Ksenija Rubež

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2022

Stories (16)

16 Stories

326 karma pts

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“The purple talking thing” by Ksenija Rubež

The morning of the trip. As I brush my teeth, I feel those butterflies in my stomach. The bad ones.  My mother. Buttons up my shirt. Keeps looking me in the eyes. Smiles. Smile of support.  In the car, I look through the window. I try not to think of what is coming. My focus on the trees.  On the parking lot. A few meters away from us the bus. My mother. She talks to someone. She is so tall. Her shad...

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“The conspiracy ” by Ksenija Rubež

“We are falling apart since he died!”  “No! We started falling apart on the day when he started marrying foreign consorts! His wife had more power and influence than the grand vizier! (Persian: head of government)” “Well, that is one of the reasons!”  “No! THAT IS THE REASON! What did he think would happen? Before she died, she managed to get rid of ...

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“Đurađ's perfect day” by Ksenija Rubež

Rain. Around eight in the morning. It was a four-day work week, and now it was time for the three-day weekend. How can such a day go wrong? Universe, you have an impossible task ahead of yourself, Đurađ thought to himself with a smirk.  Rolling around in his bed lazily, he stuffed his head back into the pillow multiple times. Finally, the day had come when he had the opportunity to get up whenever and be ...

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“Prostration, astronomy, and a black cat” by Ksenija Rubež

The prostration (Arabic: sajdah or sujud) is thought to be the most important part of the Muslim prayer. According to the prophet Muhammad, one is nearest to God during prostration. The noblest parts of one’s body are touching the ground, signifying utmost submission and humility in front of God. For some, it is also the most therapeutic part of the entire prayer.  <...

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“Treason” by Ksenija Rubež

“He keeps gesturing at her, my lady”  “As if, his loud whispering is not enough. Is she responding in any way?”  “She is ignoring him. He will become desperate again” “What do you think he will do, Charlotte?”  “He might make a scene, my lady” “Your voice is unsure, Charlotte. What do you really think he will do?” “He will become drunk, then he will start blabbering nons...

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“Rivalry of the colors ” by Ksenija Rubež

He laughs out loud. Ha ha ha.  The main magazine of Purplelandia never failed to make him laugh. Articles, columns, or short stories written by talented writers of Purplelandia would find themselves in the mother of all magazines of this purple planet, named Landia. This was issue 8888. Purplelandia was known for its genius writing skills. Reading and writing were the most respected skills a citize...

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“Marwa and Sukayna ” by Ksenija Rubež

“How about we invest the money intended for Green Owl into building the architecture for our writing hub?” “No. We should use the space that we already have for a smaller scale presentation of our idea, and then if the investors like it, then we start investing more money” Sukayna – who was her only interlocutor in a meeting of twelve people – flipped the pen through her fingers, and gave a sarcastic smile to Marwa’s reply. Managing not to throw the pen right between her eyes, Suk...

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“Diana Princess of Themyscira, Clark Kent, and Batman” by Ksenija Rubež

Sunday. Afternoon. She was immersed in And Quiet Flows the Don. She did not mind the lengthy Russian classics, overwhelmed with the never-ending tragedy.  It was snowing outside. She had a coffee cup on her nightstand, which was already half empty. The thought of making more of it brought a smile to her face. The comfort of her pajamas, the softness of her bed, the — The alarm goes off. This sh...

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“Supertramp Cabin ” by Ksenija Rubež

Leaving the van, the headache would not stop. It all started this morning during his last running session in the city. He had to crouch, in order to try and regain his balance and clearness of sight. The pain was similar as if someone had put something around his head and was squeezing his skull to the inside.  The headaches were common since he quit drinking, among other things. They would just pop up anyt...

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“8, 4, 10, 2” by Ksenija Rubež

Entering this place, she realized it smelled of smoke.  For a country where smoking was frowned upon, and you could not find a public space, indoor or outdoor, to smoke at, this came as a shock. The smell was stained, it was that smell of a room that was smoked a lot in, but no one ever vented it. She spread her nostrils in disgust upon realizing, besides the stained smell, how filthy this place actually was. Chew...

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“French pastries, gymnastics, a cat, and cigarettes” by Ksenija Rubež

Opening the friend group chat, he sees a pinned video. He plays it.  The video shows him, and his friends – with whom he was about to celebrate New Year – all drunk making New Year’s resolutions. He starts cringing and remembers the pledge that they made last year. Fuck! He slams the table.  In the video, he says “So I will get a beautiful black cat, then, I will learn to do a headstand, I will lea...

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“Tum” by Ksenija Rubež

Tom yet again came in a costume.  Tom wore a suit printed with images of his cats, and this time it had one more cat than the previous year. Nothing about his behavior throughout the year would give away that he had any whiff of personality, but once that end-of-the-year party would arrive, he would roll up in some sort of cat-themed costume, or in this case, suit.  At least cats are ritually clean, if ...

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“She keeps typing” by Ksenija Rubež

Therefore, practice yoga, the art, and science of working without attachments. Only that can free you from the good and bad reactions. *** How does one recognize a person with a steady intellect and divine consciousness?  One is neither overjoyed nor agitated in happiness or suffering. Free from ...

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“The twisted verses” by Ksenija Rubež

The adhan had just ended when Azad went into hiding. From the roof he could see everything going on tens of meters below him. He loved heights, and he was good at reaching them.  They were yet again after him but by his own fault. He stole in order to pay off his debt. He used immoral means to pay back his immoral mistakes. It was an addicting circle of bad behavior.  To him, being a manual laborer did not ...

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“The heartless photographer” by Ksenija Rubež

Click, click, click. He continued taking photos of the lake, despite the strong wind, which at times made him squint. He was underdressed, which made the experience even more freezing, and he managed to click a few more times before going back into his house.  At least I took these pictures, he thinks to himself. He looks at his camera roll with a smile. As he looked through the window, the ho...

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Author bio

I like coffee. I like books. I like reading, and occasionally, writing. While here, you will come across stories that were written by someone who is still trying to figure out the mysterious craft of writing...