Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (72)

72 Stories

2814 karma pts

?

“Death Becomes Him” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #285

Death Becomes Him - Flash FictionCaution: This story is about the effect on a child after her parents' breakup.After a leisurely breakfast, Lynley finished reading the Daily Times but returned to the Births and Deaths column—hatches and dispatches, as she often called them. Did she know anyone who had died recently? One name stood out: Eric Peterson.She could never forget him, but who else would remember? A list of Asian names followed, and then the names of his four children. Four first names only. Of course. Everyone would assume they had ...

Read story

“The AI Who Came in From the Cold” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #281

Adam could perceive a frenzy overtaking the people he spoke to in the supermarket and other stores. A cloud of stress and negativity surrounded him in contrast to the crisp nip in the air outside. Outdoors, winter had descended, leaving sunless gloom and bare trees. At the same time, indoors, the escalating heat emanated from the harried activity and strained nerves of the people. He looked around him. They had their shopping trolleys piled sky-high with all manner of edibles from food groups not related to good health. On displays near the ...

Read story

“There's Always Another Agenda” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #280

“I’m getting so excited about the marvelous Anniversary Party I’m organizing for my dear sister Kate and her Fred. You’ll come too, won’t you, Selina? You are my best friend. We’ve invited all her friends and our entire family, minus kids. It's an adult party with alcohol being served. Of course! Fred’s parents, Andy and Ally, will be there as well. It’ll be grand. It’s at the new Crown Plaza. We’ve booked a suite on the top floor. Fantastic view. The lounge is massive and has its own bar. We’ve reserved a gorgeous bedroom and ensuite for th...

Read story

“Melissa's Story” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #279

The sound of arguing voices enters my consciousness. My eyes are open. I feel my own presence standing before them, naked and exposed. They are discussing me. Who exactly are they? A team of men surround me. What am I? I glance around and conclude I am in a factory. Artificial body parts lay around the vast room. Machinery and cabinets abound. Is this my home?One man, with a domineering tone, towers over them. "I'm not impressed with the performance review. What have you all been doing these past months? Using up my money and tweaking, to wh...

Read story

“The Ghost in the Mirror” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #275

My first thought about dying was the blast that filled the air at the same instant that I felt a sharp, stinging thud to my chest. I’d been shot by accident.Blackness engulfed me. I remember that, like Alice, who fell down the rabbit hole, or someone plunged into sudden darkness, thinking, what is happening to me? Who will look after my son? Then nothing.Gradually, I could see light, first as a glimmer at the end of a tunnel. My legs felt like lead. The light became brighter. A hazy face peered. Whose face? Then, my eyes were ...

Read story

“Jonas” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #273

Caution: mild references to sexual abuse of children and pedophilia.Katy hadn't seen Jonas in years. Knowing he would be at his father's funeral was one thing. Would he acknowledge her? This was another matter entirely. Jonas had always been the type of man to turn heads. If he didn't have such dark and irresistible looks, some things, including embarrassing moments, may not have happened. They had affected her, still affected her, in ways he had no clue of. It's the horrible feeling one gets after the right words aren't spoken at the o...

Read story

“The Unforgiven” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #272

Laurena's family lived in a large fawn adobe home supported by long wooden posts. "Es muy grande casa," their servant Maria said with pride.These beams projected from the top corners of the house. The walls were relatively smooth. A covered verandah at the front divided the lower and upper floors. The flat top had a parapet around it, which could be accessed through a trapdoor via a narrow internal stairway. This opened inside a tower room with another narrow stairway and its own trapdoor. The tower room had a door that opened onto the ...

Read story

“The Missing One” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #271

Mention of blood, gore, death, drugs, mild reference to sex.Veronica's tear-stained face told a tale as she stared out the Women's Hospital window. She looked at her distended tummy. Nine long months to finally see her little Fleur, and now her arms were empty. Fleur had breathed for a minute and then died in her arms after the elective C-section. She couldn't be resuscitated. Veronica refused to let them take Fleur away, but after holding her for a day and a half, her husband Gerrard convinced her to let her go, to move on. Move on with wha...

Read story

“The Perfect Anna” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #271

Stacey slammed the door of her flat and headed down the road to the bus stop. The reverberation did nothing to dissipate her anger. Greg hadn't given her the main part in their next play! She had received so much praise for her current role in a modern re-enactment of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. They’d called it Roman and Julia. Stacey knew her lines back to front and inside out. How could Greg pass her over for the lead in the next play? He offered her something else, but what? Probably demoted to the cast! Well, he could stick that ide...

Read story

“Brenda's Story” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #270

Introducing Myself.My mother taught me this recipe for having great friendships. “Brenda,” she’d say, “the best way to have friends is to be a friend. It’s all up to you.”Take two heaped cups of patienceOne heartful of loveTwo handfuls of generosityA dash of laughterA headful of understandingSprinkle generously with kindnessAdd plenty of trust, and mix wellSpread throughout a lifetimeServe this sunshine into the lives of othersAnd however much you give awayYou will always have plenty.I wrote it into my diary and read it from time to tim...

Read story

“Magical Music” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #269

Everyone has times when, like Sliding Doors in the movie by that name, something magical happens, and a new path is forged in an altogether different direction than one believed possible.Such a moment occurred when I turned ten. Factors did lead up to it. Looking back afterwards, I could scarcely believe how someone's quick thinking and generosity could make such a difference in my life.I had been assigned to do a Bible Reading and had been practicing and practicing. When the day came for me to read it, I was ill. Because I had always been r...

Read story

“Days of Past's Future” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #268

Roland sat on a chair inside the door of his brother-in-law’s home, his legs straight out and arms folded. He didn’t have to wait long. Tatenai burst in. Roland had never seen him so furious. “This outrage is unforgivable! Rosheen is devastated. You’ve left your poor sister, a widow.” He trembled, his face red and twisted.Roland glared at him like a lord to a wayward villein. “Yes, she’s a widow. Her child’s father is dead. But if you thought I couldn’t avenge my sister and protect her from being manacled to such a monster, you know not...

Read story

“Secrets and Lies” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #267

My name is Esmarelda, which means emerald—Esmae for short. It’s not my real name, though I have green eyes. Long ago, at my birth, my mother died. My father, already blessed with a son and daughter, witnessed it. He blamed me for her demise. His enraged reaction was to have me exposed - left to die. This act of his, the belief that I was a curse, left a deep scar on my heart.My midwife, Morag, saved me. Saving a baby should never include rescuing from exposure. First, she lied about preventing my death. She only revealed this truth when...

Read story

“The Protagonist's Beef” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #266

Attention Kaitlyn,I have a beef with you, but not of the bovine kind.I can't even say who I am because you changed my name so many damn times during my character arcs. And it's not because I clamour from the wings to be in the limelight. You created me, and instead of casting me as a true hero, you gave me all these character flaws and foibles. In fact, I don't know who I am anymore despite trying to rise above the defective personality you cast me in. You put me into impossible situations in which you think you know how I will react. Agains...

Read story

“His World is Rocked” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #263

Algernon Forbes' office entrance had locked, double steel doors and high frosted and barred windows. The perfect place for online surveillance and spying. Forbes sat at his desk in this dim basement office, scrutinizing his computer screen. With his cold eyes, square jaw, and hollowed cheeks, he commanded a mixture of fear and respect. Before him, a dozen staff worked diligently, staring at their computer screens - a cacophony of clicking and clacking on keyboards, the only sound until Algernon spoke loudly and imperiously."That Melissa, our...

Read story

Author bio

I love writing and reading. I can do both on this site. Many thanks, Reedsy. Fantastic stories. Don't think I'll ever win though . . . it took over two years to get into the top 100 list of Reedsy Contributors. I have won prizes for writing short anecdotal clips for a parenting magazine. Writing short stories here is more challenging. As a job, I have a Uni. of Cambridge ESOL Qualification for teaching English to students of other languages. Due to having a number of stories in Reedsy the stories are listed in order, within character threads. (Unincluded are random stand-alone stories.) Young Vikky Stories. The Ghost in the Mirror (275) The Coraline Factor (244) Tenuous Teamwork (256) Percival Smart and AI Adam Stories. The House Guest (252) The Holiday - (Breaking Point versus Point Break) (253) Percy Smart in Denial (255) Suspicious Partners (260) Brenda's Story (270) Melissa's Story (279) His World is Rocked (263) The AI Who Came in from the Cold. (281) Lynley Stories. La Luna - A Grand Night Out (245) Lynley Strikes Again (250) Magical Music (269) My Summer Holiday - (Frozen, Fried, and Frazzled) (262) Marcus and Victoria Stories. The Ghost in the Mirror (275) Portrait of a Shrew (225) The Invitation (236) Marcus and the Trip of a Lifetime (B 4 260) The Longest Promise (239) Deja Vu (243) The Soulshifters (196) Her Eulogy - Diary of a Grateful Lady (261) Verity and Terry Stories Persuasion (248) or 'Who is this Girl?' Whose Girl (224) About a (Aspergers Syndrome) Boy The Boy Who Couldn't Read Emotions (213) A Criminal Act (222)

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #244

The Coraline Factor – read story