Kathleen Fine

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2021

Stories (38)

38 Stories

2718 karma pts

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“The Ex” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ 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...

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“Hunting with Hyenas” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“The Belly of the Fish” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“The Siblings’ God Forgot to Give Us” by Kathleen Fine

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 ...

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“The Coin Flip” by Kathleen Fine

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 ...

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“Bernard (The Saint’s) 2023 New Year's Resolutions” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“The Hummingbird” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“Admit One for Love” by Kathleen Fine

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 ...

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“The Influencer” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“The Great Equality Act” by Kathleen Fine

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...

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“Love Letters from Lexington Prison” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ 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...

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“A Good Night's Sleep” by Kathleen Fine

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 ...

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“The Liar” by Kathleen Fine

⭐️ 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...

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“Percy Alexander’s Eighty-Third Birthday” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #155

Percy Alexander awoke on his eighty-third birthday and looked at the time on his bedside clock: 5:55 am. A good sign. A particularly good sign. He reached behind him and felt the sheets. Dry. Another good sign. Lately, he’d had more night accidents than he cared to admit. But today was his birthday. And although he didn’t have the best history of luck on his past eighty-two birthdays, (a heart attack on his sixtieth birthday, his sister’s death on his fifty-second birthday, getting fired from his job on his forty-ninth birthday) he was deter...

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“A Mother's Future” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #152

Nicola scurries down Cedar Street, glancing behind her to ensure she’s alone. If word gets back to anyone where she’s headed, especially to her Catholic mother, she’ll never hear the end of it.“Six months along after years of trying. Can you believe it?” the pregnant woman at the coffee shop had exclaimed to her friend earlier that morning. Nicola’s ears had perked up as she finished her Monday crossword puzzle and sipped the foam from the bottom of her matcha latte. She’d peered over at the expectant mother, trying not to judge her for drin...

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Author bio

My debut novel, Girl on Trial, published in October 2023 by Camcat Books, has recently won Gold at the IPPY Awards for Best Juvenile/YA Book. It has also garnered praise from reviewers like Forward Reviews and Kirkus Reviews, affirming its impact and resonance with young readers. Having received my Master’s in Reading Education from Towson University and my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park, I have dedicated much of my career to nurturing a love for reading and writing. I am a member of the Maryland Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and the Author’s Guild. My short stories have appeared in publications such as Litro Magazine, Pen in Hand, The Maryland Writer’s Association Anthology, and The Indignor Playhouse Anthology. Check out my website: https://www.kathleenfineauthor.com/ And follow me on Instagram! @kathleenfineauthor Email me at: Kathleenfineauthor@gmail.com

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

Contest #263

The Ex – read story

Contest #158

Love Letters from Lexington Prison – read story

Contest #156

The Liar – read story