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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2024
Submitted to Contest #267
Cal plunked down on one of the many plastic chairs in the employee cafeteria, setting his cellophane wrapped hamburger, fries, and can of soda carefully in front of him. Eating lunch was the highlight of his day. Lunch was a mere thirty minutes long, but it was thirty minutes to himself, with no demands and cranky customers calling him. Be careful what you wish for, he thought wearily. A few scant months ago, he would have done anything, paid any price, to lead such a boring, humdrum life. At that time, he was at death’s door, finding himsel...
Submitted to Contest #264
Rhett Butler had received a message from Belle Watling. It came to him through a young errand boy, a thin freed boy of mixed race who was paid to sweep up and empty ashtrays at Belle’s house of ill repute. The boy stood outside the study at Rhett and Scarlett’s house and threw pebbles at the etched glass window panes. When at last Rhett opened the heavy windows, threw up the sash, and looked outside, the boy darted over and dropped in Rhett’s hand a note written on Belle’s distinctive stationery, the embossed B and W at the top of the t...
Submitted to Contest #262
“Hear ye! Hear ye! Your attention please!” The official kingdom crier stood at the front of the room, dressed from head to toe in the palace’s royal colors of purple and yellow. All eyes were upon him. No one spoke or moved. Everyone was simply too hot to do much of anything. The large gathering hall, used for meetings with dignitaries and the kingdom’s royal subjects, was particularly stifling. Although it had a high, vaulted ceiling, the room was airless due to thick gray stone walls that heated up like an oven. Moreover, the room’s n...
Submitted to Contest #261
I met my boyfriend in prison. Shocking, right? Who would want to date someone who was in the big house? Well, it’s okay. You see, I was in prison too. What did I do, you ask? And what did he do? What crimes did we commit?The answer is simple. None. We worked there. I am writing today, from first hand experience, to say that anyone who works in a prison for a prolonged period of time is an unsung hero. Prisons are dangerous, depressing places. I couldn’t hack it, so I escaped after five years. Yes, I flew the coop. I freed myself af...
Submitted to Contest #259
The restaurant El Centro was now in a new neighborhood. It was no longer, as its name implied, centrally located. The events of the past horrific year had forced it to relocate to a new building on the far southwest side of town. It was now in a cramped storefront that had previously housed a Hungry Head sandwich shop. Business, at first, had been slow, but was now slowly picking up. Every Tuesday morning around ten o’clock, a large group of elderly women took over two large tables, pushed together. There were usually about ten people i...
Submitted to Contest #258
Carol opened the shoebox of old photos, most of them black and white. She felt like she was taking a trip down memory lane, seeing the photos of her family over the years. Growing up in a family of nine children, there weren’t as many photos as one might think. Her parents were not sentimental people. Still, by virtue of having nine children and countless relatives, there were nonetheless a fair amount of pictures.The first picture she glanced at was a hallmark 1970s shot. Her second oldest brother, Bill, had long hair and tight athletic sho...
Submitted to Contest #257
Wisconsin 1861It was several months before Grace received her first letter from Joseph. She knew that it was hard for letters to get through, however. It was one of the many problems of war. She was ashamed to admit that she didn’t know if she had forgiven him for enlisting in the Union Army. While they both agreed that slavery was inherently wrong, it seemed like it happened so far away that it didn’t affect her or anyone she knew. Still, she knew Joseph was a moral, upright man and in good conscience, he couldn’t allow the South to secede ...
Submitted to Contest #256
You cry to me on the phone,Everything’s gone wrong.He’s hurt you,Broken up with you.And you still don’t understand why.You experience the worst painYou’ve ever felt,A stabbing knifeStraight to your still beating heart.No one will ever love you again.No one will ever be as good to youAs he was,But no longer is.What if you never find such aGreat love,Ever again.What then?How did this happen?It’s a mystery and nightmare,Wrapped in oneThrobbing ball of pain.You miss him.He was not only your true love,But alsoYour best friend.What are you going t...
Submitted to Contest #254
George looked out over the ocean. As far as he could see, there was nothing but deep gray sea, teeming and rolling under equally gray, cloud filled skies. He felt his spirits plummet. He had hoped to see faraway, distant shores, some sort of mark on the horizon. The mark of Terra Firma. Mother Earth, land. It wasn’t to be. At least not yet. He didn’t know exactly when that momentous occasion would occur. The moment when one of the sailors on board would yell triumphantly “Land, ho!”George had almost forgotten what day it was and how long he ...
Submitted to Contest #253
It was amazing how easily a biker could transform into a businessman with so little effort. All it took was a haircut, clean shave, and a brand new set of fancy clothes. In Cal’s opinion, whoever said that clothes didn’t make the man didn’t know what he was talking about. Cal was now a new man, a suit wearing man, whereas previously, he had worn heavy boots and black leather. Thanks to his fashion makeover and new identity issued by the FBI through the witness protection program, no one would ever trace Cal now. He was safe, if not free. His...
Submitted to Contest #252
“You really want to go undercover at Stay Out?” the sergeant asked him. “You know there was a shooting there last year, right?”“I know,” Detective Ziccarelli, or Zic as everyone called him, said. “But our snitch told us there’s a regular dealer who comes in there almost everyday and sells to the customers. I really want to make my first drug bust.” “Well, be careful what you wish for. It’s a dangerous place,” the sergeant said. “Thanks Sarge,” Zic said. “I’ll do my best to stay safe.”Following that conversation, Zic was ecstatic. H...
Submitted to Contest #250
“My dad said that Blue is going to cross the rainbow bridge tomorrow. They’re taking him to the vet for the procedure. ” Jack heard his dad say.Jack knew that when his Dad talked about his dad, he meant Grandpa. Grandpa was his dad’s dad. Blue was Grandpa’s dog. He wondered why his Dad was talking to his mom about Blue. And what was the Rainbow Bridge? Was the bridge at the vet’s office?“Oh no,” his mom sighed. “That’s so hard. So very sad. How are we going to tell Jack?”Jack's face grew warm as he heard his name. He didn’t want his parents ...
Submitted to Contest #248
“Did you ever see the movie ‘First wives club’?” Tiny asked the other two guys seated next to him.Everyone in prison had a nickname. Tiny was so named because of his size. He stood a hulking six and a half feet tall and looked like he could play linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. He and the others were sitting in the day room, shooting the breeze. There was a lot of time to kill when one was in the joint doing time. The day room was surprisingly empty save for their little group. Most of the other inmates had gone back to their cells afte...
Submitted to Contest #247
The photo showed my mom and dad along with their best friends standing in the basket of an air balloon, smiling and looking excitedly towards takeoff for what was sure to be a grand adventure. Looking at that picture, I couldn’t help but smile. I am sure that picture brought back many fond memories for my mother. Could anything be better than sharing such an experience with her beloved husband and their lifelong friends? It was one of the many trips they had taken together over the years. This photo had been featured in a montage of rev...
Submitted to Contest #246
It was the day before the Homecoming football game. All week long, momentum had been building towards the big day. In a small town like Cedar Grove, things like Homecoming held great sway. The whole town participated. Earlier in the week, perky high school students decorated the windows of the storefronts facing Main Street. They used a special kind of frosted paint to paint the glass in bright colors. We’re #1! Go team go! Beat the Raiders! The students fervently hoped their strident messages would bring about victory. Whatever the game’s o...
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