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KCW Foster

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2024

Stories (38)
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128 Followers
161 Following

38 Stories

735 karma pts

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Technomancer 28: Phone Call

11:30 pm. 11:35 pm. 11:45 pm. The tiny black numbers at the top right-hand corner of the screen changed with the passing minutes. Masa stared at the phone and yawned. Waiting. Hoping Leron might call her before she went to sleep. She touched the screen, tracing the photo they took before parting ways.The approach of midnight caused her to worry. Was he safe? Her mind began concocting great battles where he lay dying out in the field. She reminded herself he was still safe at the base. Military men often go for days without calling their fami...

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Technomancer 27: Loretta

The cicadas chirped, filling the evening air with their steady hum beneath the reddening sky. The long grass parted around Masa, brushing against her legs and belly as they made their way towards the shack where Loretta’s tent had once lain. The child within her moved, unsettled by her mix of excitement and nerves at seeing the woman she thought of as a mother once more. Behind her, her real mother’s footsteps sounded upon the mud along with hers. Those working in the fields paused their work to glance toward them. A few of the closer ones s...

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Technomancer 26: A Journey of Growth

August 20 2pm Masa stared at the empty fields of dry grass from her mother’s car. She played with her braid, resting her arm on the plastic ledge. The heat from the window beat down on her, causing her to break out in a sweat. Beneath them, the road rumbled along, and the car’s gentle vibrations had lulled the child within her to sleep. An hour of silence had passed. It had given her pause and the opportunity to think about the many things bothering her.At the forefront of her mind was standing before the Monterrey Group’s council. New peop...

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Technomancer 25: Captain’s Log

Submitted to Contest #306

Leron stared out at the waves, drifting across the crater that was once Houston. The wind blew, picking up the fine white sand along the shore and blowing it by him. What remained of the Houston skyline pierced the water at the centre of the lake. Parched and black, they almost appeared like sea monsters. The exposed beams twisted outwards in places like enormous arms. Leron played with sand between his fingers, letting the fine powder slide through. “You know, they say the tops of the buildings didn’t take all that much damage. The only rea...

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Technomancer 24: Willow

**Warning: Mentions of war. An unexpected Death. Mention of a character's past drug history.**“Load the trucks. Go! Go! Go!” Soldiers ran in every direction, travelling in their squads, forming long lines behind the remaining sage-covered army trucks. It had been that way for hours.Leron took off his jacket and threw it into the back of the last truck where he would be sitting. It was too hot for formalities. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned against the bumper. A pair of jets roared over, and his gaze drifted upward to see the...

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Technomancer 23: 1200 Hours

0930 HoursThe clock hovered above Leron in the darkness. His dreams of being in the Rio Grande with Masa and his daughter banished, and only Leron 2.0 stood before him, beneath the large white numbers. It had invaded his dreams, filled with questions about the previous day. Obliging the AI, Leron abandoned his dreams for the black space in his mind and now sat cross-legged on the glasslike floor.Input required. Define Wife.“Compatible supplemental program,” Leron responded, struggling not to laugh.Wife equals supplemental program. Supplement...

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Technomancer 22: Zippers

Tears drifted down Masa’s cheek and onto her belly, dampening her shirt and jeans. The bed beneath creaked while she shifted her weight, trying to force herself to get up. Beside her sat the duffel bag containing all her clothes. The baby clothes she had been making sat on top. She laughed bitterly. Who would have thought she would ever make such things? She reached for the zipper. Placing them in the bag felt final, like she was zipping away a part of her life. How could he defend her mother like that? She had said the unforgivable, and he ...

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Sheena Leads; Sheila Needs

Sheila gripped the handles of her crutches. Beneath her arms, the padded supports rubbed up against her skin, and her muscles ached from the strain. She stared down at the stump where once her healthy leg had resided. No more running or walking. She was doomed to live life without her right leg until it healed well enough for a prosthetic.At night, the phantom pains kept causing her to relive the accident. The wheel. The screech of the out-of-control vehicle in front of her, the smoke, and then the pain. Never-ending pain. She bit back the t...

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Technomancer 21: Mother in Law

Beneath the darkening sky, Leron walked alongside Masa through the parking lot of Alejandro’s Cabana. The hot air began to cool, and the grasshoppers bounded everywhere while cicadas filled the air with their hum. Leron glanced down and smiled. Her tiny hand felt like it belonged in his. He wished they could run away and leave it all behind them.“We need to tell them about the war,” Masa said; her hand tightening in his. “They have a right to know.”Leron couldn’t manage anything more than a nod. He swallowed back the nervousness and did his ...

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Technomancer 20: Reunion

Hundreds of eyes stared down at Leron from the seats in the dimly lit amphitheater. A sea of faces in beige uniforms, blending in with the walls behind them. Most struggled to stay awake in the heat, as the A/C system was out. A few propped their heads on their hands while others yawned. Leron knew he needed to move on to the more important information, or he would lose them. He finished explaining how they could use the chips in their brains to access and alter the programs within the drones, and changed the screen.“This here,” he said, poi...

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Technomancer 19: Tamales

Another page turned. Its crisp sound only served to remind Masa of the passage of time. The tightly bound words residing in two neat columns provided her no answers, and she wondered what great knowledge her father had once found within the bounds of the scriptures. She turned yet another page, feeling even more lost. A few verses brought her guidance; some gave her hope, but most were lost on her, especially those on forgiveness.Forgiveness was a concept she struggled with, particularly after seeing so much darkness in the world. So many go...

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Technomancer 18: 30 Minutes

***Mentions of surgery. Human Captivity. Mass murder.***30 minutes. 30 minutes and it will be over, Leron told himself while trying to calm his quickening breaths. His heart was racing so hard that he could feel the beats reverberating through his entire body. The thought that someone was about to put something in his brain terrified him.Beneath him, the cold metal bed caused him to shiver, and the thin blanket covering him did nothing to alleviate the chill. The wheels of the surgical gurney squeaked across the vinyl floor. A man in pale gr...

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Technomancer 17: The Truth behind the Disappearances

Masa gently pushed on the metal lid of the supply crate, hoping none of the soldiers were in the back of the truck. There had been no sound since she had hidden, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Peeking out, she breathed a sigh of relief. No soldiers. From the cab to her left came voices, muffled by the green canvas and the sound of the tarp cover, rustling loudly in the desert wind. A thick canvas sheet blocked them from her view.She turned to her right and glanced out the opening in the canvas at the back. Barren golden landscape p...

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Technomancer 16: Opportunity

Screw this, Masa thought, puking her guts into the toilet in her mother’s workshop. Carefully, she held her dark hair back as more came. When it was over, she wiped the corner of her mouth with an old rag, relieved the bathroom was far enough away that her mother would not hear.Picking up an empty bucket from the water barrel, she filled it and threw the water into the open toilet tank before flushing. The room smelled rank with stale piss, but at least the commode was only shared by three and not the mess which had frequented the Canteena i...

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Technomancer 15: The Plans of Mice and Men

Ms. Brents left the meeting and headed toward the factory door. She turned, shooting Leron a glare that made him want to crawl beneath the nearest pallet. He considered running away once his shift was over but decided against it. Before he could escape, he needed to wipe any trace of Masa or the Monterrey group from her files. They had to be protected. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, scratching at the roots of his dreads. Ms. Brents would beat him when he returned, or worse.Major Andrew sidled up next to him. “How on earth do you know ...

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