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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020
Submitted to Contest #110
I hit the break a bit too hard and the car lurched forward before and backward before coming to a stop. I rolled down my window to give the man an opportunity to approach. He kept his eyes down as he approached my car. Another hitchhiker I thought, this should be fun. “Thanks for stopping miss,” he said. “I’m headed to Westwood, the South Avenue area. Can you…?” “Sure,” I said. I unlocked the car. He swung his khaki colored backpack across the back se...
Submitted to Contest #81
Our first date took place in the rain. We hadn’t planned it that way, but when I arrived at the sculpture garden and saw him patiently waiting (I have a tendency to run late) in his rain jacket, I knew we had something special. We spent two hours walking around in the rain before our hunger, not our wet shoes, got the best of us. “I know a place,” he said. “I thought you’d never been here before?” I asked. “I haven’t been.” He shot me a coy look. “I did some research, I think you’ll like this place.”...
Submitted to Contest #79
I always figured I’d recognize my mother when I saw her, but I don't. The woman sitting across from me looks too well rested and exudes too much peacefulness to be the person who left me behind. I see none of myself in her face. I expected something different. Growing up, most of my friends at least had one parent. Oftentimes I’d hear the remarks our neighbors made to those friends - “Oh, you’re beautiful! Just like your mother.” or “You have your father’s height and your mother’s eyes.” No one spoke to me...
Submitted to Contest #78
“No.” I stared at my mother blankly. “You are not bringing that into this house.” She stood with her arms crossed at the top of the stairs. Her eyes reflected disappointment. My nerves became steel. I’d heard it before. ‘It’s just an instrument.” I moved my shoulder in order to adjust the position of the case. “I don’t see what the big deal is.” My mother’s arms dropped to her sides. She looked defeated. My face flushed with anger. Was I not a grown woman who...
Submitted to Contest #75
The spartan room seemed to shrink the longer I sat in the cheap, plastic seat. I shifted uncomfortably, a futile attempt to unstick my thighs from the slatted plastic. I made a mental note to adjust my skirt as soon as I stood up. I reminded myself training would be over soon. I would be able to design my own office - or at least choose where to meet with my clients. For some reason, the experience employee to whom I was assigned, Agent J., kept his room spartan. And sweltering. The balding ma...
Submitted to Contest #71
Almond extract, not vanilla. It was a simple swap my mother always used when baking cookies and one I came to enjoy. Typically, the difference is fairly small and the taste just a bit more unique. As a child, I learned the hard way that those extracts do not taste as good as they smell. Feeling intoxicated by the smell of vanilla and the excitement of the moment, I popped the teaspoon into my mouth without thought. My stomach seized up instantly and I doubled over. The teaspoon fell from my mouth and lef...
Submitted to Contest #69
I held my passport in my hands. Ever since I had gotten it back from the embassy I had trouble putting it down. Cara wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her chin on my shoulder. “Are you going to tell them?” I hesitated before answering her question. “I-I haven't decided yet.” I felt her sigh. She tightened her arms around me as we stood in silence, the words we weren't saying filling the empty space around us. It wasn't going to be easy, regardless of what I chose. I took my time packing up my Imp...
Submitted to Contest #65
I suppose this will be yet another situation where no one explains what to expect. I should have anticipated this. It would be one element consistent with life. There has been much literature centered on speculations of what the afterlife looks like. I never sought it out, but it is hard to avoid. So much of what is read in the mortal world contains their musings. Everything from the Bible, to Dante’s Inferno, to the Harry Potter series suggests what happens after we die. Death, after all, is...
Submitted to Contest #64
I have grown up in the interminable shadow of a tragedy. There have been many times when all of us have wished things could be different, but alas, it is not possible to change what has occurred by wishing. Many of the attempts to soften the blow of past events have fallen on cold shoulders and deaf ears. I suppose this is likely because many of the attempts have not panned out as planned. After all, there is a reason for the expression, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Before I was born, recess lig...
Submitted to Contest #60
To avoid the consequences of his actions, Daedalus escaped to the island of Crete. It was here he began working for King Minos. The king had a secret and Daedalus was tasked with helping contain it. Daedalus’s success brought him imprisonment. The King could not take the risk of this man and his family revealing his secret to the outside world, so Daedalus and his son Icarus became prisoners. Longing to escape, Daedalus devised a plan. He created two pairs of wings made of feathers and wax. One pair ...
Submitted to Contest #58
March 13 - Cecelia at the Cecil Hotel. It sounded so good in my mind when I made the reservation. Now, I’m not so sure. I came here to get away. I’m known for playing it safe and for being mildly superstitious. I figured no one would ever think to look for me here. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I have been here for seven days and six nights. Night seven is quickly approaching. At the best of times I’m slightly claustrophobic. Now, the walls seem nearly unbearable. I have...
Submitted to Contest #57
I had to be sure, so I asked one more time: “This is going to work, right?” Dr. Montague paused the last minute check and stared at me. We made eye contact, but her hazel eyes seemed lost in another dimension behind her crooked black spectacles. “Of course,” she said. “You are well aware of the risks and -” “Look, Lisa,” I interjected, “is this thing going to get me where I want to go or isn’t it?” “It’s Dr. Montague,” she replied in a clipped tone. “I don’t use my Christian name with the general populace....
Submitted to Contest #56
The sound of the key opening the lock roused her. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light. She heard Jim setting down his briefcase and slipping off his shoes. She considered getting up for a moment, but the thought of movement exhausted her. She closed her eyes against the bright lights as Jim flicked the switch in the nursery. She gave her eyes a few moments to adjust before making eye contact with him. “Emma’s asleep?” He asked, looking toward the crib against the wall...
Submitted to Contest #55
They have clipped my wings and I can no longer fly. I’m fading away. Much of the time the little strength I have leaves me and I retain only enough energy to lie here. If I am to survive I will need to move. This place is dangerous for me. The wrought-iron fence surrounding our expansive property has proven to be less for keeping others out and more for keeping me in. I am a bird in a cage. Like a pet. “Freyja,” my mother says from the doorway. I can hear the tinge of ...
Submitted to Contest #54
Falling terrified me. In my mind a warped reel played over and over featuring bloodied scrapes, broken bones, chipped teeth. I was afraid of the control I would need over the vehicle and the inevitable result if I lost control. There’s a reason why an enduring idiom is, “it’s like riding a bike!” It is a skill that returns to you quickly and one for which the basics become second nature once learned. I did not think I would ever be able to learn it. The bike was purchased especially for me. The handlebars sp...
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