Kathleen Shapona

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (9)

9 Stories

211 karma pts

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“The Bright Light” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #261

I’m grateful when I wake up without pain in the Autumn of my life. From the day we are born, we are aging, and though we never think what we see our elders go through will ever happen to us, surprise, it does. Like a brand new, perfectly running car that is fast and efficient, through time, certain parts start to break down. I am grateful that when something does break down, we live in an age of medical knowledge to cure and heal diseases that our forefathers and mothers did not have. We live longer and healthier than 100 years ago and take ...

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“The Land of the Elixir of Life” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #247

August 10, 1999 I’m starting a brand new journal today. I am committed to writing down as much as possible on our adventure to the Amazon. Jim and I arrived this morning around six am to the village of El Vergel, belonging to the Ticuna tribe. Our guides, Yuri and Bayo, were there to welcome us, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good their English was. The natives were busy with the day-to-day details of their lives, only glancing at us, some with curiosity and some greeting us with big, toothless smiles. We were not the first white peop...

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“Sarma” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #228

It seems like the spirit of Christmas has changed over the years, or is it me? People are cranky and rude, and gatherings are more challenging to organize. Family and friends have moved away to more affordable areas of the country, so getting together has become a hassle. Stretching oneself so thin that when you finally catch up with said family on Christmas, you are too tired and can barely keep your eyes open. I always wish the holidays would hurry by. Not when I was a kid; I lived for Christmas and wished it was Christmas every day. What ...

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“Extinct” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #220

Dark, ominous clouds were forming as Mya Grace hurried home from school. She was looking forward to researching her history class assignment on extinct animals. Still, she was frightened by the thunderbolt that struck 15 feet before her. She ran for cover to the nearest place she could find that was dry, an old rickety bridge.The rain came down in large drops, and little streams formed in front of her with leaves and sticks flowing by. Mya sat with her knees propped up towards her body against a post holding the bridge. She rested her arms o...

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“The Door” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #196

What if you could go back in time and make different choices? Would you do it? Change that perfect life you thought you would have but didn’t by the choices you did make? As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.Elle Mackenzie spent more time regretting the choices she made in her past than making new choices to change the path she set herself on. Always an excuse as to why she couldn’t. Her continuous mantra was, ‘If only I made a different choice and went to college.’ She was unhappy in her job as an office assistant and was told s...

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“Lost in the Forest” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #186

“What is that girl doing here?” “Shhh! She might hear you!” “Don’t shhh me! It is impossible for humans to hear or see us unless we want them to.” “Nothing is impossible, Edwina. This is the enchanted side of the forest that no human can find, and look, she’s walking in it.” “Hello? Is anyone here? My name is Maggie, and I’m lost…. hello?” “Maggie, what a lovely name. She’s a pretty little thing, and she looks familiar. If she’s lost, we need to help her find her way out of the forest, especially before dark. Let’s make ourselves k...

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“The Fog” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #154

The party was in full swing when I arrived. Most of the crowd were from my rowing club, catching up and swapping rowing stories. A few of us were standing in a small circle enjoying a glass of wine and chatting when Jonathan, our team captain, joined us. “Did you hear about Allison?” “No, what about her?” I inquired. “She took out one of the small wooden row boats two days ago and hasn’t returned. They sent a search party out but haven’t found her or the boat.” “That’s awful. What do you think happened?” “Who knows. No one has heard fro...

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“White Butterflies” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #112

Karma, what you put out to the world comes back to you and then some. Justice, always prevails and the bad guys get what they deserve, that was my belief. A sign of the times showed me humans becoming greedier, callous, selfish and uncaring. Gratitude for the simplest things were taken for granted, as if everything is owed to them. Human interaction being reduced to virtual living and communicating from one technological device to another. The gap between the haves and have-nots gets wider bringing out the worst in both. I kept holding on to...

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“The Man of Her Dreams” by Kathleen Shapona

Submitted to Contest #103

It was a cold gray San Franciscan night, rain was starting when Kat came upon the aftermath of a car accident on her walk home from work. She watched how the paramedics lifted one of the drivers with precise movements into the back of the ambulance. The sight of blood unhinged her and she swiftly made her way home. Removing her coat, she went straight to her bedroom, a migraine was coming on. She laid on her side trying desperately to get the images of the car scene out of her head. A meditation practice she learned was counting backward fr...

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Author bio

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