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Kathleen Fine

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2021

Stories (40)
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1048 Followers
2965 Following

40 Stories

2884 karma pts

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On Blueberry Hill

Submitted to Contest #314

I press the washcloth to my forehead. Lukewarm now, but still cooler than the night air. We pumped the water from the well before sundown, when it still ran cold and sharp. It felt good then. Now it’s the temperature of spit, but I keep it there anyway. It’s still better than nothing. Behind me, the fan hums, offering little more than noise. The porch has been dark for a couple of hours now, but the heat hasn’t budged. It hangs thick in the air, like it’s got nowhere else to go. I wanted to sleep out on the lawn, but Ma said no, we’d get eat...

26 likes 4 comments 4
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The Juncos

Submitted to Contest #286

"Casey was always so funny," I murmur, holding the faded photo close to her face, close enough that she can see it. "Remember this? Remember when he dressed Winston up like a doll?" I trace my finger over the furry little guinea pig in the picture, trapped forever in a tiny yellow dress with white lace trim. The edges of the photo are curled and Winston’s dress is faded into a dull sepia color. "Poor Winston- he was so sweet," I say with a soft laugh. "Casey always used to take my dolls' clothes and dress him up, and Winston would just sit t...

75 likes 32 comments 32
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The Ex

Shortlisted for Contest #263 ⭐️

One thing people often miss about life is that preparation is key. It’s all about planning. Getting each detail right. It makes all the difference. If you plan carefully, you succeed. It’s that simple. Whether it’s a big project or just a daily routine, being ready sets you apart. "One venti brown sugar oat milk iced latte," she mutters, her eyes shackled to her phone. Bad-mannered, I think. It's a glimpse into the core of someone's soul- how they treat those serving them. It separates her kind from mine. She flicks her phone over the card r...

95 likes 69 comments 69
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Hunting with Hyenas

Submitted to Contest #207

Uncapping the large plastic bottle labelled Liquid Sugar, Jezebel deliberately twisted her wrist just inches above her chest, gripping the container tightly in her hand. As the sticky, clear fluid dripped down her torso, she made eye contact with the suited man in the front row before examining the rest of the room. The dim lights highlighted the thick cigar smoke wafting through the air, making Jezebel resist the instinctual urge to rub her eyes. She hated smoking almost as much as she hated drinking. “Pour some sugar on me. Ooh, in th...

49 likes 30 comments 30
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The Belly of the Fish

Submitted to Contest #206

Biting down forcefully on her lower lip, Dinah stepped the ball of her foot onto the cold, wet sand. The touch of the small grains under her feet for the first time in forty years made her catch her breath. She could feel the deep-seated memories trying to push their way out. Push their way, not out of her mind, but out of her heart.A seagull made a long call above her and she peeked up for the first time, trying to avoid the vast body of water in front of her. Focus on the bird. Focus on the bird. Squinting, she looked up at the gull flappi...

70 likes 37 comments 37
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The Siblings’ God Forgot to Give Us

Submitted to Contest #181

“The key is under the flowerpot, next to the frog statue.” Casey recalled the instructions Muriel had given her a few days ago. Bending down, she lifted the heavy terracotta pot with both hands. She watched as a large earth worm raised its faceless head towards her, assumingly agitated by her interrupting its dark slumber.“Sorry, lil’ fella,” she whispered as she grabbed the brass key, placing the pot back down carefully as to not squish the tenant underneath. “We haven’t been there in a couple years…since mom and dad passed away, so I ...

50 likes 12 comments 12
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The Coin Flip

Submitted to Contest #180

“Okay, heads I eat the worm, tails, you eat it,” Riff muttered to Clay as he gripped at the cold copper-plated zinc in his sweaty palm. He wiped a bead of moisture from his forehead, wondering how he could flip the penny strategically to get it to land on tails. He debated about using the trick coin that he’d traded with Billy on the bus last week for his pocketknife. Double tails = Win every time! was the writing on the package. He felt guilty about using it on his brother, but maybe he should just this once. He wasn’t about to eat no ...

50 likes 22 comments 22
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Bernard (The Saint’s) 2023 New Year's Resolutions

Submitted to Contest #179

1.     Worry about feeling good, not about being thinner.You are not the number on Dr. Collie, the vet’s, scale. You are done with obsessing over what the “normal” weight is for your breed and are going to focus on what the “normal” weight is for your soul.2.     Stop gossiping about other dogs.Just because Lucky, the Doberman next door, may or may not have ruined Mrs. Robbin’s flower bushes, it’s not your business. Don't be that dog. Spread positivity only.3.     Giv...

46 likes 36 comments 36
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The Hummingbird

Submitted to Contest #163

Roxanne hated black. She hated black licorice. She hated black pepper. She hated her coffee black. Black didn’t suit her. Roxanne was a colorful woman and therefore she always dressed vibrantly. So instead of wearing black to Henry’s viewing, she wore green. A green Badgley Mischka Mikado satin bow midi-dress that she was supposed to wear to a gala she was attending in Montreal with Henry in two weeks. But now, she’d be going to the gala solo. Now, Henry was dead.Henry had always told her green brought out her green eyes. “Green like the Bra...

86 likes 45 comments 45
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Admit One for Love

Submitted to Contest #162

“One cotton candy, two popcorns, and a lemonade,” the mother perching behind the stand hollered towards Christie. Two toddlers were tugging on her pant legs, causing the mother to lose her balance, as she knocked the metal container of straws over. “You said one or two popcorns?” Christie shouted back as she reached over and lifted the container upright, shoving the paper straws back in. It was too hard to hear her customers over the music. Her stand was located right across from the balloon dart game. Earl, the guy who ran it, had a ...

58 likes 25 comments 25
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The Influencer

Submitted to Contest #161

Monday EveningMorning Weight: 112 lbs.Evening Weight: 114.8 lbs.Calories Ingested: 1,010Instagram Followers: 86,943“Just one more,” Virginia ordered.She’d spent the day at her aunt’s pool across town posing in a string bikini while her ten-year-old sister, Andy, petulantly took photos of her. “One more of me on the flamingo float,” she’d instructed Andy as she directed for her minion to grab the raft in the middle of the pool and push it towards her.“Come on, we already took a million of you on that stupid thing,” Andy had complained, s...

58 likes 33 comments 33
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The Great Equality Act

Submitted to Contest #159

Astrid buckled her seatbelt and turned on her seat warmers. “Ahhh,” she sighed as she waited for her toosh to unthaw from the frigid air outside. She clicked on the AM radio station, her morning ritual, and backed out of the driveway towards her, now regular, route to work. “We want our lives back,” a lady on the radio announced, “Ever since The Great Equality Act was put into effect last year, those of us hard-working individuals who actually paid for our college and worked hard to earn our big money, are the ones who are losing out. It...

57 likes 16 comments 16
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Love Letters from Lexington Prison

Shortlisted for Contest #158 ⭐️

April 2, 2022Dearest Lou,I miss you so very much. Seeing you on Saturday only made me love you more. Did you get the $300 I put into your account before I left? To think that you are locked in that teeny tiny cell all alone keeps me up all night. My only solace is knowing I can visit you every weekend, even if it takes me 8 hours to drive to see you. I have enclosed the photo you requested of me and my daughter, Betsy. Have they accepted your request for a retrial? I know you are innocent of killing those girls. My Lou would never hurt anyon...

77 likes 62 comments 62
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A Good Night's Sleep

Submitted to Contest #157

Harvey was snoring louder than normal, so Gloria kicked his hairy leg aggressively under the covers. Without waking, he rolled from his back to his side, his big belly flopping on the mattress as if he were a seal basking in the sun. She noticed that his belly looked bigger than her sister’s had been when she was nine months pregnant. Feeling impish, Gloria poked her newly manicured finger into the flesh next to Harvey’s belly button, half-expecting a baby to kick back, but instead, the skin jiggled back down to its original position on the ...

54 likes 27 comments 27
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The Liar

Shortlisted for Contest #156 ⭐️

(Trigger: Death)“How you feelin’?” you ask as you adjust the pillows behind Astrid’s tiny five-year-old head. You try to reposition her frail body upright to help drain the excess secretions from her nose and throat. She grimaces. You force a smile.“I heard Santa is visiting today,” you say as you turn the almost-empty IV pump to hold, hang the new bag on the pole taking the stopper off, remove the tubing from the old bag and insert the tubing into the new bag.You see Astrid’s eyes light up. “He is?” she asks, her eyes lighting up with a hin...

110 likes 82 comments 82
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