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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019
Submitted to Contest #297
‘Do I call 911?’ Garret stepped from the stairwell onto the walkway leading to his apartment. Seeing Scooby, standing at the far end, he stopped short. Instinct told Garret to find another route. They’d never spoken. He wanted nothing to do with the guy. Scooby’s reputation afforded him plenty of space. No one crossed his path on purpose, except for customers. Why would they? How many regretted it?Plenty of ugly rumors about Scooby. Who tests such a rumor?‘What possible thing did old Mrs. Leary do to offend him?’ They found her lying in the ...
Submitted to Contest #296
At lunch, Conrad sat with the guys, but his mind wandered elsewhere. The same old jokes and constant banter didn’t penetrate.Conrad juggled the conversation he’d had with his wife, Rhea, over breakfast. Not exactly a conversation… Marriage is a struggle. ‘Isn’t everyone’s?’He needed solutions. Why couldn’t she see there were efficient ways of doing things? Why couldn’t she do those?Conrad perked up when Pip, from accounting, said, “…I don’t care at all about the ‘spiritual’ mumbo jumbo… This is so practical. Voila! My marriage is on even kee...
Submitted to Contest #295
Driving, trying to make sense of his directions, Archer heard his phone buzz. No doubt, his fiancé, Winsome, had texted him again.He stopped to wait for a jaywalker to cross. ‘Of course. He’s in a hurry. Couldn’t possibly walk fifty yards to the light. Can’t miss that urgent appointment with the bus bench. Hope you don’t cross paths with some red-light scofflaw. Could get ugly.’Archer had many uses for his stream-of-consciousness internal rants. He called them free association brainstorming with a side of channeled anger. Sometimes, he’d lat...
Submitted to Contest #294
It’s dark at the foot of the lighthouse. It was Wren’s favorite place to sit after unloading his boat. Every week he’d bring food and supplies to the tiny island for the keeper. Sitting in the shadows gave him respite from the unforgiving wind and sun on the open water. Wren loved sitting amidst the riot of wild flowers. Leigh, the lighthouse keeper’s daughter planted them everywhere. The parade of color was the first thing drawing the eye when approaching the island. Yes, the lighthouse. But the flowers!Lighthouse Rock was a mere spit of la...
Dear Customer service,Please stop sending me your product. I never ordered it. Don’t use it. Won’t pay for it.Hello? Is there a person there at all? Your website says ‘contact us.’ Is there an ‘us’ to contact? Or do my letters end up in some digital version of hell, never to be seen, read, or answered by another human being? Do you have any concept of what customer service is about?Sincerely, Eugene Knox~Dear friend,Thank you for your robust interest in subscribing to our transformative, patented and cutting-edge skin care product, Lait de S...
Submitted to Contest #293
Bailey settled into his window seat. He watched other passengers navigate the aisle with their carry-ons. He saw a pretty young woman in sweats making her way toward him.He thought, ‘Where have I seen her?’ He knew they hadn’t met. With hardly a glance, she slid into the seat next to him, strapped herself in and focused on her cell phone.Bailey stared out the window at airport staff prepping the jet for takeoff. Flying was a necessary evil for him. Its charms had faded years ago. But, long overdue, he needed this trip. Hearing laughter, he t...
Submitted to Contest #292
Dorothy awakened from her fitful sleep, exhausted. Once again, she’d dreamed of Oz.‘Would call it a nightmare, except that it’s so tedious.’Having grown up, far from crowded cities, on the vast, flat prairies of Kansas, Dorothy lived simply. She had no wish to return to that bustling chaos, now a legend in her town. After her mishap in the tornado, Dorothy had wearied of the attention drawn by her tornado concussion story. She craved ordinary days strung together into an ordinary life. ‘Feet on the ground…’Her physician Dr. Jensen assur...
Submitted to Contest #290
Having a long weekend, Adrian drove his college sweetheart, Evelyn, up to meet his parents. It was time. Paradise, his hometown, occupied a hidden valley about two hours from the city. Unsullied by modern life, the town lived up to its name.Adrian’s mother told him she would make his favorite dish for dinner.Wanting to beat traffic, they left early in his pick-up truck.About an hour into the drive, Evelyn pulled an apple from her purse and took a bite.Adrian asked, “What’s that?”“An apple. Want one?” “No, no, no… throw it away.”“Why? They’re...
Mouth agape, Blaise turned away. ‘It’s him. It can’t be. His family moved away. But I know it’s him. He’s back? Who but Dale could be so dreamy?’She left the room. She couldn’t deal with the emotions welling up from who knows where? Blaise hadn’t seen Dale in at least a decade, since grade school. The summer before third grade? His family took him away and she never saw him again. Until he walked into the first party of their senior year.‘Wow. Here we are. All grown up.’She never forgot the last time she saw him. The movers were marching in ...
Submitted to Contest #289
Dressed elegantly in a black velvet dress and pearls, Siobhan entered the hotel lobby. She spoke with the desk clerk, Tamara, for a moment, before entering the dining room. They smiled and nodded before Siobhan broke away. All her old school mates waved her over when she paused at the threshold. She’d known Lourdes since grade school. Though not always friends, the decades had softened edges. Ford and Axel were always buddies, inseparable. The jokes about their names went way back. ‘Where could you go without me?’ was Axel’s famous question....
Submitted to Contest #288
Wearing his best suit, Bentley stood under Francine’s second story balcony. He hoped she would accept his apology. It began to rain. Though he had no umbrella, he didn’t care. Starting as a heavy mist, the drizzle soon became a steady shower. ‘Maybe it’ll help,’ he thought.If he’d blown it with Francine, nothing else mattered to him. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. ‘Stomped on her heart… for pride…? Ego…? Nothing so elevated…’ He didn’t know what to call it. He missed her.Bentley thought back to their argument a week ago. Francine ...
Submitted to Contest #287
Checking the day’s schedule, Maude looked forward to meeting her first-time client, Silesia. Her daily prep included the wide variety of tea blends sufficient to the day’s demands. Maude called her social events ‘Pours.’ Modeled after the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, she aimed deeper than mere tranquility. Her delicious, blended teas reoriented her client’s views of themselves and the world. She tailored each concoction individually by adding herbs and essential oils. Every ingredient was organic and non-toxic.Of course, it was all leg...
Submitted to Contest #286
Geoff’s phone kept ringing. He knew it was Madelaine, his hysterical friend… girlfriend? ‘Mad,’ for short. Who else? He didn’t pick up. He knew what it was about. He didn’t need to hear, again, how foolhardy he was to move into the hills.He was busy. Half an hour ago the evacuation order gave him an hour. Wind buffeted his house. Hundred mile per hour gusts were predicted. A siren wailed by. No rain for months. Fire was racing down the canyon toward him, driven by Santa Ana winds.Everything in his life had gone insane. He had minutes to choo...
Submitted to Contest #283
Young Ryder entered the living room early Christmas morning to see a large box lying beside the tree. It was too large to fit among the other presents. There were holes around the top. Ryder stared in awe as he thought he saw the box move. He whispered, “A pony? Santa brought me a pony?”He ran to the box and peered into one of the air holes. A Beagle puppy stared back. Its wagging tail thumped. It whimpered, begging for release.“Mom! Dad! Santa brought me a pony!”Ryder’s parents, Paige and Levi, entered. Still in pajamas, they were bleary fr...
Submitted to Contest #282
Cole didn’t know if he was asleep or awake until he heard someone cough. Then began the incessant striking of hammer on stone. Earl, the foreman, had set up shifts for everyone. He’d said, “Keep pounding. Let them know we’re still here. Alive.”There was no light. None. Not a glimmer. Everything felt dreamlike. Only Cole’s dreams felt real. They played out in daylight.How long since the cave in? Time had lost meaning. It felt like forever. Or an hour ago. He’d startle awake and wonder where he was. Then remember. How long had he slept? A few ...
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