Lauren Ford

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2019

Stories (15)

15 Stories

301 karma pts

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“Firefly” by Lauren Ford

William pushed the contract towards the man sitting opposite him. “Time to sign your life away,” he thought. The clock loudly announced each second of silence. The young man’s eyebrows knitted together as he examined the words in front of him. “Oh we’ve got a live one,” thought William, as he watched the young man with amusement.  <...

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“Little Blue Book” by Lauren Ford

“I was a Blueprint Baby.” Norah tried hard to summon the anger she desperately wanted to feel as she sat opposite her parents on their luxurious leather couch. “Wasn’t I?” Norah’s father shifted uncomfortably in his chair and pushed his spectacles further up his nose. Norah’s mother fixed her with her usual icy glare. They had known this was coming for a while now but it had still caught them off guard. “Norah, you have to realise it’s because we wanted the best possible life fo...

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“The Bystander” by Lauren Ford

PRESENT “Why didn’t you do something?” The words were spat at him with a ferocity that only a 10 year old could muster. Behind the fire of fury blazing in his grandson’s eyes, Ed could see his own silhouette reflected in the emerald flames. He would forever be the shadow that marred his light. “Why grandpa?” Ed cast his eyes downwards and tried not to allow the shame to show itself. He focussed on breathing slowly as he always found that help...

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“Blue Eyes” by Lauren Ford

When I saw you again I nearly let my composure slip. Nearly.  I am a well-trained machine now and even you couldn’t break me. But you sure came close and that is something I will never forget. It wasn’t simply a rush of nostalgia or the shock of déjà vu.  It was the contrast of old meets new. You looked so different and yet just the same somehow and it was difficult for my brain to process how that could be so.  I shouldn’t be ...

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“Cupboard Critters” by Lauren Ford

“Uh,Earth to James, did you hear what I said?”I struggled to keep my face from showing what my body was desperate to reveal.It’s okay. Calm down. What are you so afraid of?I leant back from the coffee table and placed my hands firmly on my legs to keep both appendages from trembling.“James, you dork. I said did you want to see the video?”Max shifted his chair closer towards me.I hadn’t seen the guy in over two years but som...

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“Animal Hunt” by Lauren Ford

December 25th 2019 Dear diary, It’s Christmas today but Santa didn’t arrive.  Mummy gave you to me so that I could write down my sad thoughts.  She said that it helps.  I asked her if she had one to write in too and she just smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. I don’t know where she found you. Ben said she nicked you from another family who are staying in this horrible place too. I don’t think she did though. Mummy wo...

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“Peace Offering” by Lauren Ford

Mao inhaled the citrusy scent of the lush tea plantations of Hangzhou as the steam from the old teapot began to rise. He was reminded of the time his father had taken him there as a child of only eight years.  “You shall never need to work like them, son. Your hands will stay clean and your back will stay strong. But you must work to keep them there for as long as possible. Make sure they perform their duties. An inquisitive mind in a peasant is a great danger. Always remember that.”

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“The Wisdom of the Wild and Free” by Lauren Ford

Monday “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” The letter ‘n’ was obscured slightly by a dirt-caked fingernail. The sign was a typical one. Messy block letters in permanent marker emblazoned on a piece of cardboard that was once part of a box. Perhaps a box that this man had called home. The train screeched to a halt and I continued to watch the man with the sign. He stared straight ahead, his eyes unblinking, completely unfazed by the masses of people shooting irritated looks at him as they do...

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“Piano Man” by Lauren Ford

“Piano means quiet in musical terms, did you know that?” Maggie tells me. Her usual sparkling emerald eyes have dulled to a murky myrtle tone in the dimmer lighting of the bar we sit in. Good. Less temptation that way.“I didn’t know that,” I admit. How did I not know that?I made a mental note to fact check this before the story went to print.“So Maggie, uh, I guess we should start at the beginning. What’s your relationship to Ernest?”...

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“Myths and Legends” by Lauren Ford

“Mummy, where’s the music gone?” Carla tried to keep her voice calm and devoid of the nervous energy that was beginning to pulse through her body as she answered her son. “It will come back, sweetie. The bad storm just made it go away for a little while.” She pushed the large, round button on the car stereo to cease the static that was relentlessly roaring from the speakers. Carla peered out her driver’s seat window. The white cloud hanging above was getting thicker and the snow...

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“Winter Wonder” by Lauren Ford

I closed my eyes and breathed in. The air snaked its way into my lungs and made my chest constrict a little.  Behind my eyelids, I saw the spruce trees heavily dusted in snow and watched as the snowflakes fell with a soft crackle onto the silent, white landscape surrounding me.  Ma coughed beside me, abruptly bringing me out of my reverie. I resisted the urge to snap at her. No, she couldn’t help it. I wiped a hand across my forehead, it was colder than before. Ma shifted, presumably to relieve th...

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“New Era” by Lauren Ford

“Run.” Ira was struck for a moment at the bluntness of the way the word was communicated silently with just a quick movement of hands. Unnoticed or ignored by those in the crowd, but so plainly visible to her. The hands had raised from the old man’s sides and the fingers had pulled back like he was pulling the trigger on two pistols aimed at her head. Ira swallowed hard. Her father’s cold, blue eyes met briefly with her own as his hands returned to his sides. In those wizened eyes wer...

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“Click” by Lauren Ford

Click!  The sound of the lock was loud in the darkness. Clara could hear the others breathing heavily around her. The sticky heat of their breath against her skin made her uncomfortable. A sliver of golden light shone through in the top corner of the room. It only penetrated a few centimetres of darkness; the black shapes around her remained faceless, shifting and groaning. She gently lifted a foot to relieve some of the ache that had settled in the bones there. She had been standing for a long time now and h...

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“The Marble Collector” by Lauren Ford

The dust particles looked like tiny insects, whose wings were sparkling in the afternoon light filtering in through the window. The one that hadn’t been opened in more than thirty years. It would have been almost a beautiful sight had the room not been quite so suffocating.  Walt pushed the door further inwards and felt the dust already begin to irritate the sensitive hairs in his nose. His right hand reached out to the wall beside him, groping for the light switch. When his finge...

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“Beware the Ravens” by Lauren Ford

I still find myself flinching when I hear the sound. My head instinctively ducking. My forearms rising above my head. Goosebumps rising there like an army of tiny ants tearing through the flesh. The whoosh of wind is equivalent to a blow to the back of my knees and it takes a tremendous amount of willpower not to collapse and succumb to the fear.  You see, I am terrified of ravens. Of crows. Of blackbirds. Whatever it is you want to call them. I’ve had people laugh at my behaviour in crowded markets where I’ve mean...

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Author bio

Hi. I’m Lauren. I love writing stories that make your skin crawl or make you think! Hope you enjoy them.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #22
New Era – read story
Contest #18
The Marble Collector – read story