfaction. The water had that blue-green aqua shade, that screamed - tropics. A short ways away, a group of dolphins frolicked in the surf, their whistles and clicks could be distinctly heard. The receding tide had left a wide strip of beach, litter...
Submitted to Contest #250
Riley Hudson adjusted his bow tie over his crisp white shirt and then buttoned his tuxedo jacket, effectively concealing his shoulder holster. He pulled a black mask out of his pocket and firmly affixed it over the upper portion of his face. He then pulled the slightly crumpled invitation from his other jacket pocket as he entered the building and presented it to a security team member just inside the spacious foyer where elaborately masked guests in evening attire were moving through a security scanner. Others were being checked...
Submitted to Contest #247
March 17, 2056 We made it to the dwarf planet 136199 Eris this morning. I can hardly believe we made it this far. This is the longest mission I have ever been on and I miss Chrystal and Jack so much. Jack would love to see this, ever since I have been assigned to this mission he has been researching the planet and finding as much data as he can about the planet. He says he wants to be an astronaut and a scientist just like me when he grows up. He wants to explore the farthest reaches of the galaxy. We sent out dozens of pro...
Submitted to Contest #246
THE SURVIVOR He was tall, dark, and handsome with a cute schoolboy smile and Stacie felt her heart leap in her chest like some schoolgirl with her first crush. They had met on one of those dating sites and had their first meeting at a coffee shop several days before. It had gone well, very well and Stacie had carried her cell phone around in her pocket for the next twenty-five and a half hours anxiously waiting for his call. The call finally came and Stacie did her happy dance before picking up her cell and greeting him with a casualness th...
Submitted to Contest #245
THE SECOND COMING The morning was crisp and cool but the sun was shining brightly as Celeste walked down the hill to the creek below. In her hand, she carried a small wooden bucket lined with pitch to make it waterproof. She clambered onto the flat rocks of the riverbed until she finally reached the spot that she was looking for. The rock was flat from countless years of water rushing over it. It jutted out further into the creek than the surrounding rocks which made it the perfect place to fill her bucket. She held the bucket tightly in on...
Submitted to Contest #244
SHUTTERBUGKelly pulled into the parking lot, then checked the rearview mirror of her car, followed by the side mirrors, and then she did an over-the-shoulder scan of the area. It didn't look like anyone had followed her this far. She pulled her baseball cap low over her forehead and grabbed a pair of sunglasses that were lying on the console and jammed them on. She quickly walked across the parking lot, up the stairs, and into 52 Division of Toronto Police Services. She moved not so fast as to draw attention to herself but not so slow as to ...
Submitted to Contest #242
A PIECE OF CAKE I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall of the museum, discreetly scanning the location of the security cameras in the main lobby. The museum tour guide was starting her spiel to those gathered for her tour of the museum.“Welcome to The Royal Ontario Museum, or ROM as it is known to the locals, this is the largest metropolitan museum in the heart of Toronto. As a matter of fact, the ROM is the largest museum in all of Canada. It is the home of thousands, no, actually, millions of artifacts, care...
Submitted to Contest #241
Jenna paced back and forth across the small room. She glanced at the clock for maybe the hundredth time in the last forty-seven and a half minutes. He was late. Very late. She moved over to the window and looked up and down the street. Nothing moved. Not a car was in sight, not a person, not a cat or a dog, not even a bird flew by the window, not even a leaf fluttered in the breeze. Nothing, Nada. Zilch. Zip. “He’s not coming. I knew he’d bail on me. I just knew it.” Tears trickled slowly down ...
Submitted to Contest #239
THE ARTISTS GIFT Claire stepped through the door of her studio, closed the door, and leaned against it for a moment. She gave a heavy sigh and carefully placed her snow shovel against the wall resting it on the boot tray underneath. Leaning against the door again she balanced on one leg and undid the laces of her snow-clad boots. She unzipped her warm parka and divested it on the hook, followed by her hat, scarf, and mitts. She blew on her hands and rubbed them together briskly to warm them, feeling the blood start to circulate agai...
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