Kate Le roux

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2020

Stories (12)

12 Stories

791 karma pts

?

“It's Not About the Bread” by Kate Le roux

Shandar woke to the sound of Turi yelling. He lay still for a moment, his eyes closed, listening to the loud clanging and thumping that he guessed was the sound of his friend throwing things around the campsite in a temper. “Stupid … blasted … pot!” he heard, as he sat up stiffly inside the tent. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why can't I remember?” He crawled out of the warm cocoon of his blanket, lifting th...

Read story

“Makhulu Magic” by Kate Le roux

When the lockdown happens Makhulu does not understand. She sits in her chair in the corner, blanket over her knees as usual, a deep frown on her wrinkled face, as we listen to the President together. The children whoop and dance around the living room – no school! Senzo and I look at each other in horror – three weeks at home, with the shop closed? How will we manage? Things are already tight, and now there will be no customers, no cash, nothing. When the children go to bed I sit on the sofa, leaning against my husband, my mind spinning. ...

Read story

“Three Miracles” by Kate Le roux

All hope dissipated when she opened the door. There was someone already there, someone sleeping on the bed against the left hand wall of the tiny cabin. She stood there for a few seconds, frozen with cold and indecision but mostly with deep, deep disappointment, before she took a step inside and closed the door behind her. It was the only choice, really, even though the grey coat with the dark red stripe along the bottom...

Read story

“To the Lowly Dove” by Kate Le roux

It was always Amrak’s job to deal with the birds afterwards, and he had always hated it. Every Temple day after the service he would have to wait for the worshippers to leave, then hang around while Father and the other priests finished up. As soon as they were gone the work began – mopping up the spilt blood, gathering the dirty robes into a basket to take outside to the waiting washerwomen, piling up the silver bowls t...

130 comments 130

Read story

“Pink hair, Coffee and Nunchucks” by Kate Le roux

Razia’s bright pink hair flipped briefly upwards as she jumped from the tree to land lightly on her feet. She paused a moment, crouching, surveying the forest, her keen eye resting briefly on a mochaleaf as it unfurled ostentatiously to her left. No orcs in sight, or annoying spying gremlins either. Satisfied that the way was clear, she stood up to retrieve her pack from a hole in the tree, her hand on the knife at h...

Read story

“Old School” by Kate Le roux

The beige veneer on the big oval table is peeling, revealing the tacky black glue underneath. The room is close and musty; maroon carpet tiles, greying plastic chairs. As Miles folds his arms, his leather jacket creaks and the students around the table turn to look at him. “Sorry,” he says, even though he is not. He likes his jacket; he doesn't care what the kids think. “Nice shoes, Old School,” says a young man in a tank top five sizes too big for him, headphones around his neck as if they are an accessory."Thanks, Fez...

Read story

“Gonubie” by Kate Le roux

My husband is driving and my kids are in the back seats. For the first time in over twenty years I am in Gonubie again. The last time I was here I was still a teenager, and my grandparents were still alive, living in the house they built. I am about to drive past that house now, just to look. Someone else lives there now; I know that. I just want to see it, and to show my family the picnic spot at the river at the bottom...

Read story

“Keep Calm and Wait” by Kate Le roux

My little blue car chugs along through the morning traffic. (Traffic! A fact of life quite detrimental to calm!) and I watch her temperature gauge nervously. Sometimes she overheats, and the last thing I need is to be stuck at the side of the road with a steaming car. I need to be calm. I am so tense that I feel ill, and of course I know that’s not going to help. I need to be well and strong or it will all come ...

Read story

“The Exile” by Kate Le roux

He stood outside the door, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He had come straight from the prison, still dirty, his collar torn from where a soldier had grabbed him during the arrest. But there was no time to waste. He had to say good bye and it would have to be brief. Her brother opened the door, embraced him despite the state he was in and invited him inside. He refused, of course, but he appreciated the gesture. He did not need to enter the house and sully the smooth marble floor with his filthy boots. He only needed to...

Read story

“Some Mother's Son” by Kate Le roux

I am sneaking out of the farmhouse and I can hardly believe my boldness. I am not a rule-breaker, and Mr Reece is a fair boss as bosses go, but it’s been weeks of rain and mud and horrible cows kicking over their buckets. Lucy’s invitation feels like hope, like an chance to leave the war behind and just be a girl again for an evening. The moon is out and the sky is clear enough to see my way as I walk the ten minutes through the little patch of woods between the farm and the cottage. I don’t dare use a light because of the blackout. I am ...

Read story

“Between Me and the Universe” by Kate Le roux

Thursday April 3 2081I feel kind of strange tonight, restless, as if I’ve eaten too much candy. I just keep thinking that I’ll be seventeen soon and the most exciting thing I have ever done is sneak through the ducts to the edge of the dome during a storm with Vlad and Susan. It was pretty awesome – the dome creaked and groaned so loudly we could barely hear each other. They were both so scared of getting caught that we only hung out there long enough for me to carve half my name in the vinyl floor. I wrote “Mauro” but didn't get t...

Read story

“I Was Fifteen” by Kate Le roux

I was fifteen. When I think back on it now I need to remind myself that I was an actual child, sleeping at night in my pink bedroom, writing in a secret journal with a lock on it, teddy bears arranged on my bed. And what the heck, I have to ask myself, could a fifteen-year-old child know about love? I know the answer now, and it is this: depending o...

Read story

Author bio

I write short stories to keep writing fit but my first love is YA novels. I've self-published a few. If you liked "To the Lowly Dove", my winning story, look me up on Kindle for more stories set in Kalathan. My stories are an odd mix. So far there's contemporary fiction, sci-fi humour, historical fiction, fantasy, magical realism and creative non-fiction. It's fun to play around and see what I can do. (And my name is actually spelt le Roux) Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Kate-le-Roux-308047686560159 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19053966.Kate_le_Roux

Winning stories 🏆

Contest #69

To the Lowly Dove – read story