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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2024
Submitted to Contest #312
PUBLISHEDUNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALSFOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT__________________No. 25-9876__________________ ALYSSA INGALLSPlaintiff – Appellantv.COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, BOARD OF ELECTIONSDefendant – Appellee_________________Appeal from the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA at Norfolk._________________Argued July 18, 2025 Decided August 1, 2025_________________ Before JUDGE A, JUDGE B and JUDGE C, Circuit Judges. It is hereby noted that, in an unprecedented move, and due to the public nature of this case, th...
Submitted to Contest #306
DAY 1-MondayAnswer Machine: Hello. You have reached Marcie and Tom. We can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message after the beep, we will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a wonderful day! BEEEEP Me, leaving message: Hey, Mom. Just calling to say hi. I know you aren’t in right now, but figured I’d leave a message so you would know I called. By the way, I didn’t realize you still had Dad’s name on your voicemail recording. Has he been on the message this whole time? I know you miss him. Me, too. Well, I won’t chang...
Submitted to Contest #303
[TW-this story talks of abuse but in a fairy-tale way]THE EULOGYFunerals are supposed to be sad events. People attend these sorts of solemn ceremonies dressed in black, most likely with some crying. I was dressed accordingly for this service, but my inner soul was dancing for joy. Dancing! I did not feel an ounce of grief or sorrow for my step-mother’s passing. She was an evil witch.My husband, the Prince, agreed. But we knew the importance of keeping up appearances at this time. He was actually responsible for the evil woman’s death, and my...
Submitted to Contest #299
Sigmund was starting to stir from his long slumber. He moaned and rolled over, still groggy. Slowly, little slits in his eyes opened. At a glance, he didn’t recognize his surroundings, so he shook his head, begging the fog of sleep to dissipate.“Hmmm. Where am I?” he said aloud. His voice seemed to reverberate in the large room, sounding louder than he meant to speak and almost otherworldly.Better keep quiet in case whoever brought me here isn’t friendly, he thought.He stretched and sat up to get a better look, rubbing the remnants of sleep ...
Submitted to Contest #297
[TW-this story discusses psychological manipulation by a trusted source] The Amazing Dr. M Dr. Mieczyslawski, or Dr. M. as he was generally called, was deep in his own thoughts when he bumped into Nurse Bailey as he rounded a corner on the hospital floor. He was early for his shift, but had wanted to stop in and see how Angelinamarie Carter was doing before he had office hours. Technically, she wasn’t his patient anymore. But he still made time to check up on her progress. When she was first admitted, there was nary a day that went by that...
Submitted to Contest #293
[TW-This story discusses death] Evelyn put her hand to her face in an effort to wipe her brow. It slipped to the side of her head, not achieving its goal. Her gray curls, tinged with sweat, clung to her forehead. Disheveled and on the verge of tears, she had seen her children staring at her, before they had to leave. She hadn’t wanted them to go, but Dr. Marshall had ushered them out of the room. It was what it was. No longer able to speak, she had no control over anything that was happening. Michael would be here s...
Submitted to Contest #291
February 14th – Valentine’s Day. It had started off like any other day. I went to work, and listened to everyone else talk about their plans for the evening. Sarah would only allow her boyfriend take her to a five-star restaurant, or else she was going to dump him. George planned an extravagant proposal to his girlfriend of three weeks in some upscale Mexican restaurant. He had already hired a mariachi band and singer. Susan and her husband decided to forego dinner for a weekend trip down south, where she said t...
Submitted to Contest #285
I found the ticket stub as I was cleaning out the junk drawer in my nightstand. The words, “Jones Beach Theater” were faded, but still readable on the back of the yellowed stub. A smile crept across my face.“Well, how long have you been hiding here?” I said aloud. My mind drifted to an earlier time in my life, when I lived in New York. “The Jones Beach Theater…”Jones Beach is a barrier island off the coast of Long Island, near where I grew up. When I was young, the outdoor marine theater used to have summer shows - mostly musicals....
Submitted to Contest #277
(This story makes reference to abuse)Once upon a time there lived a poor widow and her son Jack.Well, that’s the way this timeless story has always begun. I’m here to set the record straight. You see, I’m Jack. My story has been told and re-told, incorrectly, since the early 1700’s. And yes, in fairytale land, you can live to be hundreds, even thousands of years old. So forget what you think you know about me and the beanstalk. Start with a blank slate. And let the truth be told. It’s time. Finally.First off, she was...
Submitted to Contest #275
Sitting in the waiting room was nothing like I expected. Then again, I’m not sure what I had imagined. I had never experienced anything like this before. The room was bright, and the seating was comfortable, but it was stark. No pictures, no reading material, not even a clock. The sign over the entry door was marked “Waiting Room.” There was no reception area. The only other door was at the far end of the room. That door had a sign saying, “No Entry.” There was one more sign over the large mirror, and it d...
Submitted to Contest #270
Arianna awoke about an hour before the alarm clock at her bedside had a chance to wail. She shut it off, no longer needing the buzzer. The dread that engulfed her the previous evening almost choked her now. She swallowed hard, and climbed out of bed. Moving robotically, she showered and dressed before heading down to the kitchen.It was impossible to avoid – the cause of all her angst. Still sitting on the table, the envelope addressed to her was disfigured with the words “FINAL NOTICE” in large red letters. She had i...
Submitted to Contest #267
It’s funny, how life works with all its twists and turns, Lynn thought, sadly. I had so much more planned for us. Lynn gazed at her husband peacefully sleeping in the chair by her hospital bed and smiled. She knew he hadn’t slept much this last week, since her return to the hospital. He was there for her, as he had been these last three years. It had been rough, and she had fought valiantly with him by her side. Each time, after returning home, he had supported her, only to get punched in the gut in the months following....
Submitted to Contest #265
This story references a kidnapping (of a sort).I was happy. Really. Life was good. In the age of innocence, I never had to worry about my next meal, or a roof over my head. I was carefree, spending my days enjoying what life had to offer, educating myself about the world around me, and having fun playing with my brothers and sisters.As I recall, my house was warm and cozy back then. I thought it was a safe place, never imagining any danger could infiltrate my sanctuary. Fear didn’t exist within those four walls. My siblin...
Submitted to Contest #261
Nurse Gladys wheeled the cantankerous nonagenarian into the dining room of the Sunrise Assisted Living Center. She navigated through the maze of tables until she found a table with some residents that she thought wouldn’t mind sharing the table with him. Positioning his wheelchair in a one of the two spots left, she greeted the two ladies already seated there.“Good evening, ladies. How would you like some company for dinner?”“That’s fine, Gladys. Arthur is welcome to join us,” said the one named Ethyl. Miriam nodded in ag...
Submitted to Contest #259
I wasn’t thinking straight, but I didn’t much care. I had been up all night and was beyond exhausted. My body craved for sleep as I boarded the early morning train. As much as my body yearned - no, ached - for slumber, I dared not give in to it. For then, yesterday would come back to haunt me. That was a nightmare I wasn’t willing to have, at least not yet. My muscles, my joints screamed at me, begging me to utilize one of the vacant seats. But I stood. Every bump on the train stabbed me in the back. Every ...
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