Jessica Tomaselli

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2020

Stories (23)

23 Stories

451 karma pts

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“The Spirit Board” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #40

The normalcy of school was a relief after the chaos of the weekend. Joanna had homeroom with Father Neiman, a kindly if somewhat self-effacing priest.  Joanna had tried to talk through what had happened Saturday night with her parents, but they had just scolded her for not calling them to pick her up. But she needed to know what had really happened, so after Father had finished taking attendance, she had approached his desk and quietly told him about that night. He was comforting, but didn’t answer her fundamental question, leaving her ...

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“Immersion” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #39

I was 5 when Coronavirus made its first attack upon our world. I remember how much I missed my kindergarten class, especially my teacher and two best friends. I remember my mom trying to mask her fear and my father his frustration. She was convinced it was the end of the world and he was convinced it was nothing. Turns out she was closer to right, but he was the first person I knew to succumb to the disease. But that wasn’t during the first wave. We weathered the first wave well enough. At first we took things seriously – mom was worried and...

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“A Little Nudge” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #38

The morning sunlight slanted in the window like sharp blades slicing into Vanessa’s eyelids, forcing her to wake up. Her head throbbed. The irony of quarantine – the only thing you could do is stay at home and somehow, she still couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Last night she had been worried about her grandmother who she was unable to visit and who she worried might be bored to tears. And then she had wondered if she should visit her as soon as quarantined lifted or if that might be putting her at risk. Damned if you do and damned if you ...

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“Vintage Blush” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #37

I never met my grandmother, she died when my mom was in college, but my mom always tells me I am her reincarnation. My mom reminisces about how her mother liked to paint and was very artistic just like me. She also says we share the same dark, wavy hair and a sort of impish look. I have spent countless hours looking at old pictures of her and have tried to find our intangible cord, but I don’t feel it. She looks more graceful than me and her talents far exceeded mine. My favorite picture of her is in a bathing suit with her arms akimbo and h...

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“True North” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #35

This is such a strange time. I don’t know what to make of it. Prior to quarantine, I would have been thrilled to spend more time at home, to have an excuse not to have to run from one thing to the next. But now. . . now, I eagerly escape the apartment every morning and evening to walk in the park. Don’t get me wrong, I take this disease seriously and my hands are chaffed from the amount of times they are washed daily. I only go out early in the morning and at sunset - before and after the rest of the city.The park is the only place safe righ...

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“Nestled and Needed” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #34

Coronavirus is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. Maybe I shouldn’t think that, but it’s true. I know it is terrible for millions of people elsewhere, and I know my family is very worried about everything, but they are with me and I am going to keep them safe! Until this pandemic started, I had barely gotten to see my family. Melissa would take me for a rushed walk in the morning and then she bundled the pups off to school before going to her school to teach her students. After the sun had switched sides of the house, she...

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“Happiness Exploded” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #33

In her memory, the resort had been a luxurious, private world all its own. Her family usually pinched pennies, not keeping up with some of their more sophisticated relations, but this location had been their yearly splurge, a break from the monotony of the leaden days of winter. But they had not been here in at least a decade as their parents had been unwilling to cause them to miss a week of school as they got older. When the family had decided to reunite at their old retreat for a weekend, Jenna’s feelings had been mixed. She desperately w...

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“Messy and Beautiful” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #31

Saturday morning - Vanessa struggled into the laundry room with her children’s hampers, looking for a place to stash them while still leaving room to sort the clothes. Above her the shower turned on, indicating that her husband, Daniel, had finally woken up. She knew he would be playing on his phone for five minutes or so while the shower warmed up. He looked at that thing more than at her. The other night she had seen him smiling at it in the way he used to smile at her. She missed those days. It annoyed her how long he spent in the bathroo...

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Author bio

I am a lot of things to a lot of people, but I always wanted to be a writer. I hope one day I can consider myself that as well.