Kay Smith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (6)

6 Stories

157 karma pts

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“The Recruiter” by Kay Smith

I grab the watering hose and give a low, whispered shout to my daughter to turnthe faucet on full blast. I hear water, burbling, and gurgling, wending its waytoward me, emitting the random expulsion of trapped air, and after a flex ofthe hose, water begins to spray from the attached nozzle. I take care tospray the grass around the fire pit area. I had already carefully poured dirtand sand onto the embers of that night’s campfire. I turn the nozzle on thehose to the “rain shower” setting and s...

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“Warming Up: A Christmas Story” by Kay Smith

TAP, smack, smack! TAP, smack, smack! TAP, smack, smack! I make my way from the bottom of the wide staircase to the living room. The room is dark except for the soft, orange hue from the dying embers in the fireplace. Taking my time, I carefully navigate across the thick, multi-color, braided rug on the floor. At the fireplace, I lean my cane against the hearth and grab the two of the remaining logs, and feed them, one after the other to the fireplace. I stoop to grab some old newspaper that I crumple ...

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“R.T., Where's Home?” by Kay Smith

"Mom?" I hiss.Its pitch black; this house that belongs to her friend, where we are apparently staying for awhile. Carefully, I thread my way between stacks of unpacked, various-sized boxes, haphazardly spread in looming towers throughout the completely alien bedroom I am sharing with my little brother. Miraculously, I make it to the doorway. It opens onto a short, squat hallway. I blindly reach to my right and feel a deep void that I remember being a bathroom as I scurry forward. Not wanting t...

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“Voluntary Hostage” by Kay Smith

**Warning: Possible Triggers! Explicit Language, Mental Health, and Some Violence** “I HOPE WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU GET DRUNK AS FUCK AND YOU BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF WITH A SHOTGUN, FUCKING BITCH!” The voice; screaming , spittle flying, from the backseat through plumes of thick cigarette smoke b...

5 comments 5 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Bonds that Bind” by Kay Smith

**** TRIGGER WARNING ****(Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Suicidal Ideation)*******I sit across the patio table from her. I watch her down beer and chain-smoke. She is bright pink toenails and make-up, smiling serenely out at something only she can see from behind immense sunglasses. She is as laid back and buzzed as a teenager on the cusp of their first real spring break. I sip some sugar-free, peach-infused iced tea concoction my mother made, ...

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“Hoe In The Garden” by Kay Smith

Imagine a meteorite hurtling blindly through space toward planet Earth, unintentionally about to wreak havoc upon it. Earth sits spinning serenely on its axis as the meteorite continues along its path, each oblivious to any discord one meeting the other might bring about. This scenario is not far removed from how events unraveled following my mother falling in love with and marrying a man who would have a lasting and deep impact on my life. At the time of my mother’s ...

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Author bio

Forty-five year old mother of three, grandmother of two, and happily married to my best friend. Bibliophile. I am a perpetual student, employed over the years in several fields, devoted to my family, lover of literature and theatre, autodidact struggling idealist who survived A LOT, including a near-fatal stroke in November of 2021. My biggest dream is to write something worth reading before I croak! My Grandchildren are my gorgeous, nutty, little muses! I love reading Liane Moriarty, EVERYTHING Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, and John Grisham. I was a big fan of George Carlin, and Anthony Bourdain adored anything, Robin Williams.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #209

Voluntary Hostage – read story