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Janine W

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2023

Stories (3)

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13 Followers

20 Following

3 Stories

107 karma pts

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Cold Plunge Chronicles: Letters From My Tub

Janine W

Submitted to Contest #301

I don’t know why people rave about cold plunging. I hate it—and yet, I do it. So often, in fact, that my cold plunge tub has started writing me letters.The first one arrived on a Tuesday morning, propped against my coffee maker:Dear Reluctant Bather,Look, we need to talk. Every morning you circle me like I’m a sleeping bear you’re trying not to wake. You do that little dance—you know the one—where you bend over, test the water with one finger, then immediately straighten up like you’ve been electrocuted.“Maybe tomorrow,” you mutter, clutchin...

9 likes

Cold Plunge Standoff

Janine W

Submitted to Contest #299

"Hey babe! Hosting a little gathering Saturday—super chill, just 30ish folks and some mindful snacks!"I stare at Angela's text like it just sneezed on my phone. Thirty people isn't a gathering. It's a viral event with guacamole.I never fully re-entered the atmosphere after it. The Pause. The Great Global Timeout. That glorious, terrible stretch when pants were optional, solitude was patriotic, and nobody expected you to show up—especially not in person.Some people bounced back like overcorrected economies. They went to brunch. Hugged strange...

11 likes

Innocent Heights

Janine W

Submitted to Contest #294

You ever notice how little kids can’t quite pronounce certain words? The letter R, for instance. Yeah, it didn't stand a chance. “Car” becomes “cah,” and “hair” turns into… well, “hay-woo.” And don’t even try throwing an L and an R in the same word. “Probably”? Good luck. You’ll get “pwobably” at best. Anyway, let me tell you about this date I went on. Nice guy named Eddie. Polite, easygoing, intelligent, and—most importantly—open to trying new things. Like snow skiing. Which, in hindsight, should’ve been my first clue. But back then I thoug...

5 likes