Jill K

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2021

Stories (4)

4 Stories

82 karma pts

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“The Christmas Incident on Mount Major Highway” by Jill K

Submitted to Contest #283

There are bluffs along Mount Major Highway where you can pull over and admire the Ossipee Mountains and the deep blue waters of Lake Winnipesaukee, a vast freshwater lake formed at the end of the last ice age. There are other places where the road twists and narrows, and your eyes dare not leave the road, not even for a second, no matter how thrilling the view.   The week before Christmas I was driving along this highway toward my sister Julie’s house. I was thinking about the holiday itinerary we had planned, much of it involving old m...

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“Harrisburg” by Jill K

Submitted to Contest #279

I wandered through the empty shopping mall. It was decorated for Christmas, but the all storefronts were dark, the security gates down. I looked for other shoppers, a maintenance worker, anyone who might help me exit the building, but the mall was vacant. Save for my own footsteps, the only sound I could hear was the worst holiday song ever recorded, on repeat. I concentrated on finding my original entrance point. If I could find that, I could locate my car. I walked quickly, lapping the mall several times, only to find JC Penney in a diffe...

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“Mrs. Esposito Says Hello” by Jill K

Submitted to Contest #218

Mrs. Esposito Says Hello  Could I please, the realtor’s voicemail urged, have the house presentable and smelling good by Saturday? The Esposito children want it sold lickety-split. No need to knock; the home is unoccupied – just push the front door open and start clearing up the junk. The children don’t want any of it.  The realtor’s message made me sad, but I am a cleaning professional, and arrived at the house double masked with a trunkful of cleaning supplies. I’d cleaned enough hoarders’ homes to understand how the job a...

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“The Lesson” by Jill K

Submitted to Contest #119

“Listen... PORT-smith. PORT-smith.” I pronounced it slowly, then rapidly, the way you’d hear it in ordinary conversation. I pointed to the sentence I’d written on the board. â€śI’m currently living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.” To a person, my adult students frowned. I could tell what they were thinking. “It’s spelled MOUTH. How can it be pronounced SMITH?” And, “Have I really been saying the name of this town wrong for the last three months?”   My Taiwanese student cleared his throat. “Teacher,” he asked car...

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Author bio

Boo! My stories almost always contain a ghost or two. If speculative fiction & the paranormal intrigue you, read on. Your thoughtful, constructive feedback is very much appreciated (compliments are ok, too, haha). So glad to join everyone on this writing journey!