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Ivana Pavićević

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

Stories (16)

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12 Followers

12 Following

16 Stories

325 karma pts

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Absurdistan

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #284

My body aches. I can't pinpoint where—everything hurts. I wake up on damp grass, stabbed by the cruel needles of pine trees towering above me. The brilliant sunrays stab at my eyes, and the air around me reeks of mud, alcohol, urine, and tobacco—not necessarily in that order. My head pinned to the ground, I muster the strength to resist gravity and lift my emaciated, battered body upright.Mandala. Where am I? India? No cows.A mandala on the wall. A mural. I remember discussing mandalas last night with some kids obsessed with mystifying art. ...

6 likes

DO NOT TRUST HIM

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #284

This story contains sensitive content of mental health and physical violence, gore, or abuse.AwakeningI wake again. How long must I?Clothes lie scattered; a glass shattered, and a smear trails down the wall, like bloody fingers dragged downward.I don’t know what happened. Emptiness. Again. Just a black void where my memories should be.Damn it, the days blur and slip away.I look at my hands—yet my palms seem foreign. As though they aren’t mine. Whose are they?I assume I drank. Did I? Yes, I must have. I’ve had these “gaps” before. Blackouts. ...

6 likes

A Sinister Symphony

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #281

This story contains sensitive content only by mentioning: Sexual assault, Abuse,Child abuse, Suicide, Murder, PornographyGolden chandeliers hung like imprisoned constellations, their light smothered by the stifling scent of pheasant, perfume and wax: intoxicating those lost in their own power.The hall devoured time in golden mirrors, while crimson curtains hid gardens where flames licked the infernal. ...

4 likes

Bear with it

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #280

Come on, get in. Drop the stuff; we’ll move it later. I’m wet— it’s either too hot or I’m old...You’re rushing, Emeth. Don’t push the river, and you won’t sweat.Oh, shut the fuck up, will you?Can we open the windows? Any other way out of here?What’s up, Bane? Scoping out escape routes?It’s so stuffy here. I can’t breathe.Did your mom smoke while she was pregnant with you?I don’t know. Why are you asking?She definitely did; that’s why you think you’re suffocating.It’s the sun— I’m afraid. It’s too damn strong today. You’re afraid of the sun?N...

4 likes

The Labyrinth

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #279

I lost my heart. It didn’t vanish suddenly. If it had, it might have been easier to find- like my mind too, which I always rediscover in some drawer. But no, I lost it slowly and imperceptibly. All our hearts shine- green for hope, yellow for joy, and red for love. Long time ago, mine glowed neon red, covering my entire being. Some gazed with joy, and those with a hole where their heart should be, with envy. In fact, trying to fill other people’s voids, I lost my own heart. And it worked. In my presence, all hearts began to glow. Some people...

7 likes

Harmful Intentions

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #278

History shows that technological advancement brought about the end of civilization, fragmented into divisions that hastened its collapse. The problem was that the majority thoughtlessly embraced regression, while the intelligent proclaimed that freedom had ended long ago. Freedom ended with an algorithm that read “intent,” marketed as a savior but fundamentally incapable of understanding logic. To “avoid chaos” and “preserve harmony,” the Apology Law was introduced. If the algorithm identified someone with intentions deemed harmful, the accu...

8 likes

Who Killed the Cat?

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #278

I’ve entered the director’s office only three times in my entire career. Once to sign my employment contract, and the other two times when he personally called me for help, convinced I was the only one who spoke the truth. But my virtues—truthfulness and the fight for justice—are, in this society, especially in a state-run firm, perceived as severe flaws. A sweet old man once told me, “My dear, some people are born this way, and injustice and lies will always bring you pain ‘till the day you die.” So far, he’s been right, though I’m not yet ...

7 likes

Art is Dead

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #277

Art is dead. For decades, we all knew it would be killed. We fought, but in vain. At first, we did what artists are expected to do—speak the truth and act as society's mirror. But the authorities privatized cultural institutions and treated them like personal property. Budget theft, public procurement scams, banning plays, films, exhibitions... They decided what could and couldn’t be said.Then, we began speaking the truth in our own names, but anyone who uttered a word against the government was branded a traitor. Some were even barred from ...

13 likes

Bitter Sweet

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #275

I was born a witch. But until my late teens, I didn’t know. My family couldn’t have guessed because some of them don’t believe in witches, and others are so afraid of them that they deny their existence. So, some of them didn’t believe in me, and some even denied my existence, which deeply affected my entire life. As a child, I was pure-hearted, always there for others, a fair player, a great fighter for justice and truth. But the childhood of a witch is very difficult. I remember, when I was five years old, my father sat me on his lap, aski...

13 likes

Vanishing

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #274

On my wedding day, everything pointed to it being the happiest day of my life, one with a future that held endless promise. Green rakija was served, and guests danced as if in a wild, uncontrollable swirl. The band played "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash, though I didn’t recognize it as a sign at the time. The groom was late and passed me off to his younger brother to walk with me. People whispered about how sweet he was but that he seemed a little young for me, which I found more funny than worrying. The groom forgot to bring the...

7 likes

The String

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #273

The story I’m about to tell you must remain a secret. I beg you, please don’t tell anyone. You will disrupt the order. Everyone has their own truth and we need to leave it that way. --- I am a ballerina. Or rather, I was a ballerina until a few seconds ago. Now, I’m somewhere else. There’s nothing—just an empty space, infinity. I turn around, but the feeling is strange when there’s no perspective, nothing around me. Nobody appears. Actually, they don’t appear, I just know they’re there. “You guessed right. I am Nobody. But this isn’t somewhe...

8 likes

Chess for Three

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #273

Invitation. I never get any mail. But every morning, as I brew my coffee, I dutifully check the mailbox. It’s because I keep hoping that one day, I’ll find something that will finally change or kickstart my life.The mailbox isn’t the only thing I expect so much from. Occasionally, I force myself to attend a concert, hoping for the same, but jazz is barely listened to these days, so staying at home is not entirely my fault. Every year, I also go to the same place by the sea for an art festival. I consider that as another attempt to give life ...

15 likes

The Tenant

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #273

Who lives in the apartment next to mine? Who the hell lives next door?He goes out late every night and comes back early in the morning. He moved into the apartment next to mine about two years ago, and in all that time, I’ve only managed to catch a glimpse of him from behind at the building’s entrance. He was wearing a transparent raincoat with a hood made of a thick nylon. What kind of job requires you to work at night in such an outfit? A chill ran down my spine. He’s out at night but never leaves the apartment during the day. His TV is al...

9 likes

God Only Knows

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #271

I have always taken pride in my strength to smile, be polite, and well-mannered, no matter how I actually felt. That's why I was shocked when, in a new city, among new people and colleagues, having transferred to a new company, I visited every department and introduced myself, except one. In the office sat about ten people, none of whom were interesting enough to describe, except Him—another stranger. I appropriately introduced myself to everyone with a handshake, and while they were all obviously staring at me, I nonchalantly passed by the ...

12 likes

The Visit (Inspired by the play The Visit of the Old Lady by Friedrich Dürrenmatt)

Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #270

"Stop the train," she said in a cold, indifferent tone. "But ma'am, the trains never stop in Gilen," the conductor responded nervously. "Give him 500 euros," she said to her servant in the same unchanged tone. The servant, as if knowing exactly what was expected of him, handed over the money. Klara stood up, limping ever so slightly, and made her way to the exit. The conductor quietly added, "You should have pulled the brake." With a smile like the Mona Lisa but with eyes brimming with malice, she responded casually, "I never pull the brakes...

10 likes