Jessica Buford

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020

Stories (15)

15 Stories

384 karma pts

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“Going Home” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #284

The champagne fizzed and bubbled to the brim of the glass. Lorenzo twisted the stem back and forth between his fingers, staring at the pale yellow liquid before downing the entire contents in one gulp. He sat on the floor of the dining area feeling small. The space was meant to accommodate 50 people, tables and chairs were bolted to the floor in case the artificial gravity faltered. But that was probably the one thing that hadn’t gone wrong. Lorenzo was the last living crew member of the Freedom Expedition.  He was wearing his navy crew...

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“Holiday Deal” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #283

Elaine sipped her cup of cocoa at the coffee shop that was just down the street from her home. It didn’t matter what she ordered at the Magic Mug, it was always the perfect temperature. The whole cafe was perfect. It was small, but never too crowded. The music was cheerful and never too loud. If it was cold outside a fire roared in the hearth and left the patrons with a rosy hue on their cheeks, and if it was hot outside the air conditioner blew a cool breeze on customers’ faces the moment they walked in. The place always smelled of freshly ...

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“Beware the Envy of Gods” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #157

He set Fragile Things down on his stomach. The beach umbrella which had provided ample shade when they arrived at the beach at 10 o’clock that morning, was now only shielding his face from the sun’s intense summer rays. He worried for a minute that the book would leave a pale rectangular shape on his stomach, but the heat had soaked up any extra energy that would have gone toward relocating the beach blanket into the hexagon shadow. Staring up at the sky, eyelids growing heavier he felt heavy and the salt and sweat on his skin left a sticky ...

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“Forty and Horny” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #130

The smell of french fry grease permeated my car as soon as I rolled the window down. I felt my body shudder; the aroma was so good it gave me the same euphoria sex had back in my college days. “Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?” The blown speaker spewed out the familiar sentence. “Hi, um, yes.” I paused, trying to collect my thoughts. It had been a long time since I’d been to any fast food restaurant. “Can I please get a large fry and a Whopper?” “Sir, this is McDonald’s. Do you mean a Big Mac?” The speaker let out an angry hi...

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“Cash Back” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #69

I called my grandma the other day as I regularly do since I live too far to visit. And as usual she let me know she had a story for me. She lives in an apartment community for people 65 and older, and generally her stories involve someone a few doors down setting their microwave on fire, falling to the ground and passing out, finding dishes as good as new at a garage sale, or dying (either because they had fallen to the ground or were in their 90s and the poor thing really was better off dead). But on this particular day her story was even m...

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“Apocalyptic Blessings” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #60

The woman felt the warmth radiating off of the man next to her. She could still feel him inside her as she rolled over to lay an arm across his chest. She listened to his breathing steady and slow in the darkness. The man wasn’t very attractive, small and scrawny by any standards. He had survived this long with his wit, not his strength. The woman moved in closer to the man, his flesh chasing away the chill of the night. Then with one swift movement she dragged a dagger across his throat. She dressed while he bled out, and by the time his b...

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“The Eternal Forge” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #53

The smell of fresh cut wood is strong in the newly built cottage. I inhale the scent and walk to the sink to fill the vase I brought for the roses. Sunlight floods the cottage through the large floor to ceiling front windows. There is a perfect view of the lake from where I lean on the kitchen counter. It never ceases to amaze me what humans can do. A thousand years ago the forest here was so thick that it was impossible to walk through unless you knew where the deer paths were. The lake was larger, and where this cabin now stands used to be...

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“The Pompous Parent and the Sly Sleuth” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #52

Good things come in threes, and I believe it. In the span of six months I won the lottery, met the man of my dreams, and got married. When it rains it pours, and I believe that, too. These idioms rang through my mind like a broken doorbell on my way to see Dr. Post H. Pemulous. His office was on the 17th floor of a skyscraper in downtown Austin. As I rode up in the glass elevator I had a view of the Lady Bird Lake Trail, and by the time the elevator dinged, I had tears flowing down both my cheeks. I stepped into the restroom to fix my makeu...

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“Grandma's Memorial” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #51

Have you ever returned to the favorite camping spot of your childhood in your mid twenties, and for the first time in a long time since you moved across the country from your hometown noticed the innumerable stars in the night sky? Then you leaned over to your now adult sister and said, “Something deep and meaningful.” To which she looked over at you and said, “What?” Then you realize the frogs in the pond and the crickets in the woods are so loud that you might as well be sitting in that trendy new bar at the crappy table by the speakers o...

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“The Start and the Finish are the Same” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #50

It’s 7:48 in the morning, and it is already hard to breathe. Why anyone in southern Texas would run a 5K in any month except January is beyond me. Actually, running is kind of beyond me. And yet here I am, for her. She is beaming despite the thick humidity. There is no sign of sweat on her gray racerback tank yet. It makes me conscious of the sweat beads forming on the small of my back. Jamie has always been into running. She has a Brooks shoe box full of medals in the back of her closet, and she always keeps the most current medal hanging o...

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“Hurricane” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #49

I remember the taste of the cheap merlot on my tongue. The green bottle has been in the refrigerator for four days now. It’s going to go bad soon, and that would be a waste of money. The hum of the refrigerator and the beating rain outside is the only noise as I stare at the bottle.  Four days late doesn’t mean anything, I tell myself, and I pour a glass for Greg and myself.  There is a crack of lightning followed immediately by thunder so loud I look up to make sure the roof hasn’t been ripped off of the apartment. There is anot...

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“Origin Story: Missing Person” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #48

Origin stories are never easy: radioactive bites, the death of a loved one, painful genetic mutations. The list goes on and on, and I’m an expert on them. Well, I was an expert on them when I was alive. I’m a superhero, and I’m just still in my origin story. This is what I tell myself everyday. This is how I get through the pain and the loneliness. There is no one else in this plane of existence that I can see. There is the living, there is the dead, and there is me. I can’t even interact with the living until I feel the call to use my power...

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“Innocence” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #47

You hold your sister’s head underwater. You wait until her movements become jerky. Panicky. You decide to let her up, after all tomorrow is the first day of school. There are bigger things to worry about. You look up at the sky and think about how wrong the weather forecast had been. It’s the last day of summer and you can hear thunder rumbling in the distance. America runs inside to tell mom. Little brat. The thunder rumbles again and you grab a towel from the deck chair. You walk past your sister and Mom on the way to the shower and smile...

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“Final Draft” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #46

Julia felt like she might throw up, but in a good way. The celebratory steak dinner did somersaults over the cannoli cake in her stomach Austin had treated her to after the good news. By the fourth ring her sister, Ann Marie, finally picked up.  “Hello?” Julia skipped over the traditional greeting and blurted, “My story is getting published!” She could feel the excitement spilling out of her mouth like champagne bubbles.  “What? That’s awesome! Which story?” Ann Marie asked. “You haven’t read this one yet. I want everyone to r...

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“Your Fault” by Jessica Buford

Submitted to Contest #45

When Jared came strolling out of the abandoned house with a rusty gun swung over his shoulder I knew I shouldn’t have come. He lifted it to eye level and peered down an old sight straight at me. “Ba-pow,” Jared said then followed it with a laugh as he let the sight fall back toward the ground. “That’s not funny, Jared,” I said through the half rolled down car window. “Dat’s not funny,” he mocked, squishing up us face. I swallowed the ball of fury that was creeping up my throat like a caterpillar. I was always Play-it-Safe Sarah, Stick-In-the...

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Author bio

My background is in education and library services. My days are filled with my baby boy and two dogs. I also have a cat, but in all honesty she is my least favorite creature in my house. She's more of my husband's cat anyways. I love gardening, coffee, wine, and the Oxford comma. Despite having a perfectly fine life, my stories tend to lean toward darker themes. Enjoy!