Helen A Smith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2022

Stories (21)

21 Stories

1442 karma pts

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“It’s Not Rocket Science ” by Helen A Smith

TW: possible sensitive themes.The shit usually hits the fan an hour or so after the shop has opened. On bad days, before then. On really bad days, it continues after we’ve closed. People keep donating, often bringing boxes they can barely lift themselves, and expecting you to express undying gratitude when you’re desperate to cash up and go home. We’re not saints here, even if we’re expected to be. Sometimes I can’t get the key in the lock because some bright spark has blocked the entrance with donations. They tumble ont...

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“That sort of thing” by Helen A Smith

TW. Mentions of abuse.My first real hug? I only experienced it when I was forty-nine! Before that, I’d never hugged anyone, or allowed anyone to hug me; not even my children when they were little. I brought them up, kept them clean and fed them, provided for them, mostly without a father, but always at arm’s length. I was unable to show love.The hug I’m talking about freed me and made me feel appreciated. It was a transforming hug, restoring something of what had been lost. Afterwards...

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“Ritual” by Helen A Smith

EGYPT, CIRCA 1350 BCWearing the mask of the jackal-headed god Anubis, Darius entered the ‘ibu’ tent with a heavier step than usual. The woman whose body lay naked and thoroughly cleaned before him on the embalming table was not just anyone. For a few seconds he caught his breath, half-expecting Zara who’d been a close family friend, to rise up and tease him about his big feet like she’d done when he was a boy.Darius had never minded her teasing. Having lost his own mother at a you...

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“Two’s Company” by Helen A Smith

T W. Contains some swearing and violence and mention of a gun.Los Angeles, 1953.It was mostly a quiet evening with only a handful of diners. As soon as they entered the restaurant, the friends were offered the table with the best view. In the distance, the tops of palms gently waved, their narrow trunks silhouetted against an orange sky which blended into deep pink and violet hues the higher it rose. For a few seconds, Jay forgot his misery and remembered why LA captivated him so, makin...

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“Rumour Has It” by Helen A Smith

OAKWOOD FOREST, 1350.Like any right-minded boy of nine and a half, Tom had always dismissed the rumours as unbelievable. Too good to be true.“Stuff and nonsense,” his mother said. “You are to ignore them.”“But what if they are true?” he asked her.“They are not.” She shook her fist to emphasise the point. “You must stop your foolish chattering. There have been no sightings and even if there were, the king has forbidden such talk. Haven’t we enough troubles, without adding to them, Tom?&nbsp...

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“Borderline ” by Helen A Smith

JANE, May 1985Everything changed when I got the news. I’m as scared of dying as the next person, but knowing my time here is short makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. While the blood pulses through my veins, a courage I never knew I had makes me want to live.All my breaths are concentrated as I will my body to continue living; the things that were once bland, frightening, or anything in between, no longer have power over me. With everything in sharp focus, I no longer feel trapped by indecision and fear.&nbs...

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“Blackout ” by Helen A Smith

The 1980’s smokers are discussing the trials and tribulations of their beleaguered colleague, Jane Weeble, in their staff room.“She’ll be along any minute now, tottering in her heels. Beats me why she wears them,” the maths teacher observes.“What do you mean by that, Denis? Why shouldn’t she wear them if they make her happy?”“I don’t mean anything by it, Brenda. It’s just they’re strangely at odds with that faded cardigan and dress with the pocket she always wears. I always think she looks like something fr...

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“Rome Wasn’t Built…” by Helen A Smith

More than twenty years ago, I trudged through a rain-lined street that led to a shop where I was about to start my new job. It was a day early in December, not quite cold enough to be comforted by a blanket of snow. A fog hung like a damp cloak in the air and the streams that ran through the town were full almost to the brim even before they spilled into the dark flowing river. Before I left home, I’d had a hard job deciding what to wear that first day as the new manager of the charity shop. In the end, I had opted for a smart ...

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“Lost And Found” by Helen A Smith

Wakened by birdsong, Pat pulls off her duvet. After a few seconds of running her feet through the sheepskin rug, she slips on her dressing gown and steps blearily into her new garden.The magnolia tree’s velvet jackets have split open and transformed into lustrous white petals. She wants to wrap herself round the trunk of the silver birch, feel its comfort, but it’s too cold. The birch’s catkins slowly cascade to the ground like tiny helicopters, each one landing and forming a frizzy overcoat on the patchy grass. There’s a slight hi...

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“True Beauty” by Helen A Smith

Figures differ depending on where you live, but here I’m one of the 1,300 born with a cleft lip. A genetic fault caused part of my upper lip to split on the right side reaching to my nose in the early stage of my mother’s pregnancy. ***It could have been the perfect lesson. If it weren’t for one thing! Or one person, to be precise.If I’m going to talk about this, I should at least be honest. It was more than one person, but she was the kingpin; the skittles would not have fallen...

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“The Priest and The Lion Cat” by Helen A Smith

THE PRIESTCats wander freely through the temple grounds and kittens huddle with their mothers in a large purpose-built shelter near the stables until they grow more adventurous. Only a few cats venture inside the temple itself. Maybe they dislike the smell of incense and other pungent oils that pervade the place. When I lost Pudge, my companion of many years, I was bereft. So much so, I didn’t think I’d ever form another feline attachment, but Little Lion, as I call her, has proved me wrong. I gave her the na...

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“Clubbing At 49?” by Helen A Smith

TW: some swearing and mention of self-harming“Aren’t you a bit old to go clubbing?”“What makes you say that?”“Well, you’re hardly love’s young dream. You look ridiculous in that getup. You can’t get away with a pink skirt and blingy gold top at your age. Clothes like that are meant for the young and gorgeous which isn’t you. Exposing your midriff is hardly a turn-on. For fuck’s sake, tuck it in.”“Stop swearing, you know I hate it. I wasn’t brought up to swear. I like wearing these clothes and ...

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“A Twist In The Tail” by Helen A Smith

“HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.” Margi’s heart hammered as she uttered the words she hoped she’d never have to use…… When Fred had come into her life three months earlier, he’d brought with him joy and a sense of purpose only a pet can bring. There was a reason to get up in the morning. He had released Margi from the loneliness that had haunted her after losing Bruno, her beloved dachshund a few months earlier. Margie was determined to g...

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“Charmless ” by Helen A Smith

Put me next to my sister Charmaine and I fade into the background. It’s a twist on ugly duckling/ beautiful swan syndrome. The fact I’m two years older only makes matters worse. I’m eighteen and Charmaine is sixteen. She’s everything I’m not. She has brilliant green eyes to my hazel ones, golden hair to my light brown, and a figure to die for. But it’s more than that! Every pore oozes sexuality and confidence. She only has to crook her finger and the boys come running. &nbs...

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“Resolutions ” by Helen A Smith

New Year’s Eve 2022. Just think, tonight I might have been one of the luckiest men alive. Except I’m not.The city in which I was born and still live is pinnacled by spires and towers. It has ancient medieval colleges, museums, galleries, theatres, amazing bars and restaurants and quaint shops. It’s also plagued by streams of tourists and having to dodge endless bikes. The river, the city’s soul, carves its way through the centre before its fast-flowing currents are controlled by locks further on. During the fi...

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Author bio

I’ve always enjoyed writing but in recent years it’s become a real release. Writing gives life meaning in a topsy-turvy world. I hope my stories can inspire others. Even when you feel discouraged, don’t give up. Keep writing and supporting other writers by commenting on their work. I’m learning so much from others reading and critiquing my work. It’s good to reciprocate.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #177

There’s Always Monopoly – read story