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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021
Submitted to Contest #220
Nyssa strapped on her knapsack and pulled her best coat tight around her torso. She took one last look around at the cottage. Dim light filtered through the windows, highlighting dust, dampness, and the empty kitchen. On impulse, she reached back and grabbed her Stuffy and tucked him between her bag strap and chest. The age-worn wolf-dragon stuffed animal sagged against the pressure. There was nothing left for her here now. It was time to leave. She didn’t look back as she broke through the eastern forest line. West would take her to...
Submitted to Contest #219
It was spring. The air was crisp and warming. Flowers reached achingly to catch sunlight. Trailing the edge of the city, a brook gurgled merrily. Damon trudged along, kicking up loose stones and dirt, his back to the city. He glared at the glimmers of sunlight in the brook. There was no escaping the glare in a city of metal and jewels. Even nature worshiped it. He blew out a string of cold air until its moisture turned to ice. The particles gleamed tauntingly back at him. More light. More reflections. More sparkling, shimmering, glimmerin...
Submitted to Contest #155
I don’t know how I ended up here. But here I am on a Friday evening, sitting on a swing. I guess I needed somewhere to go. Somewhere to be alone. Or maybe it was just for the nostalgia of a place and time when things were simpler. The summer sky is finally starting to darken, blues fading into orange and pink. There’s still enough light that the playground’s jungle gym casts shadows onto the springy floors, but it’s fading fast enough that parents are calling for their children to take their last trip down the slide, the last min...
Submitted to Contest #135
Little Liv wasn’t sure if the thudding in her chest was her heart or an echo of the drums thudding downstairs. She covered her ears with her hands. She could still hear and feel the pounding. Her body quaked a little and there was that funny tightness building in her throat that meant her eyes would start leaking soon. She thought of taking her hands off from her ears long enough to hold the rails and go downstairs. It would be louder there, and scarier, but maybe she could tell Daddy that it was too noisy and the drums would stop altogethe...
Submitted to Contest #108
CW: mention of self harm and suicideThe jagged surface of the sea had darkened to near black. Only with her ship’s light could Scarlet make out the peaks of waves and the indentations of ripples. It was mesmerizing, the way that the ripples swayed back and forth until they crested into waves. She used to obsess over those tiny singular motions and how they mingled with others to become great tides.Cool wetness pricked at the outer corner of Scarlet’s eye. She brought her fingers to her cheek as it dripped down her chin. She almost thought sh...
Submitted to Contest #107
The sidewalk before me was busy enough to distract from the discomfort of the metal bench I sat on. So far, I had seen two incidents from over the top of my phone.When a girl in a pink coat cursed, I was alerted of a third incident. She had stumbled, dropping her cup of coffee in the process, and the expletive came out as involuntarily as a cough. She stepped into the liquid and right back out with the tiniest of splashes. Her white shoelaces still dragged through the puddle, soaking up the light brown. They had caused her trip--at least tha...
Submitted to Contest #96
Maybe it was time to admit that my father was right, had always been right, about me. I was a terrible judge of character. I was a doormat that let people waltz in and out of my life, trampling me in the process. Yet I still welcomed their presence, making excuses for them even as they wiped crap all over me. I was lucky that none of them cared enough to stay. We all knew I couldn’t let go. I sighed and sank deeper into my seat, the rough upholstery chafing against my skin. I spooned another mouthful of ice cream into my mouth, welcoming ...
Submitted to Contest #94
Tara watched as the silver commuter car rounded the corner. If it were her in the driver’s seat, easing to a stop by the curb, her mom wouldn’t have had to come for her. If she could even just be a passenger in a friend’s car, none of this would have happened. “You going to be okay?” Tara shrugged. “Thanks for bringing me here and letting me stay,” she told her friend. She stood, already prepared for the argument on the car ride home. Her friend smiled sympathetically and left her with a pat on the shoulder. Tara didn’t say a wor...
Submitted to Contest #90
“This is the legendary tree?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” The Keeper glared. “Yes. Do not disrespect it.” “It’s a lemon tree with a hole in it…” “A legendary lemon tree that holds the secret of life within,” the Keeper corrected. The young man looked the tree over once more. He pointed to a branch and the words carved into it. “It’s name is Faloola.” “And yours is Gary. Now I suggest you treat Faloola kindly.” With that, the Keeper strode over to a rock and plopped herself down. Gary grumbled. He couldn’t believe he had ...
Kade urged his metal steed onward. Ahead rose the enchanted dome of briars--his kingdom’s only hope. The lands of Kir were dying, barren and starving his people. Across the continent, the kingdom of Mare was doing no better as the seas turned hostile to the fish. Kir and Mare were preparing for another war with each other, one he knew they would not survive. But his people were desperate and nobody cared for a young prince’s opinion, especially when he believed in the legend of Mother Nature. Kade focused harder on the briar do...
Submitted to Contest #89
Teal metallic scales rose up from the sea, flashing against the morning sky and arcing right back into the deep waters. Marigold leaned further forward to catch another glimpse of the sea serpent, getting a mouthful of wildflowers in the process. Spitting slightly, she leaned back. Father and Auntie were just across the street. She could see them from the flower shop window. Father’s broad figure and Auntie’s lithe one faced an alleyway opening, stationary amidst the celebrating children, dancers, and revelers as they waited for the latest ...
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