Katharine Johns

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020

Stories (30)

30 Stories

590 karma pts

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“Christmas Dreams” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #115

Fourteen-year-old Jessie loved Christmas. With the thoughts of presents, sweets, and no school, what young person didn’t? While Jessie loved those things as much as the next person, Christmas also meant travelling to a place of Christmas dreams, somewhere she has been able to go since she was a little girl.For a while, Jessie went to this place by way of her grandparents’ house, who lived thirty miles away on a hilltop acre with spotty cell phone service and basic cable. She would politely greet her family when arriving before finding her wa...

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“Westdonian Bridge is Down” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #106

Stephen was just your ordinary thirty-two-year-old bachelor living in the modern Republic of Gadstonia. He woke up most mornings in his townhouse situated in the capital city, had himself coffee and cooked his breakfast, went to work as an operations assistant at a local baseball field, engaged in several sports and social hobbies in his spare time, and was friends with the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex… Attended both of their weddings, in fact. Just your ordinary guy. Stephen’s life had silver spoon perks and obligations. Even “ordi...

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“Being a Grown-up” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #105

Being seven years old stinks! This evening I was supposed to go to the soccer club pizza party, but I’m grounded for failing a test in school and trying to lie about it. I wouldn’t have been able to go anyways just for failing the test but I still didn’t want to miss it if I could help it! Wendy Green was going to wear her new JoJo Siwa watch and Taylor Gates was bringing her Glitter Girl doll in a new outfit, and I have to miss seeing them! And it’ll be so embarrassing to explain why I couldn’t go! Mom and Dad are out on a date t...

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“A Summer Carnival Carol” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #97

In the moments that morning rush hour took to progress beyond the carnival setup in the park, the sight through John’s sedan windows transported him through the past, present, and future, much like Scrooge’s ghosts (except outside of Christmas) Early in the day, the lot was closed to visitors, the kiosks were closed, the rides were still, and the festive lights were off, but John couldn’t help seeing its life. Much less his life in the carnival’s liveliness. The city’s Summer Carnival event kicked off the season since the nineteen-fifties...

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“The Living Library Business Meeting” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #91

Imagination brings storybooks to life, but little do readers know that a story's life does not end when they finish the book. With that in mind, one can only imagine what a library is like when everyone is gone. A secret society called the Living Library helps provide order and purpose to these ongoing, vivacious beings.At six fifty-eight every evening, The White Rabbit wearing a waistcoat stands watch over the library as the librarian ends the day. She sees any last-minute patrons out of the building and starts her closing duties of locking...

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“Droids Just Want to Have Fun” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #82

Open log #380-421I was born Androxdroid 380.21.456000, commissioned by the home planet to surveil the planet earth.Having intercepted an interstellar instrument of the earth planet civilization, originally an unfamiliar entity, the Androx resolved to investigate said planet, its beings, and its ways.The Androx are the most scientific and technically advanced beings in many galaxies. Having intercepted an interstellar instrument of the earth planet civilization, originally an unfamiliar entity to us, Androxians resolved to investigate said pl...

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“Growing up in the Stars: Nova’s Story” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #76

This is a prequel to “Child of the Stars”, featuring Nova’s backstory portrayed through dialogue)-kindergarten-“Caelum! Guys!” Little Nova called after her male classmates. “I want to play ‘rocket’ too!” “Girls can’t play “rocket’!” Caelum scoffed. “It’s dangerous!”“you pretend you’re on rockets and missions!” Nova bit back. “Pretending isn’t dangerous!”“Teacher! Teacher!” The two of them hurried to snitch on each other. She told Caelum to let Nova play before her attention was needed elsewhere. “Then you sit here and be ...

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“Child of the Stars” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #67

I was on my way to work but all I could think about was the drifting space junk I tracked all day up to this point. Sure, I have a rather unorthodox hobby, but I’ve gleaned so much more about the final frontier since I started tracking and collecting abandoned satellites and space craft. The way I see it, its original owner is going to miss it if it's aimlessly orbiting or crash-landing into the civilized parts of outer space. My side hustle makes great money too, and I feel I’m doing outer space civilization a small service in it. My par...

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“The Young Ghost of Montgomery Manor” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #64

My name is Ellie Greer. I died in 1927 of the Spanish Flu. I was only eight years old. I lived with my uncle, William Montgomery, at his manor house, aptly named, Montgomery Manor. He took me in after my parents died and raised me like his own daughter. Uncle William was a rich and successful businessman but also a widower. He lost his own wife and the child she carried shortly after delivering her. Uncle William and I were all each other had until illness left him alone once again. To my dying breath, I could not stand that thought. So e...

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“2-XL: The Smartest Toy Robot in the World” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #61

Maggie and Andrew were staying with Grandma for the weekend while their parents took a trip by themselves for their anniversary. Not thrilled about the prospect, Grandma lived beyond civilization in their opinion. (Granted, it was one they kept to themselves as they knew to say nothing if they didn’t have anything nice to say.) She lived nearly thirty miles away from them on an acre carved out of some woods in the hillside. Riding through all the curves and turns just to get there, nearly getting carsick, was one thing, but cell phone and in...

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“Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #49

Kennedy swiped right and matched with a handsome twenty-six-year-old named Cody. The tags on his dating profile claimed he worked out, looked for a relationship, had no kids but wanted them someday. He didn’t smoke, earned a college education, and even shared her political and spiritual affiliations. What’s more was that he lived five miles away in the next town over from her. He had to be the most local match she found so far who met enough of her personal criteria as well!Kennedy didn’t hesitate to answer the dating app’s prompt encouragin...

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“Valentine Candy-Grams” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #29

Harbor Creek High School’s first block began with the morning announcement program. Students in the A.V. Club praddled off school-related news bulletins to a camera broadcasting to a closed-circuit television system that the whole school watched every morning. They led the pledge of allegiance before launching into what needed to be known for the day. Meatloaf was today’s lunch entree. Our basketball team won the game over the weekend. They and the track team had practice this evening. A few clubs were meeting at lunch and some birthdays wer...

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“Mom Had One Job!” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #28

My cousin’s wedding was the most family-involved wedding I’ve known so far. The day my sister and I were invited to be part of it, we were all having dinner at our favorite burger place. The occasion was actually a mash-up of a birthday celebration and wedding planning between my cousin, her fiance, and my dad, an ordained minister and the officiant of their wedding. The birthday celebrating was for my cousin’s mother, whose birth date was close to our dinner date, although me and my sister had ours coming up in a few weeks. With that in our...

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“The New Revolution” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #26

50,000 voices rising every time he’d sing,And every word he ever wrote reflecting back to him,Still believing that old lie, the one that your own face betraysRockstars don’t ever die; they only fade away -Sting, “50,000” from 57th and 9th. Those were the scenes Dara imagined every time he practiced on his great-grandfather’s Les Paul Epiphone Special. The chorus of thousands that sang along to the greatest songs ever. The arenas that waved, jumped, and danced to solos. The cheering and applauding noises that rang at the conclusion of a...

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“The Nineteen-Twenty Essay” by Katharine Johns

Submitted to Contest #22

Sophie A. Westin could not believe she was grounded over New Year's. This was a consequence of potentially failing her English class. Now she had to spend the evening writing an essay while her friends celebrated. The assignment was given ahead of a unit studying turn-of-the-century stories like The Secret Garden, The Metamorphosis, and Ethan Frome. So its topic was to discuss what life was like one hundred years ago. "As if Shakespeare and Pride and Prejudice weren't far enough in history." Sophie sneered at the th...

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Author bio

Blogger, author, girly, geeky, Aries, cat person. Married as of April 30th, 2022. You’ll enjoy my stories if you enjoy: clean chick-lit, family, child, teen, or YA-centric characters and stories, fantasy/fantasy realism, and occasional music references Constructive criticism and conversation welcome! Irrelevant messages, suspicious links, or other spam in the comments will be reported. website: https://kjohns323.wixsite.com/kjswritersblock Social media: https://www.facebook.com/Kjswritersblock Books: https://www.amazon.com/Katie-Johns/e/B08665MZ59?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_10&qid=1627854298&sr=8-10