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Iona Cottle

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (98)
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617 Followers
22 Following

98 Stories

3058 karma pts

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A Life In Cinders

Submitted to Contest #303

Once upon a time, a young woman lived with her evil stepsisters. They bullied and abused her, making her their servant whilst they lived the high life. When the prince invited everyone to a grand ball, and her stepsisters tried to prevent her from coming, it was only the intervention of a fairy godmother that saved her, and gave her the chance of a happily ever after.This should not be her story.-The ballroom was stunning.That was hardly surprising, given it was the Prince’s greatest party yet, but still. I hadn’t known anything could look s...

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And Then He Killed My Minion

Submitted to Contest #263

The hall is wide, with a high ceiling, flagstone flooring and two dozen torches lining the walls. On the dais at one end stands the Lord of Night, appropriately shrouded in black velvet, with his skull adorned throne behind him and his hordes of undead flanking him. Halfway down the hall stands the plucky band of heroes, their battered armour gleaming with internal righteousness and smugness. How melodramatic. Who doesn’t love a showdown? “You fools!” the Lord of Night laughs. “You’ve walked right into my trap! Now I will destroy you, and ...

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The Eyes of a Dragon

Submitted to Contest #217

Sensitive content; physical violence, suicidal ideation, loss Banners snapped in the wind which carried the calls of the townsfolk out into the open air of the valleys. The constant low dust cloud that surrounded the town seemed to be dancing in response, a happy little jig of triumph. The sun – usually remorseless and cruel – felt almost pleasant today. The dragon-hunter, the greatest warrior of their day, was here, and everything would be all right. Gaius, loaded down with armour, swords, knives and nets, waved and smiled at the crowd...

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The Last Technical Truth

Submitted to Contest #162

[Content Warning- Death] “You know, I make the meanest grilled cheese in the world.” Flicking a few more switches, Marcie checked out the cabin window. “Well, in the universe, I suppose.” A light dimmed on the panel in front of her. Thinking, she thought. “You have told me this before,” a flat voice said. “I know. I’m just not sure you believe me.” Another dim. Memory recall? “I do not have any way to make an objective judgment on your statement.” Ah, no. Snarky. “You don’t have to make a judgment. You could just trust me, you...

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Chaos and Coins

Submitted to Contest #105

“Formation! Everyone form up!” There was the usual clatter and clang of armour as the soldiers formed up tighter. The lines were already there, and now they closed the gaps and squared up for the fight. Up at the front the king and his generals started parading their horses up and down the line. When the troops were in place, the king sat up further in his saddle and addressed his men. His voice carried across the first dozen lines, inspiring courage and loyalty. Fifteen rows back, Scothern leant over to Cott. “What’s he saying?” “No...

16 likes 1 comment 1
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A Quiet Night Out

Submitted to Contest #104

The kettle hissed and clicked, the bubbling inside subsiding as the heating elements turned off. With a tut of frustration at the stereo, Tony left it and went to the kitchen. He poured the freshly-boiled water into his tea mug, inhaling the wonderful camomile fragrance as he did. “Perfect,” he said to himself as he replaced the kettle. Humming a little tune he dug out some biscuits and put them on a plate, before taking them and the tea into the next room. On the way past he headbutted the light-switch, sending the kitchen into darkness. ...

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The Cat Got It Easy

Submitted to Contest #103

The box landed with a solid thud. “Careful!” “Bloody hell, April!” Ian kicked the box, and then started hopping when he stubbed his toe. “What have you got in here, gold bars? Please tell me it’s gold bars. Anything to get back some of that stupid Stamp Duty.” April yelled back from the other room. “Uh, will you cool it about the Stamp Duty? Seriously, how have you never heard of it before?” “Maybe because no one in my family ever owned their own house,” Ian muttered under his breath. He knew that tone of voice from April; it was the...

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All Lies

Submitted to Contest #102

There was a knock on Mrs Winters’ office door and she sighed. She looked at the stack of paperwork in her ‘In’ tray on her desk, before putting the cap back on her fountain pen and sitting upright. “Enter,” she called. There was a chance, after all, that this was a quick query. It was a slim chance, and one look at the face of the teacher who leant round the door dashed that chance entirely. “What is it?” “Sorry to disturb you, Ma’am.” The teacher bit their lip as they met the stern glare. “What is it?” “We’ve got a student that’s pl...

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The Performance We Shouldn't Have Done

Submitted to Contest #101

The back room of the church is echoey and cold. It’s dusty as well, and I curl my lips up as I wave a hand in front of my face to keep the dust away. This is the worst place for a warm-up, and in any other circumstances I would be demanding to talk to the manager. “It’ll have to do,” I say. Isabella comes in behind me and looks round. “It’s fine. Thank you.” Her voice is duller than I remember, and so flat that I worry about how well she’ll do today. The door clicks shut and we’re left alone. “Better warm-up,” I say and start jumping...

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Another Two-Sided Date

Submitted to Contest #100

The woman pushed the door of the restaurant open and glided inside. She was tall and elegant, and so confident that -- even in a black-tie place such as this -- everyone turned to stare at her. The skin-tight, shimmering wine red dress she wore helped. The colour of it matched her hair and lips perfectly, creating an image of perfection. The maître d' fobbed off the customers he was talking to, dropping them with a waiter, and came straight over to the lady. “Good evening, ma’am,” he said with his most shark-like grin. “Do you have a res...

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Blades By The Gate

Submitted to Contest #99

Amara looked out at the sunset. The deep warm red light of the dying sun stretched across the horizon, filling the sky with a myriad of colours. Every shade of orange and red could be seen, as well as some purple. It was more beautiful than any artist's work that Amara had ever seen, and filled her soul with awe and humility. The power of nature was undeniable when faced with such majesty. Below the brilliant sky, the city looked small and meaningless. The grand walls and buildings were nothing but shadows against the glow of the sky. The ...

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Coffee Beats Belief

Submitted to Contest #98

Helena yawned as she skipped through the news pages on her tablet. It was way too early. Well, too early to be up if she had her way. The summer holidays couldn’t come fast enough. Until then however, there was always coffee. Stifling another yawn she picked her mug up and took a tiny sip, scalding her lips as she did. It was worth it. She sighed as she savoured the taste, and the stories she was reading started to make more sense. There was a clatter from upstairs and Helena rolled her eyes while she could still get away with it. There we...

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The Church of Painted Light

Submitted to Contest #97

The path leading up to the church was over-grown and shaded, and it was already dark, despite the late afternoon sun. The paving stones were cracked and riddled with weeds, and the gravestones that loomed up from the long grass looked like monsters ready to attack. Even though she could hear the traffic racing past two streets away, Marie still paused at the entrance to the church grounds. “Come on, Marie.” Danny jogged back and punched her shoulder. “This is nothing. If you want scary you should try coming back here in the dark.” Mari...

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Rose and Lily

Submitted to Contest #96

Rose was the first one out of the club, stumbling forward as she wobbled on her heels. Right behind her was Lily, still trying to calm the woman who was demanding a fight with Rose. “No, please don’t,” Lily said. “She’s sorry, she didn’t realise he was with you–” Rose swallowed down the sick that was threatening to escape and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I bloody did. Figured if he chose that he’d be pretty easy–” Anything else that either of them were going to say was lost to the jilted woman’s tirade of cursing. From y...

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All Peachy

Submitted to Contest #95

This is going to be the biggest day of my life. So far, that is. In a year or so – if all goes right today – there’ll be an even bigger day, but for now this is the day. I’ve made all the choices I can. Now it’s all down to her to make the ‘right’ choice. As Aaisha and I walk to the train station I do everything I can to play it cool. I joke at everything, pointing out the colours of the cars or silly words in their registration plates. When I spot a dog on the other side of the road I show it to her, with far more enthusiasm than it des...

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