Heather Ann Martinez

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2020

Stories (64)

64 Stories

1133 karma pts

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“Can You Hear Me?” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #70

Can You Hear Me? By Heather Ann Martinez The waves kept pulling me further away from him. I knew he had stopped breathing and there was not anything I could do. I eventually let go of the thought that someone or something was going to save him. I asked God to keep him safe until we meet again in heaven. I knew our parents will see me coming home. I know my mother will cry and my father will not speak to me for some time. I murdered their favorite son. I did not intend to when we stole the fishing boat. I didn’t mean to fight with him o...

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“Face Reality” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #69

Face Reality By Heather Ann Martinez So, you could say my best friend Marcus and I couldn’t wait for the summer. We loved swimming, canoeing and surfing reality TV shows. We even applied to be on a couple of them. We didn’t get in, but at least we tried. We did land a couple of roles as extras in two television series that were filming in our town. We have actually been on the set at the same time with our reality TV crushes. It is that memory that keeps me going day after day stocking shelves and sweeping floors for my family’s g...

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“Stay ” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #68

Stay By Heather Ann Martinez We were up early looking at the first sunrise of our marriage. After many proposals, I finally agreed to marry you. The sunrise was perfect. Our coffee cups were warm and seemed nestled into married life. We thought we would have thousands of mornings to look forward to like this. We thought there would always be sunrises we would enjoy or some we would even forget and spend a few extra hours in bed alone. We forgot our hearts, our passions and what we were asked to do. We knew we were not born to be on thi...

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“Behind the Spice Cabinet” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #67

Behind the Spice Cabinet By Heather Ann Martinez You could say I knew my place as a guest in Monica’s home that summer. It was so kind of her to let me stay while my new home was being built. Flooding along the coast delayed my house from being built sooner. I had saved for years to build this house, and I would do just about anything to make that dream become a reality. Monica was tall and thin. She was always making a stew or casserole. I always told her I would be happy to order a pizza or grab fast food somewhere but she would not he...

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“What Really Matters” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #66

What Really Matters By Heather Ann Martinez "It doesn't count if you are already planning your defeat, Jonah." "It should still count for something. At least you aren't running away from your destiny this time." "I thought we weren't going to talk about the whale or Nineveh." "That's all in the past now but your journey is not over. It doesn't have to end like this. You have so much potential. We all know it. We were there at your birth and we will be there at your death and all the time in between. We know you Jonah. We were assig...

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“Carved Pumpkins and Bowls of Treats” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #65

Carved Pumpkins and Bowls of Treats By Heather Ann Martinez It’s the night before October 31st. My brother called me and asked me to take his son Trent trick or treating tomorrow afternoon. My brother couldn’t get the afternoon off of work and Trent is five and a quarter. He ‘s been looking forward to wearing his ghost costume and carrying his plastic pumpkin bucket up and down the street with the other kids for a whole year. My brother didn’t take Trent trick or treating before this year, because he didn’t know any of the neighbors. The...

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“The Barren Woman’s Child of Loch Awe” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #64

Mists permeated throughout the highlands of Scotland. No one knew where the mists began or where they would end. The mists were the hiding places of ghosts, secrets and legends. For the residents of the manor house near Loch Awe, going out after dusk was forbidden. Everyone knew the ghosts played through the last stroke of midnight. A faint knock on the kitchen door surprised the man servant who was tipsy with ale dripping down the front of his shirt. He pushed over a chair and asked in a raspy voice who was there. The reply was more startli...

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“I Knew Armand” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #63

I Knew Armand By Heather Ann Martinez By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. I had forgotten what they looked like this time of year in the United States. It had been a year since Armand’s unexpected death. It had been a year since I went into hiding. I have spent the majority of the last six months editing vlogs for friends who have been biking across Colorado. As much as the federal agents said I shouldn’t, I’ve been hiding in plain sight. No one out here is looking for Vesna Lombardi, wife of a now deceased Ita...

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“The End of the Beginning” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #62

The End of the Beginning By Heather Ann Martinez When I was younger, I could see at least four colors in the sky year round. The rain used to heal the land, and I could whisper my secrets to the trees. I’ve had the opportunity to see so much of this world. I traveled for work. I traveled to satisfy curiosities a book or movie could not. I tried to learn a new language every other year. Like many of my colleagues, I planned out my future. I kept learning. I kept reading and researching. I loved deeply along the way, but I knew I could n...

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“In Mama's Apron Pocket” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #61

In Mama’s Apron Pocket By Heather Ann Martinez It was always bright and clean in mama’s kitchen. I can still smell her cinnamon rolls baking in the oven and beef stew simmering on the stove. To look at her, you would not think she had a care in the world. If she was ever stressed about anything, she never showed it. She pleasantly cooked and baked for dad, my brother Rhen and me for most of my childhood. I don’t remember a time in my elementary school years that my mother didn’t bake cookies and cakes for school fundraisers and communi...

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“Are You Scared of the Dark?” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #60

Are You Scared of the Dark? By Heather Ann Martinez Our forefathers and foremothers knew this was coming. We were told to prepare for the worst as children. Are you scared of the dark? Are you afraid of unfamiliar sounds that drift off in the distance? Do you enjoy staring at the sand? If so, you have come to the right place. The end of the world as many had known it. Silence and darkness followed. My grandmother used to read me bedtime stories about the sun and the moon. She showed me drawings of a full radiant celestial objec...

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“Summer End” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #59

Summer End By Heather Ann Martinez Summer End lay in the heart of the quiet northern England villages. There weren’t many motorcars or telephone boxes in Summer End. The county preferred to leave modern technology at a safe distance. Most of the residents thought indoor plumbing was the only extravagance they needed. They were welcoming to visitors and held tours frequently. The residents never expected any one to stay longer than the weekend at the hotel. They never thought any one would actually want to live in Summer End after living ...

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“An Elevator Speech” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #58

An Elevator Speech By Heather Ann Martinez Minneapolis...nearing midnight. There was a slight chill in the summer air as I ran to the elevator of the massive hotel I was staying on for the weekend conference. I had been told that the hotel was under renovation when I made my reservation. The agent that checked me in the day before was so busy checking others in that she did not give me all the information I needed to get to my room on the 12th floor. I think I also failed to mention that I wasn’t all that great with direction either...

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“A Confession's Possession” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #57

A Confession’s Possession By Heather Ann Martinez If you are reading these words...the letter began. The lawyer cleared his throat as he looked at the ceiling tiles. He rarely made contact with Canaan and Sloan. He knew they were intently listening to the final will and testament of their father Noah Albright. Sloan was leaning forward in his chair. He was a semi-retired professional athlete. He was expecting to receive a large sum from his father. Sloan had eyes that matched the ocean waves during a storm and was short fused. He conti...

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“Welcome Friend” by Heather Ann Martinez

Submitted to Contest #56

Welcome Friend By Heather Ann Martinez Words could not describe our distress. Our wonderful and most compassionate co-worker Julie took a new position in accounting upstairs. Now, our supervisor Marissa, warned us we would be getting a new person to fill Julie’s position on the team. Julie had been in her position for sixteen years. She practically ran the company. She knew what everyone did and whom to ask advice from. Who could replace Julie? No one, we thought. Bud, Mitch, Chloe, Sonya and I had been working with Julie for well over t...

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Author bio

I feel like stories write themselves and I give souls to my characters. I am a collaborator in their triumphs, their failings, and their complexities. I read to inhale, and I write to exhale.