Kathleen Doidge

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020

Stories (11)

11 Stories

594 karma pts

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“The Secret King” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #93

Bone dice dinged against my dinner plate. They teetered around the edge of the porcelain, falling silent while the room grew rowdy. Shallow chasms stared up at me. My head cocked to the side, a smile crossing my lips. Two ones, how fitting. The rainbow jester flounced up to the head table, his painted mouth curving up. “Our mute prince has rolled snake eyes.” he wiggled fingers in front of his face in a pathetic serpent tongue. “Perhaps hisss luck is looking up.”The lady at my side giggled behind a delicate glove. Our colorful fool grin...

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“Wicked Delights” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #87

It was the snow that froze not just the soil, but all movement and echos. The seven-year-old cooed as a midnight snowflake landed on her tongue. I on the other hand, frowned. Flurries attacking my eyes was not so much fun as an adult. People actually expected me to be able to see.I glanced down at the vibrating ball of energy, ready to remind her about those eyes I was supposed to be using.Wrong move.The kid jerked my arm to the side, making it click and sputter as it tried to remain in its socket. I hopped forward to keep my limb attached, ...

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“Weird” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #69

“This feels weird,” Stephanie mumbled, yanking her pudgy hand out of the mayonnaise jar.Mom chuckled, the red recording light of her camera blinking off. She leaned back, watching the footage over and over.Stephanie rolled her eyes and stretched the gooey arm as far away from her as possible. Mayonnaise sticks to everything. Nothing is sacred to that slimy white spread.She waltzed over to the sink, standing on her tippy toes to throw the water on full blast. Mom glanced up, daggers in her gaze. Stephanie quickly cleaned h...

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“Dearie Dearest” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #53

Dearie Dearest,I can't feel you anymore. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but the headaches might suggest the latter. I'm getting freaking withdrawals from you. This is worse than when I canceled coffee. Everyone ran for their lives when that happened. Literally. Although, it did help with Disneyland. No lines!Anyway, you haven't talked to me in a while. Didn't want you to forget me. I’m still here and will be there when you fall.~Your loveThe man frowned at the letter, flipping it over. Nothing. He bit his lip, a hand ruffling his peach fu...

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“Should Have Kept Sleeping” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #51

“You have got to be kidding me!” Harry’s wife screamed. There was a patter of feet, then a softer holler up the stairs, “I need you to fix the washing machine again.”Harry moaned, throwing a pillow over his head to drown out the morning needs. It was only six in the morning. Who got up and trumpeted about broken washers at bloody six in the morning?Harry’s phone buzzed from where it slept on the nightstand. He flopped his hand out from beneath the pillow, desperately looking for the handy dandy decline call. It buzzed again.“Come on,” Harry ...

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“Walking Ash” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #49

My lungs burned, scorching a hole inside my chest. For all I knew, my breathing sacks were eating my heart. It would explain the pounding that gave the speed of light a run for its money. Prison guards screamed behind me, and I forced my lungs to go harder. They were what allowed me to run. To try and escape. The battle between my heart and lungs would have to wait. Branches and thorns attacked my ankles. My thighs. My cheeks. I didn't care. I needed to get as far away from those guards as possible. Another shout thundered against my eardr...

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“Jeopardy” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #48

My steel shackles thundered against the walls of the prison carriage, the horse behind me rearing. The heavily armored knight who was supposed to be riding the massive beast flew through the air. He couldn't have weighed more than a feather by the way he was flung off, crashing into the dead tree beside my cage. The force of the impact shattered the dry wood, the entire trunk toppling onto him. The dead plant consumed him, and moaned. I agreed with the tree, I would cry too if I lay atop him. That knight stunk terribly.The caravan stopped, h...

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“Meeting Reality” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #46

I panted, clutching the unbounded book pages to my chest. My fingers bled from the multitude of paper cuts they earned when grabbing hundreds upon hundreds of papers at once. The corner of the white stack had turned a dark crimson, splotches covering the first page. My breath came out ragged and my heart thundered against crushed ribs. Bony knees were squished against me, making the closet I hid in more painful than I believed possible. Yet I didn't dare to move. The pain was some much better than what I feared would happen with the slightes...

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“Folly of a Flower” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #45

An eerie melody stole the winds freedom, forcing it to send the fluttering orange blossoms across the sky as an ocean wave. The spinning white petals soared upward, mimicking the song of the little girl sprawled in the grass. She was humming a made up tune, her emerald eyes squeezed shut in concentration. A flower landed on her small cherry nose as she sang a low note, a flurry of giggles vibrating her tiny body. She opened one eye, peering at the traitorous blossom relaxing on her face. A chubby hand clasped it ever so gently and brought it...

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“A Rose's Engagement” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #45

I huffed, my petals swaying in the fake air streaming through the vents. I know what wind feels like and that my friend, ain't wind. The boy smiled down at me, providing a distraction from the boring short and stout man droning on and on about profit or revenue or something. Blah, blah, blah. No one has been listening for the past thirty minutes! I want to leave, my stem is getting cold.The boy stroked one of my petals, “My girlfriend is going to love you, she adores roses.”Ew, I hope not buddy. I'm pretty sure loving her is your job, n...

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“Leap” by Kathleen Doidge

Submitted to Contest #45

My life was about to end. I had to choose a partner. I spun toward my best friend stretching behind me, my heart beating faster than bad Karma.“Hey Jess, want to be partners?” I asked, my voice almost too high.She shrugged, tying back her long brown hair to keep it out of her face. We were about to embark on the treacherous journey of exercising on land, the same as being tortured alive if in water polo. Swimming a mile sucked since it was the equivalent of eighty laps, but run one? The coach might as well have asked us to sacrifice our...

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Author bio

For all anyone knows, I could be a flamingo with typing skills. Find the story for you: Thriller: Should Have Kept Sleeping Drama: Weird Fantasy: Wicked Delights, Jeopardy Coming of Age: Leap I have lots of other stories besides the recommended ones above, feel free to check them out!