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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2022
Mom, unfortunately, knew she had to teach me all I would need quickly before her end. So, she taught me to read, cook, sew, and keep a house by ten. Mom passed about a month after my eleventh birthday a few years ago. My father and I had a wonderful life, but he was lonely. He was convinced I still needed a mother figure. So, he and the widow Monroe married after...
So, what’s the catch? No catch, I swear—famous last words before being embarrassed by a supposed friend. Children are meanest in the fourth grade, I think. To be the butt of the jokes, you are always last to get it. Suppose you are eleven, 5’6’’, and a female who transferred midyear to a school for typically normal kids. Most sixth graders are only just reaching ...
The Shoe Queen
Tired of This Hey, Houston, come here…look! M*@T%^*F++K Damnit… Houston, we have a problem! Look, someone is doing it again right now. How the heck are they getting in? They are being bold as hell this time. A remote predator hacked me, and they attempted to steal $500 through a fraudulent payment. They tried to create a payment from my Pay...
The Twins Born on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini, five minutes apart and as opposite as night and day. Sandra was light-skinned, had blonde hair, a quiet smiler, and blue eyes; unlike usual black children, Sally was chestnut, chubby, and a crier with black curly locks. If I had not been one of the nurses assisting in the delivery room, I wou...
Here I sit, awaiting arraignment for something I would never do, could never do, but it happened; she disappeared. The she I’m talking about is Terry, my flaky, unreliable roommate and science lab partner. She’s one of those people who don’t have to study, and I can’t stand her. She acts like her hippie parents. Nothing phases her. She has no sense of space; everything is cool and groovy, or don’t have a cowman. I did threaten to make her disappear from the world once when she p...
Stop, don’t say another word. Let’s go for a walk. You know how she gets when you don’t think before responding; a war of words with a writer is an unarmed battle. She knows you wrecked the car. The garage can’t make any repairs without the insurance information. I told her what had happened. What will you two do when I return to school in a week? You know the cops will arrest someone the next ...
A Millionaire’s Lottery Guide Games of chance can make or break you. One roll of the dice can be boxcars or snake eyes. I put so much belief into a lucky charm that I carried it everywhere. It was a nickel minted on my birthday, June 5, 1966. I dreamt I needed to go on the casino trip I had wanted to do for years but would not splurge for. Everyone dreams; some scare us, some make you chuckle, and unfortunately, we don’t remember 85% of our dreams. Of the 15%...
Not Again My teacher used to say,” if you can see it, you can achieve it.” The same thing happened every year, I wrote down the resolutions by Christmas day, and by Valentine’s day, I had broken all the important ones. Not this year; I’m determined to make a vision board…they say they work. Posting one up in my office at work and one on the refrigerator here at home. This way, others can keep me accountable. So, I can return to my high school weight by our fo...
Dear Robin,I don’t know who challenges me more, my daughter or our boss. The subject is the holidays. I wouldn’t say I like Christmas. The boss could not have been vaguer about what he wanted me to do: Research Christmas!Christmas has been overdone…it’s been commercialized. What can I say to sell more crap faster?Oh well, pick your poison! I researched every holiday, greeting, and even St. Nick…. I hope you can create s...
It Robs When I decided on medicine some seven decades ago, I didn’t think I would become one of my subjects, patients, or a victim of this dreaded fate. Let me explain quickly before I forget what I want to say. When I received money for my birthday, Christmas, or an “A” on my report card, I’d buy the latest N...
I am Spinach He thinks he had a choice in my living with him and his mom, and I will leave it at that. I saw him walk into the SPCA that Saturday back in 2020. I could feel the need, the want, and the fun yet to be had. The last person I chose didn’t want my abilities; I’m a calming force. I’m cute, small in stature, and cuddly. I remind him...
From seeds of the Great Oak With every grade advancement, my daughter’s homework challenges me as much as her. Now in Science class, they are learning about plants; we will research the oak tree for her project. Wow, in Virginia alone grows, 139 variations. The oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. There are ap...
Elf #1 ReportingEverything has changed since the Abacus, the first calculation instrument we used in this workshop. I realized how slow and unreliable it was. It evolved into the hand-held calculator and the modern-day computer. I know many think IBM built the first computer but here is how it happened; please keep this quiet.We elves invented the device that you all call the BlackBerry in 1790. It made it much easier to record...
My Soapbox How much is a life worth? I once pouted for three weeks after my grandmother accidentally sent a blank birthday card. She promised to bring double when she visited in a month for the fourth. She was not my favorite person until I got all twenty dollars counted out in my hand. My feelings about things have changed from childhood to now. If someone had asked the 10-year-old me this question, I might have said $10, my allowance and birthday ransom amo...
A fledgling writer looking to be a swan.
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