Jessica Buford

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020

Stories (13)

13 Stories

347 karma pts

?

“Beware the Envy of Gods” by Jessica Buford

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 ...

Read story

“Forty and Horny” by Jessica Buford

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 re...

Read story

“Cash Back” by Jessica Buford

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...

Read story

“Apocalyptic Blessings” by Jessica Buford

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...

Read story

“The Eternal Forge” by Jessica Buford

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 impossibl...

Read story

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

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...

Read story

“Grandma's Memorial” by Jessica Buford

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 th...

Read story

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

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...

Read story

“Hurricane” by Jessica Buford

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...

Read story

“Origin Story: Missing Person” by Jessica Buford

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...

Read story

“Innocence” by Jessica Buford

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

Read story

“Final Draft” by Jessica Buford

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 mout...

Read story

“Your Fault” by Jessica Buford

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 ...

Read story

Author bio

Hello! First of all thank you for taking the time to read my stories, and second thank you for reading my bio. You must be truly dedicated. I am sure you think Jessica Buford must be as interesting as her stories. I am not, but that's okay because many of the endings in my stories are not happy ones! My days are filled with reading, walking my two dogs, and teaching. I am an elementary school librarian (I know, best job ever), and a teacher on VIPKid. Leave me a comment and follow me if you feel so inclined!