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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2023
Submitted to Contest #297
I wasn’t chosen to pull the trigger but would do so had my number been called. Surprisingly, after all the years of despair and decline we had kept the tradition of the weekly lottery. The country tuned in to hear the cheery voice announce the winning numbers. Unknown to the public, the first number called last week determined who would do the deed. If no one had an exact match, whoever was closest was tagged to be the one who must assassinate the dictator.We had little time to waste and a lot of moving pieces as the country slept ignorantly...
Submitted to Contest #294
Biting into my sandwich, I began to chew despite the choking sensation. I should have made it lighter, fewer slices of cheese perhaps, but then again, how lean can a sandwich be before it’s just bread on bread? I forced down the bite with a small sip of water. The whoosh of the Keurig along with the intoxicating aroma taunted me from across the lunchroom. My coworkers casually chatted while selecting their K-cups from the spinning rack, their easy banter keeping me seated in silence. I made a mental note to or...
Submitted to Contest #293
The children swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the train as it went through the countryside, suddenly slowed, and finally came to a halt with a screech. Laura pushed through the crowd to stick her head through the window looking around at the vast emptiness of the land. Beyond the small station there was nothing to see in any direction. “Do not get placed here, Johnny Miller. Ya hear me?” She turned to look into the eyes of the boy traveling with her, the boy she had known her entire life in the city. “It ain’t my choice....
Submitted to Contest #291
Being on the top of the pile gave me some hope. Not a lot, but I did feel more optimistic than I had at the bottom of the pile. What was going to happen to me? I knew my options and had considered them extensively. I could end up in storage, transferred to another store or simply dumped into the garbage. Another scenario, by far the worst, was fueled by whispered rumors that never calmed down completely. The fear of book burning haunted me in the quiet of the night when I was feeling the lowest of low. &nbs...
Submitted to Contest #290
I made sure the bottles were set properly, chose two ounces, and pushed the cold green button. A momentary pause led to the whir as the bottles filled simultaneously in the mechanical arms. The babies quieted down as they began to nurse. A quick look around assured me that the operation was running smoothly, so I switched off the light and left the feeding room. I had to get my monthly injection and then I was done for the day. Hunger pains began creeping in, and I thought of the frozen dinners piled in the freezer. ...
I follow the girl. I don’t know who she is or where she leads me. I don’t think to ask, nor do I worry. I succumb to the comfort as we begin another lap around the halls in the layers. There is no before, there is no after. There is no effort to my movement, as it is happening to me rather than by me.Wait. I want to meet him. I want so desperately to meet him. I love him.Can I convey this message to the girl when I have no voice, no means to speak? I must find a way.She is suddenly gone as I go through the laps ...
Submitted to Contest #288
“Go back to bed, Miss Amelia darling. You know the rules.” “Who are you?” “You know who I am.” “Tell me.” “I’m Denise, your aide,” the stranger said. “Now let’s get you back into bed under your blanket. It’s going to be freezing tonight. Do you have your woolen socks on?” I looked down at my feet. Such ugly socks I had on. Why? “These socks are ugly,” I told the strange lady while getting into bed. She laughed, “Are you going out tonight? Perhaps dancing? The socks are fine. You’ll be nice and w...
Submitted to Contest #287
(TW - Sensitive Content) The cornflower blue eyes looking at me could have been my own reflection many years ago. Or they could have been the eyes of someone I once held dear. They were neither. “Can I bring Annabelle to the tea party, Mommy?” Sophie’s voice interrupted my thoughts before they traveled further down the unpleasant path. I smiled. “Of course, baby. Let’s set another place at the table.” I watched my daughter carefully arrange a porcelain tea cup and saucer on the miniature table. I held back...
Submitted to Contest #286
“Can I bring Sadie, Mama?”“No, I’m sorry. Only what fits in your suitcase. Please, Esther, hurry up.”I looked at Papa beseechingly, hoping he would allow me. He was busy packing his own case, tucking the tiny velvet pouch of coins into the lining of the interior.“You heard your mama. Be a good girl.” He smiled at me gently.Mama handed me a loaf of hard bread wrapped in a kitchen towel. “Squeeze this in, please.”“I can bring stale bread but not Sadie?” I was astounded.“You want to go hungry?” She looked...
Submitted to Contest #285
I found myself in a plastic bag next to a knife. I was surprised at the change of scenery but not entirely shocked. I had twenty five years to think about the story that had been placed in my care.***Marvin sat at his PC typing with his two pointer fingers, soggy cigar butt clamped in the corner of his mouth. Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a Face” seeped up through the floorboards filling the air of the tiny apartment, adding to Marvin’s extreme agitation.He typed “Dear Marvin Jan 11, 2000”, hit enter and got up for his bottle of ...
Submitted to Contest #284
Mama greeted me nervously as I entered the kitchen. A quick glance showed an extra setting at the already crowded table. My heartrate quickened as I saw my mother busy herself, avoiding my eyes. Suppertime came with the arrival of the beady-eyed man whom Mama introduced with downcast eyes. “Isabel, you remember Papa’s second cousin, Elijah?” She seated him next to me as a lump formed in my throat forcing any possible reply down into my gut. I took my seat next to my obvious intended. An awkward silence enveloped us in our newl...
Submitted to Contest #283
A huge bouquet greeted her from the coffee table without a card or explanation. The flowers just sat there looking gorgeous and mysterious like the Mona Lisa. Kate felt relief wash over her. Maybe they were a peace offering. Maybe she wouldn’t have to go to the consultation with the attorney after all. The fork in the road was ahead of her, with the road endlessly shifting like a warped nightmare. Sometimes a few steps away while other times so far on the horizon that the fork was barely visible. Kate reached f...
Submitted to Contest #278
No bells or whistles. No cutesy play on words, puns or double entendres. He was never into that. Just his name at gmail dot com. First name last name at gmail dot com. Not a period or dash separating first and last name. Not even an underscore. That’s how his email appeared. I sat back stunned, strawberry and banana yogurt on spoon halfway up to my dropped jaw. I peered closer to my phone, not quite believing my eyes. Replacing the spoon back into the plastic container for fear of choking, I looked around ...
Submitted to Contest #272
“Mommy, don’t cry.” I climbed up onto the bed and scooted under her blanket. She lay curled up on her side, and I squeezed into the space that was empty near her tummy, facing her. I stared into her eyes which held the sadness of the world. “I’m ok. I promise,” I whispered to her without reaction except for another tear slipping out sliding sideways landing on her pillow. I reached up to wipe the streak that the tear had left behind feeling my mother’s softness that I remembered so well. Every year on the same day she d...
Submitted to Contest #270
(TW - This story contains sensitive content.)Whispering, “One, two, three, four,” she dumped the scoops into the coffeemaker. “Fuck it.” She added another scoop and flipped on the switch.The wave of nausea hit her as the pot started hissing. Grabbing hold of the counter, she closed her eyes. It was there, no doubt about it. No second guessing if it was her imagination or maybe something she ate. “Damn it.” She wiped her forehead, which was covered in a clammy film of sweat. Daryl’s thick snoring was th...
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