Laura Johnston

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2023

Stories (4)

4 Stories

63 karma pts

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“Ruminations in the Dark” by Laura Johnston

Submitted to Contest #224

I can’t sleep. I roll over in my bed, trying to find a comfortable position. It’s freezing in here. My legs become restless, so I climb out of bed as fast as my arthritic joints will let me, and limp into the hallway to turn up the heat. I flick the light switch, and nothing happens. The power is out, go figure. No wonder it’s so cold in here. I find my way into the dark living room and sit in my recliner, hastily covering myself with several blankets, and I slowly begin to warm up. I light the candle on my coffee table, and it allows just e...

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“Writer's Block” by Laura Johnston

Submitted to Contest #222

The blank page on her screen lights up her hands, her right pointer finger tapping impatiently on the keyboard. Her tired face reflects back as she stares at the blinking cursor, imagining it mocking her for having nothing to say. She can almost hear it ticking like a timer, counting down as the deadline approaches. Tick… tick… tick…. She has so many things piling up on her to-do list: answering emails, folding the laundry, putting the dishes away, picking up groceries, scheduling appointments. But still, she sits at her desk, tapping, typin...

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“The Bridge” by Laura Johnston

Submitted to Contest #221

We used to come here all the time. It’s where we fell in love, where we got engaged. This was our place, until it wasn’t. I step out of my car, immediately overcome by the powerful smell of the surrounding evergreen trees, their branches gently swaying in the breeze. The first rays of sun are warm on my skin as I cross the dirt parking lot, rocks crunching under my shoes. I pass the trailhead and walk along the densely wooded path in the cool morning mist, noticing dewdrops clinging to the delicate petals of a bright yellow flower. A hawk sc...

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“The Window” by Laura Johnston

Submitted to Contest #220

“Are you hungry?” I stir uncomfortably in my sleep, wondering why I am dreaming of you again. I will your voice to go away as my skin prickles with goosebumps. “Are you hungry?” You ask again, closer this time. I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face with my pillow as my limbs start to tremble. I thought I’d gotten away, that I had lost you forever. I thought I was free. As consciousness fights through my haze of deep sleep, I notice my pillow caressing my face. No, caressing isn’t the right word. It feels too stiff to caress. The starchy, ...

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Author bio

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