K M Hasling

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2019

Stories (6)

6 Stories

111 karma pts

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“Double Ds” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #82

"Am I wearing too much makeup? The red lipstick is a bit much, isn’t it."Madeline turned her head from side to side, scrutinizing her face in the mirror. She puckered her lips at her reflection and then she wrinkled her nose."I don’t like my eyebrows. Do you think Steve will hate my eyebrows?"She turned to her roommate, Gia, hoping a comforting lie from her best friend would make her feel better. Gia was prettier than Madeline. Too pretty in fact. She had an hourglass shape and the little black dress chosen for the occasion made her look lik...

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“We Are Not a Colony of Ants” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #62

One by one, she watched the dark lines wriggle up and down, to and from the tunnel entrance in the center. Following foot to feeler, ant after ant after ant wrapped in random yet neat patterns like a spirograph inside the tiny formicarium. She watched for another minute, breathing evenly, and thinking about what life meant to the tiny creepy crawlers.“Dad?”“Yes, Adala.”“Do ants go into stasis the same as us?”“Ants are insects. They aren’t warm-blooded mammals like us, so it’s different.”Adala poised her finger to tap on the plastic frame of ...

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“Settlers of Earth” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #34

“It’s your turn, Mom,” Amy said proudly. “Roll the dice!” Hannah, Amy, and Lucy were playing Settlers of Catan, and Lucy was not winning, and not on purpose either. This game depended so much on chance! She rolled the dice, rolling a three and a four. “Oh, better watch out now, you two! I rolled a seven and that means I get to move the robber,” she put her fingers on the grey totem piece, deciding where to put it next. “Let’s see. Where should the robber go?” ...

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“Trading Five Bullets” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #24

Like wolves howling, the chorused voices of oo-way oh-way oo-way oh-way floated into the sky. The notes were partners with the dancers as they stomped left and right, left, left and right. The drumbeats matched the dancers and rumbled the dust with a bada-bada-bum bada- bum bada-bum. Both feet and drumsticks kicked up the dry dust with every vibration, adding to their call for rain. “Come dance, Black Cloud,” coaxed the elders. “Call to Mother Nature. Ad...

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“How to Stay Warm on a Winter Day” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #23

“No school today. Do you want to build a snowman?” Her mom knew just what to say. “Yes!” she cried. “Then go bundle up! Do you remember where your mittens are?” She ran off, serpentine down the hallway to her room, practicing ...

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“Another New You” by K M Hasling

Submitted to Contest #22

A New Year, a new you. The psychedelic advertisement email projected onto the ceiling as if she didn’t remember. Lying on the bed, Julia was awake, but she wasn’t ready to get up. She wanted more time to think. She rolled over to silence her phone from the new message, hoping that she didn’t wake her husband, Odin."Have you thought about what you want the new you to be like?" he asked. He was awake. Rats."It’s so much more than a new workout routine, honey. I’m still deciding," she said."What did you think about my suggestion? To go red?""I ...

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Author bio

I'm an engineer by training, a manager by trade, and a writer by heart. I am a self-published writer of mundane sci-fi novel Mars and Mayhem and also writing sci-fi on Tales. I struggle with placing the plot above character development and enjoy this outlet for practicing short, punchy stories.