Irene Duchess

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2022

Stories (23)

23 Stories

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“No Place Like Home” by Irene Duchess

Day 193It is hot in this new country. We made port yesterday after our ship was blown far off course in a terrible, terrible storm. We do not know where we are, only that it does not exist on the maps of man. Our water supplies are frightfully low, and our ship is badly damaged.Our “harbor" is as a long, sandy strip that turned into grasslands with rolling hills. In the distance, we could see a forest. Now, looking for trees to fell for ship repairs, we approached the forest. Upon closer inspection, we realized that it was not a forest such ...

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“Eclipse on Deck” by Irene Duchess

***(Please note, I am no expert sailor, and most of the sailing terms used below are due to research. My apologies if anything is incorrectly used or worded, and forgive my ignorance if there is something wrong)There was peace.Amirah heaved in a deep breath, savoring the cold, salty ocean air. The prow of the ship dipped and fell in an irregular pattern as the rollers pushed their way under the hull of the Black Cormorant. The sheets and shrouds creaked slowly in the chilly, nighttime air. The wind was blowing from the south-southwest, keepi...

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“The Endless Battle of Dogs and Squirrels” by Irene Duchess

The young squirrel skittered up the large, budding tree, then paused. He sniffed the air and brushed his delicate white whiskers with his paws, his fluffy tail twitching from side to side. He scampered forward a few paces along the branch to where the bird feeder hung from a short length of string. The bird feeder swung back and forth gently in the faint wind, and there was a vibrant red cardinal pecking cheerfully at the seeds. A few days ago, the young squirrel had discovered how to access the seeds within, mainly the sunflower seeds with...

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“A Museum Punch” by Irene Duchess

 Laurel entered the museum, her thumbs hooked in the straps of her black backpack. She took in the marble floors and the detailed architecture in general, nodding slightly to herself, impressed. She paused in front of the giant elephant statue on display in the entrance rotunda. Laurel raised an eyebrow as she ran her eyes over its slouched, out-of-proportion figure. Of course, Laurel had never seen a real elephant before, besides in zoos, but she was pretty sure the hindquarters weren't supposed to sag so much. The Smithsonian Natural...

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“Lost in Refuge - Part 6” by Irene Duchess

My feet hit the hard gravel floor beneath me. I look up. The five faces of my friends, Ria, Jacob, Elena, Ramona, and Alex peer down at me through a small square of daylight. I shine the dim beam of the penlight up at them.“Is there any more room down there?” Jacob calls. “For anyone else?”“Not really,” I shout back. “Just room for one—maybe two, at very most—people.”“Oh well,” Jacob says, and I can hear a distinct tone of relief in his voice, even though he tries to hide it.I turn and study my surroundings. The space I’m in is no bigger tha...

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“Lost in Refuge - Part 5” by Irene Duchess

“We can’t just sit around and do nothing,” Elena says, pacing with her hands behind her back. Heh, I think with an inward chuckle. Same old Elena. Never could sit still and do nothing. Always busy, always going. Action, action, action.“Well, what are you proposing we do?” Jacob demands hotly.“We need to get out,” Elena emphasizes each word carefully.“It would be suicide!” Jacob argues. We just got here! Why is everyone fighting already? I groan inwardly. I try to...

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“Home Again - Welcome to the New Age - Part 2” by Irene Duchess

 “Why’d we even agree to coming out here?” Leila Greenrow complained, swinging her legs off the side of the white pickup truck. “It was to prove people can time travel!” Ben Schmidt said defiantly. “I don’t regret coming out here!” “Well good for you!” Leila snapped irritably. “We’re stuck FIVE-HUNDRED YEARS IN THE FUTURE. Iris was shot and we have no idea how to get home.” Iris winced. She ...

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“ Lost in Refuge - Part 4” by Irene Duchess

I turn the pages of my great-great-grandmother’s journal back to the first and re-read the words. This is a true story that few know. Someday maybe this will fall into the right hands, and they will fix this mess. Listen carefully
“Sounds very poetic
” I mutter to myself. My cat, Patches, meows and rubs his head on my arm. "Dramatic."I go back to where it says The Beginning of the End and try to let my brain process those words. Even more puzzled than before, I turn to the next page and start...

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“Welcome to the New Age” by Irene Duchess

“Copy that.”“Is the launch team ready?”“Affirmative. All systems go.”“Launching in ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five
” * * * Iris Hawthorne gave her friend, Leila Greenrow, a thumbs up. She clicked her helmet on. Iris, along with four other people, were about to travel through time. They had perfected time travel. They had already sent plenty of guinea pigs through—but you can’t tell those how to come back.“Hawthorne!” Barked Commander Gunner through their intercoms.“Yes, sir?”...

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“The Wyvern’s Lair” by Irene Duchess

Volund took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Fyrnor watched him closely. Was Volund scared? No, he couldn’t be. The great Volund? Never.Volund looked around at the great chamber carefully. “Hold this,” he said, unbuckling his sheath and handing his sheathed sword to Fyrnor.He didn’t even glance at Fyrnor. Too busy wrapped up in his own glory, scoffed Fyrnor to himself. The great hero who thought only of the good of the people, rescuing them from the greatest dangers, was really just a self-entitled...

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“A Dike Doomed” by Irene Duchess

That’s tall. that was all Alwryn could think as she stared up at the towering wall known as the Elwar Rim. It pretty much marked the end of Elwar City. Beyond it was the wild sea. She hadn’t been here before. She lived on the other side of the city. The dike kept the raging waves at bay. Elwar city was in a valley, between the un-climbable mountains on an island in the ocean. She didn’t know how her peopl...

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“The Lost Immortals” by Irene Duchess

“Father, are there really no more unicorns left in the world?” “My boy,” sighed the man, “no unicorn has been seen in years. They vanished long ago.” What? No more unicorns? They must be mistaken. Man never sees the truth. Silverstar perked her ears up worriedly. Surely I am not the only one? Just because man hasn’t seen a unicorn in a long time doesn’t mean I’m the only one. Silverstar sh...

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“Lost in Refuge - Part 3” by Irene Duchess

Same thing. Every. Single. Day. Nothing but the same, boring old days. I never thought of it like that, but since I’ve been to the Out There and then had that talk with Ria I’ve thought differently.That’s my train of thought as I walk slowly home, deep in thought. I realized that almost my whole life, things had been the same. An endless cycle. In which everyone I knew—and more—was trapped.Every morning I wake up at eight-thirty to nine AM, had breakfast, then went to work at ten AM. At noon we took a lunch break, then resum...

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“Dark Cat, Dark Fate - Part 3” by Irene Duchess

Rose watched the hole through bleary eyes.Ever since she had recovered her backpack Rose had been keeping track of the time that passed. It had been two days. She had a small leather-bound journal and a few pencils, along with an eraser and a pencil sharpener.She had also torn out some of the pages, written ‘my name is Rose. I am trapped in a cave and I need help’ on them, made a paper plane out of each of them, and sent them out into the forest, as best she could. Trying to get them to fly in different directions.She...

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“Lost in Refuge - Part 2” by Irene Duchess

I’m jogging down the street.A determined look has graced my face. I don’t think I’ve ever looked determined before. That’s how ‘perfect’ my life used to be. There was nothing difficult to do. That’s what’s wrong here. No one is challenged by anything. Everything’s easy.Before long I start huffing and puffing. I’m not used to running. er—jogging. This isn’t as strenuous as running, I think. When was the last time I ran?I finally turn onto my friends’ street and arrive at their door.I knock, trying to regain my b...

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