Jennifer Chan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020

Stories (9)

9 Stories

237 karma pts

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“A Haunting” by Jennifer Chan

I was rummaging through my closet, looking for an old floral skirt, when the first apparition manifested. A single gray, cotton sock nestled among my clothes. Even without turning it over, I knew that I’d find his initials stitched on the other side. With trembling hands, I slammed the doors shut before running out of the room. It was hours before I dared return. When I opened the closet, the sock was no longer there. I tried to put the incident out of my mind by throwing myself into work. I spent nearly all of my w...

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“Moving House” by Jennifer Chan

Moving to a new house during the new moon will bring difficulties, but doing so during the full moon will bring happiness and prosperity to the family. Diego carefully points the driver of the moving van to the bungalow on the right. Even with only the moon as his guide, he can still see the yellow paint curdling on the wood, the overgrown plants on the side. Next to the house, a single lamp post stands quietly impotent. When the driver kills the engine, the 16-year-old boy allows him...

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“Silver Linings” by Jennifer Chan

After all these years, his number is still the same.“Do you remember when we were 17 and the school held a fair at that old abandoned factory lot at the end of Magnolia Street? That probably wasn’t very safe, but then again, times were different then, weren’t they? There was this ride—I don’t recall what it was called now, but it swooped up and down and sideways—anyway, Sally Jenkins swore it made her stomach drop and her teeth clatter, so I had to try it, but as soon as the ride attendant strapped me in, of course that’...

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“Bird Brain” by Jennifer Chan

I reach Rockaway Beach at first light. Even though I’ve been coming down here every year for the past two years, seeing the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean never gets old. The way the sky slowly turns golden and gradually tinges the water flaxen is like watching a master painter at work. I have no words.I only wish that you were here to witness it with me.Does it surprise you how much I’ve been thinking about you? You should know me by now. As soon as the weather turned, I unleas...

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“When the Dust Settles” by Jennifer Chan

It was David who brought Lester home, David who had spotted the poor thing on the side of the road one evening and who had gallantly scooped him up in his arms without a second thought."He would have died if I left him there," babe," he told me. "We have to keep him."Although I wasn't much fond of cats, I didn't have the heart to say no to David.So the cat stayed.We gave him a bath in the kitchen sink to get rid of the fleas that had taken up residence in his fur and ...

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“The Train Ride” by Jennifer Chan

“Please enjoy your trip,” the girl says politely from behind the counter. I murmur my thanks as I take my ticket before walking through the automatic doors that lead out to the platform. Immediately, I am made aware of the marked contrast in temperature between the indoors and the outdoors. The cold nips at my fingers. A fog rolls in from the I pull my coat tighter around my body and gla...

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“Pillage My Heart” by Jennifer Chan

Working for a villainous overlord is never easy. There are always do-gooders to vanquish, mythical monsters to set loose, and prosperous kingdoms to topple. It’s much harder, of course, when you’re also in love with said overlord, but I’ve been doing this for more than a thousand years now. In six months, I even have the option of retiring. I know I should consider myself fortunate. Not everyone henchman makes it to this point, and the severance pay is more than generous, but the prospect of giving this up fills me with dread.

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“The Clue of the Forgotten Claw” by Jennifer Chan

cw: references to WWIIThe hour was late, and although the candle on David’s bedside table was nearing the end of its life, the boy couldn’t care less. It was a Sunday night, and on Sunday nights, Mr. Otto always paid him a visit. Tonight was no exception. “Now what story do you want to hear this evening?” Mr. Otto asked as he pulled up a chair next to David’s bed. He was a tall man, Mr. Otto, David thought. Not that he had met many grown-ups in his lifetime. “We’ve already do...

13 comments 13 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The 1%” by Jennifer Chan

Her name was Cece, short for CC31415926. She, or at least her model, was created specifically for quantifying all types of matter, from the number of white hairs on your head to the volume of water that lay trapped under Saturn’s moon. She was a novelty AI, and for a time, had been quite fashionable among the galaxy’s upper crust. It meant having enough money to delegate even the most mundane tasks to an Intuition model. The trend didn’t last though, and just a year after its release, WIRED Magazine included it in their top 10 li...

23 comments 23 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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Author bio

Hi there! I like writing historical and speculative fiction—both if I can manage it! I love novels that have a strong sense of place or has a story that relates to a piece of art. The Girl and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier is one of my all-time favorites. I probably reread it once a year. Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow is also quite dear to me and also demands to be reread every so often. Recently, I read and fell in love with Piranesi, whose titular character resides in a strange but wonderful world. I am in awe of Susanna Clarke's patience in constructing such an intimate universe.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #130

The Clue of the Forgotten Claw – read story

Contest #127

The 1% – read story