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Lily Finch

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

Stories (97)
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185 Followers
118 Following

97 Stories

3561 karma pts

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The Wicked Match in the Powder Barrel

Submitted to Contest #277

In a town in a small, rural area in Ontario, a family with a long line of troublemaking taunted and aggravated everyone and anyone they wanted so much that the residents hated them enough to conquer the wicked with wickedness but justified it. "You'll never beat those som'bitches. Whatev'r you got they want, they take it and beat you for having it first," Harley Langford said to the rest of the fellas at the coffee shop.  "They need to be dealt with, and nobody needs to discuss how or why, do they?" Charlie Swanson said.  "I do...

20 likes 4 comments 4
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The Lifechanger

Submitted to Contest #276

It was a freak event that I couldn’t fathom when it occurred as being much of anything, but somehow, it turned out to be a big deal in more ways than one.  After an accident that left me with a traumatic brain injury, my therapist thought that I should try to get onto some writing sites and start writing. I reluctantly agreed since my last encounter with writing was at university, and I had a few papers published while working with professors.  But it had been even longer since I wrote a short story that involved good writing and a...

21 likes 13 comments 13
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THE CUL DE SAC SECRETS

[Death and grotesque subject matter—not explicit] "Mom, where is Black Cat?" "Tracy, I’m not sure. I believe your father let her out, and I haven’t heard her scratching to come back in, now that I think about it." "I will head out to search for her. She cannot remain outside all night, especially with coyotes lurking nearby; the poor thing would be an easy target." "Alright, grab a flashlight and follow the trail. She enjoys that spot in the backyard by the trail." "Sure, sure." "Black Cat, Black Cat, here, Black Cat, where are you?" Black C...

2 likes 2 comments 2
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THE HARSH REALITIES OF NATURE

[Animal fighting and death of animals].Janet frequently hiked through the woods, yet she had never dared to venture out so late in the year without a gun or bear spray. Now entirely hers, her family cabin nestled deep in the Cascade Mountains. She often spotted various wildlife creatures wandering through her front yard. She stood out as one of the few individuals with the Fraser River flowing through her backyard. She cast her line beside the grizzlies each year, sharing the river without a hint of trouble.Janet vividly remembered the first...

4 likes 4 comments 4
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VIBRANCE IN THE DEADENED VOID

Submitted to Contest #274

The air thickened with haunting sounds—a relentless chorus of moaning and mewling unsettled the senses. High-pitched moans pierced the air, reverberating with an unnerved intensity, sending shivers through the screamer's body. Their fear radiated, overshadowing the listeners' apprehension around them. Yet, this was a unique terrain she discovered herself traversing. Despite Sarah's efforts to block out the jarring sounds in her ears and cloud her mind, the noise continued to surge, relentless and menacing. Sarah felt the familiar sensation ...

18 likes 4 comments 4
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Charlie’s Tooth, established in 1902

Submitted to Contest #274

[Deals with a very simplistic view of First Nation's people using the term "Indian" but not in a derogatory manner but as the term was used in historical reference.] "Come on, Mr. Charlie Craig. The last of your teeth will be pulled tomorrow at Dr. Scootman's office. How are you feeling okay about it?" Charlie's nurse, Rachel, said. "What? Tomorrow? What do you mean? Dr. Scootman hasn't had to pull a tooth from me in years. I was a child the last time that happened to me, and I'll tell you, I didn't know the likes of you then." "Oh, so y...

17 likes 18 comments 18
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A Grandad's Letters to his Grandson

Submitted to Contest #273

Dearest Grandson, George In the annals of time, there shall come a day when men reflect upon the shadows of the past and declare that I, the harbinger of dread, ushered forth the most notorious fiend of the Twentieth Century, a spectre who eluded justice with chilling ease. Your grandfather, a figure shrouded in darkness, prowled the streets in the year of our Lord 1888. Slaughter was never the aim I envisioned for my existence. Indeed not. From a young age, the desire to wield the scalpel and delve into the mysteries of the human form cons...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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Treasure Trove

Submitted to Contest #272

There's the bastard now. He's such an asshole I just want to grab him by the throat and strangle him. "Hello, Fred. Why don't you sit next to me? I'd like that." I smiled a phony one and moved my chair to accommodate another beside mine. "Thank you, Josh. I don't mind if I do." The pathetic shit took me up on my offer and plunked himself down in a chair smack dab shoulder to shoulder with me. "Fred, what's new?" "You wouldn't believe it if I told you. But if I do. You must promise me you won't speak it to anyone else." "Sure, Fred, I swea...

25 likes 2 comments 2
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The Insatiable Dangers of Curiosity

Submitted to Contest #271

[As printed initially in TheWriteLaunch, July 6th, 2024] The roofline caught Wade's attention, prompting him to carefully navigate the surrounding woods in search of an entrance to an unfamiliar and narrow trail. He cautiously approached the porch, carefully considering his next course of action, and surveyed his surroundings with anxiety and vigilance. As he made up his mind and attempted to leave, a sudden gust of wind forcefully pulled him into the house. With a resounding slam, the door forcefully closed, ushering Wade into the elegant f...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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A NIGHT AT THE IMPROV

Submitted to Contest #271

Automatic One Cent Vaudeville in Crystal Hall theatre beat all for miles around, and the residents of Oakville would say the same. Townspeople filled the hall nightly to see various shows; each offered unique entertainment for seekers of something engaging after dinner. It made for a lovely formal evening out on the town. Longtime friends from high school, Martha and Jane, married around the same time in the same year and settled down with their out-of-town husbands in Oakville, a town not far from where they grew up. Their husbands wer...

24 likes 10 comments 10
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The Surefire Recipe

Submitted to Contest #270

The Surefire RecipeHer mother yelled at her, “Susanna! Why can’t you be a good little girl? You know your brother is such a good little boy always.” She shook her head and began wiping the milk from the floor. Susanna hid in her princess tent next to the television in the living room. She hated it when Mommy yelled at her, which was often lately. It was always because of what Charlie did, but it made it look like Susanna had done it by the time Mommy looked or noticed.“Mommy, what does it take to be a good little boy or girl?” Susanna asked ...

16 likes 4 comments 4
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The Wizard Finds Love

Submitted to Contest #270

The story is about racial intolerance. In particular, the death of a man. Because of the colour of his skin, his occupation, and the ignorance of the cowardly men who show their true colours with their hatred. They hid their cowardice and dressed in white robes and hoods to carry out their actions of hatred. It is also about the abuse of power by those elected into government office, mayor, and police since they were instrumental in turning a blind eye to the attacks perpetrated by the KKK.**Please read to the very end.Troy Sampson, a negro ...

12 likes 5 comments 5
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Death Changed Everything for Bill Brown

Submitted to Contest #269

[Story deals with issues of death. Death of a child] They were a close-knit community living on the shores of Lake Erie. With 2500 residents, it was reasonable to assume that everyone knew everyone who lived nearby or that someone else knew someone who lived nearby.  It was like a never-ending plague. Every day, everyone followed the same routine. This town is the last place on the planet where time stood still. There was no death, no new life, and the city's timeless state remained. Stuck. That's what they were. There was no way to mov...

15 likes 4 comments 4
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Unconditional Love

Submitted to Contest #267

This story deals with death. It explores the difficult decision of parenting in the face of an adult child's independence to choose death. [Not the parents's choice.]Stefanie gazed wantingly at the pond and the steam fog coming off it, as her parents rarely let her outside without them---the mist as the water evaporated as it hit the cool morning air---even to the backyard to look at the pond.Stefanie awoke hours before her family to experience the pond's wonder alone. Her parents had liked to sleep in since they retired, and Stefanie liked ...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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Relationships Mean Differences Not Intolerances (X and Y; Y and X)

Submitted to Contest #265

[ALLUSIONS TO SEX]X and Y; Y and X"What will we do with all these balls you have here?" Your hardball, footballs, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, squash, and tennis," Sarah innocently asked of Herman, her soon-to-be husband, the very first day they moved in together during her second year of medical school."Balls are overrated.""What do you mean? Of course, they aren't," Herman said."They most certainly are. You know as well as I do that they are useless in the grand scheme.""Sarah, you need balls to play well; I'm telling you, I need th...

10 likes 8 comments 8
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