Jane Andrews

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (76)

76 Stories

3193 karma pts

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“Six Seeds” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #191

Hand in hand, we walk together through fields of barley, watching grain ripen as we pass. Persephone: daughter of sunlight; daughter of corn; child of Zeus; child of mine. I watch as sunbeams trace a path across your face: your father’s kiss. (Your uncle’s too.) Zeus: King of Gods; son of a Titan; my brother; my lover. Mount Olympus is populated with his offspring: he sows his seed up there as blithely as we sow our seed within the world of men. Scattering grain, planting crops to yield a harvest, we walk the fields tog...

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“The Yarn Merchant” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now,” the sultan’s voice thunders like a thousand waterfalls, “and tell me who you are and what you were doing in my private gardens.” “This story begins many moons ago,” I begin in a sing-song voice, “in a city very much like this one. I was younger then and very handsome.” (The sultan and his courtiers gaze at  my wrinkled face in disbelief.) “All the girls were in love with me, but I had eyes for only one of them: Fairuza, daughter of Hakim the spice-merchant.” I half-close my eyes as if thinking of her. “She was beautiful,” ...

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“The Snow Bride” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling and it was almost dark as Harry opened his eyes and came out of his reverie. He had always though that Jeremy, his eldest cousin, would inherit the family estate one day. However, to his great surprise, a series of unfortunate events had ensured that every one of his cousins perished before reaching the age of thirty – with the result that Harry suddenly found himself heir to Locksby Hall and to a lifestyle he had never dreamed of.He was around twenty-five at this time – a pale, dark-haired boy, good...

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“The Wrong Marina Jensen” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #188

How could she have known they’d booked the wrong Marina Jensen? It seemed relatively straightforward when it started: the email from someone she’d never heard of before, waxing lyrical about her ‘seminal study’ and inviting her to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Romania. Marina couldn’t believe her eyes when she read it. Yes, she’d recently published a book on Amazon, but she’d considered it light-hearted fluff: a thinly disguised account of her own dating disasters, written in Bridget-Jones-esque tones. Still, if the Universit...

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“Family Secret” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #186

Trigger warning: sexual abuse, self harm, suicide As darkness settles into every corner of the bedroom, fear begins its nightly assault. She lies immobile, watching, waiting. Soon, the nightmare will be at her door; the heaviness inside her grows as she thinks about it. His hands holding her down. His knee forcing her legs apart. Tears staining her face afterwards. Dread builds as her ears strain to listen for the thud of footsteps, the gentle sound of the door being opened. Strange that a monster can be so quiet, that a frame so large c...

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“In Pieces” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #186

Trigger warning: mental health, physical violence, suicide.Author’s note: This is a dadaistic piece and is composed entirely of fragments of lyrics from the following songs (in alphabetical order of artists): ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’, Nick Cave; ‘Fix You’, Coldplay; ‘Afterglow’, ‘In the Glow of the Night’, ‘Snowbound’, ‘The Last Domino’ and ‘Throwing It All Away’, Genesis; ‘Burning Buildings’, Elton John; ‘Crying’ and ‘It’s Over’, Roy Orbison; ‘Smallcreep’s Day’, Mike Rutherford; ‘You’re Not The Man’, Sade; ‘How Can I Tell You?’ and ‘Ruby...

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“Broken Hearts and Baronets” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #185

Henry Davenport was broke. He’d frittered away most of the fortune his father had left him – wine, women and cards were expensive hobbies – and was down to his last few hundreds. “You need a rich wife, Harry,” Josiah remarked as they cantered through the forest one fine autumn afternoon. “A girl with enough money to keep you in the manner to which you’re accustomed.” Henry nudged Lady’s reins gently. The mare was spirited, but he managed to let her know who was in charge. Women were a lot like horses: once you’d broken them in, you could e...

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“Memories and Dreams” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #184

Sensitive content: mistreatment of indigenous people; mental healthIt started with the nightmares.Jed was jerked out of sleep by a frantic hammering on the door of his house. Stumbling a little in the darkness, he fumbled for his pants. He couldn’t let the townsfolk see the sheriff in his long johns.Hal Avery’s boy stood there. Wild-eyed. Staring. Behind him, his mother clutched a shawl about her shoulders with one hand, the other soothing Tom the way you’d gentle a horse.“It’s mighty late for a social call,” Jed remarked, noting the ha...

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“Klingons Have Feelings Too” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #183

“Ah, Mr Chekhov, I was just admiring your gun.” As a chat up line, it isn’t great, but we’re at a Star Trek party (the original 1960s TV series, not any of the spin-offs or the much cooler, recently reimagined films), organised by my friend Jake, who just happens to be Nick (aka Chekhov)’s housemate. “It’s not a gun…” – his words are laced with flirtation – “…I’m just really pleased to see you.” He’s lying, of course – no one, no matter how well-endowed, has a detachable member that he can conveniently tuck into a holster at his side. But...

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“Mike didn't come home last night” by Jane Andrews

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #182

“Mike didn’t come home last night.”I gaze at Mia, her lip trembling as the words escape in a jerky sob, and try to find the right platitudes to make her feel better. He loves you. He wouldn’t cheat on you. He probably just needs a bit of alone time. I know I should feel sympathy but I can’t help thinking, I told you so.The first time I met him, I knew Mike Dalton was bad news. Tall and dark with just the right amount of designer stubble and eyes that invited you to bed the moment you looked at him, he smouldered raw sexuality. He wouldn’t be...

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“Love Rat” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #143

153 was spiteful – at least, that was what everyone else told her. Marcy didn’t believe any of them: Henry had only bitten one person to her knowledge and that was a research student with a sadistic streak who’d tried to lace the rats’ food with chilli sauce. She herself would have bitten anyone who’d tried something like that with her. No, Henry was far and away the cutest rat she’d ever worked with – and the smartest too.She was observing him now, watching his whiskers twitch as he stared back at her. In her notebook, she jotted down, ‘153...

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“Hungry For Love” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #133

Notes for American readers: I realise there are lots of references here to British chocolate (candy) bars which may not be familiar to American readers, so you might want to google Nestle Matchmakers to get an idea of what a Matchmaker looks like. (Maltesers have been on sale in the US since 2017.) A Feast is an iconic British ice cream on a stick and Tesco is a well-known and popular supermarket chain in the UK – similar to Costco. ‘Bake Off’ is known in the USA as ‘The Great British Baking Show’. The recipe for the cake Julie makes as a gi...

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“The Snow Globe (Mild reference to abduction/murder.)” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #120

Memories fill my mind as I gaze at the glass ball in my hand. As the late afternoon sun slowly dwindles into dusk, I am reminded of another winter’s afternoon like this one. Three years ago, my sister was murdered, on a dark December day when the sky was full of snow and frost glittered on branches and windowpanes. The weather then was crisp and cold, much as it is today, and the expectancy of Christmas hovered in the air. I remember looking out of my bedroom window, hoping that Sophie had worn her scarf and mittens, waiting impatiently fo...

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“Doctoring the Truth” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #105

Snip! Snip! Snip! My long, dark tresses fall to the floor. My mother continues until my hair is shorn as short as any boy’s. “Put your brother’s old clothes on now,” she says, handing over a shirt and breeches. I look at my mother. We both know this is the only way for a woman to train as a doctor in 1809, but I am twenty years old and not flat-chested enough to pass scrutiny as a man. “I’ll bandage your breasts,” my mother says hurriedly. By the time we have finished, Margaret Ann Bulkley has been transformed into James Miranda Barry, an i...

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“Unequilateral Triangle” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #105

You gaze at the man lying next to you – the perfect husband; the father of your children – and suddenly you realise that you don’t know him at all. She wasn’t prying when she discovered the email. He’d left his laptop lying open again and she went to shut it, before the kids could touch something and delete an important work file – and that’s when she saw it. It’s so hard not having you here all the time. When you come round, I think this is what life is supposed to be like, and then you hurry away at the end of the evening and I’m all alo...

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Author bio

Jane Andrews is an English teacher and indie writer living in Birmingham, UK. She is the author of the YA 'Sarah and Steve' trilogy, the YA 'Dreams and Shadows' fantasy series, and a number of other novels. She also writes short stories across a range of genres. https://writingatjaneandrews.com/

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

Contest #257
Chasing Juliet – read story
Contest #248
Paradise Lost – read story
Contest #182
Mike didn't come home last night – read story