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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020
Submitted to Contest #73
“Mr Nugent’s eaten Mimi!” cries Rachel.Celine Heatherington bit her lip as her daughter charged into the sitting room.“I’m sure I closed the apartment door,” she says, catching her breath. “Slow down, Rachel.” “He must’ve skulked up the staircase behind me.”“You let Mimi out of the cage and…”“… Yes, just like you told me to,” she says. “I changed the water and…” “… It’s fine, take your time, poppet.”“I was on top of the wobbly stool fetching the pellet mix from the top shelf.”“Right, so you were in the kitchen?”“I heard a squa...
Submitted to Contest #72
Inspector Bruford is an hour early for his midday appointment with a temporary concierge at Springhope Mansion Flats. The letting agent has deployed the replacement caretaker to cover Mr Winston‘s duties whilst he’s helping the police with their enquiries. The inspector jabs his nicotine stained forefinger at a metal button labelled Estate Office. The intercom reacts to the assault with an insolent bleat; bzzzzz!The Victorian apartment block looks less shabby than he remembered it yesterday evening. A modest communal garden at the ...
Submitted to Contest #71
When I was six years old, I thought my Grandma would live forever. She was wise and full of life, and glowed with an inner energy. I could never imagine her being absent from my life or not being there to talk to. My mother left our family home when I was two years old and I barely remember anything about her. Grandma filled a mighty vacuum in my world and she taught me everything I know about living. She had no regrets, never spoke ill of anyone and was very forgiving. Grandma had a mischievous nature and a vivacious quality that I found bo...
Submitted to Contest #70
It wasn’t my missing “La Prairie Skin Caviar” that annoyed me as much as the way Robert wore his baseball cap back to front. Admittedly, he had a lot of energy for a middle-aged man and he was fun to be with, but boy did he lack any sense of responsibility. My wake-up call came when he’d disappeared on a fishing trip for two weeks. I received a letter from our mortgage provider informing me that Robert had withdrawn £20,000 in cash after remortgaging our home. I was speechless when they discussed the new terms, however I questioned the circu...
Submitted to Contest #68
A muffled percussive thrum on my windscreen nudges me back to life. I recognise that black ski glove and those killer dimples, and I wind down the driver’s side window.“You’re early today?” He leans forward and kisses my cheek.“I wanted to be sure of the best seat in the house.” He grins. “Nobody would dare to park here first thing.”I smile and rub the sleep from my eyes.“Happy birthday, darling.” I pass him an envelope.“Hey, you shouldn’t have.” He accepts the gift and hands me a steaming takeaway. “Your usual,” he says, and passes me ...
Submitted to Contest #67
The angry crew is gathering outside my cabin door. I hear the bosun’s powerful voice subdue the furious mob. He’s been appointed to deliver their ruling. “You’ve drawn the short straw, lad!” he says. “You’ll be leaving with the captain in five minutes.” The satiated crew retreats down the corridor, leaving me in peace to pack my belongings. I scramble down the cargo netting and join Captain Trimble and his two officers in the long boat. They’re waiting for me amongst an untidy collection of their boxes and personal effects. Old Trimble lif...
Submitted to Contest #66
Dorothy and I sold our business, downsized, and settled for a quiet life of keeping bees in the country. We were unloading removal boxes when our new neighbour, Mitch Wallace, introduced himself and welcomed us to Platteville. We had no idea that 48 hours later we’d be in hospital after watching him pursue his life’s ambition. Heaven only knows what Mitch would have witnessed if everything had gone according to plan. In his former life, Mitch had been an engineer, a police officer and ladies’ hairdresser. However, after his ...
Submitted to Contest #65
I escaped my recent death by becoming a ghost in limbo land. In exchange for being undead I agreed to attend and perform haunting services upon request. I understood my obligations and signed the standard ten-year contract that requires two visitations a month and allows me four annual social calls to see my family, on compassionate grounds. This is a very workable arrangement with plenty of scope for unchecked mischief making. I keenly anticipated returning to surprise my old friends and teasing them with impunity.“So,” I hear you say. “Sur...
Submitted to Contest #63
Joe and Bobby have survived ten apocalypses, four armageddons and global decimation before coming unstuck. “All right, that’s enough of your nonsense...” “Mam!” “Enough!” She says, yanking out the power cable. “You can both go outside into the real world and get some fresh air.” “What the…!” “That’s so unfair!” “You’ve spent the entire half-term holiday killing zombies.” “But, Mam, it’s all cold and foggy out there.”Jo...
Submitted to Contest #62
By 1859, Captain Trueshott had defended his wife’s honour so many times she invested in a pair of duelling pistols for this purpose. The days of the flintlock were ending, but as a weapon of choice for the habitual duellist, it was second to none. Agatha chose a pair of beautiful handmade weapons presented in a plush velvet-lined oak box. The 10-inch pistols fired large, heavy lead balls weighing half an ounce that travelled around 830 feet per second. They could therefore inflict severe wounds over the 30 paces between two adversaries. Desp...
Submitted to Contest #61
It’s an hour after curfew when Zak hears tap-tap-tap on his window. He tilts open the wooden slats to see a heavy rubber gas mask. A thick gloved finger points to the casement lock. Zak pulls up the blinds and swings open the hinged pane. Joe lowers his bulky rucksack onto the bedroom carpet and tumbles through the opening. Zak adjusts his spectacles as he scans up and down the street. In the still night air they hear the splat, crackle and pop of police RT. A neighbourhood patrol car is approaching. Zak lowers his head and flashes of blue l...
Submitted to Contest #60
On the first floor landing, Sammy and G.G. pull on the hoist ropes while Pops pushes the canoe up the stairs from below. A paraffin lamp in the stairwell casts flickering shadows of three figures on the flyblown plaster walls. The rising waters have compromised the coastal flood defence across the road. A furious storm and high tides have caused a surge of water during the late afternoon. It’s a perfect storm or, as Pops would say, “an imperfect storm” depending on which way you look at it. In the morning, Pops had told Sammy that they wer...
Submitted to Contest #59
The ward was quiet except for the agitated drone of a distant floor-polisher and the peal of a telephone bell. Charlie raises himself up on his elbow and unravels the bandage from around his head. The car accident is a vague memory but one thing is for certain, he won’t entertain another bowl of lukewarm oatmeal this morning. He needs to leave, and he’s spent his waking hours plotting an escape. The best time to depart is at the shift change in ten minutes. There is always a period of confusion and adjustment as the n...
Submitted to Contest #57
It’s been three hundred and fifty years since I approached a bank for a business loan. “Please come through and take a seat, sir.” “Thank you, miss…?” “No, I’m Mrs Walukunga,” she says. “The manager will see you shortly.” I nod and take a seat. This office is less formal than I’m used to. “Meanwhile, I’ll take some details and ask you to sign and date our product disclaimer.” She passes me a document and with my ink pen at the ready, I prepare to sign it. &nb...
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