Maggie Deese

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020

Stories (23)

23 Stories

2224 karma pts

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“Little Red Cardinal” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #41

A petite, red cardinal sits atop a tree branch. He fluffs out his feathers on the warm spring morning, letting out a cheerful chirp to greet the neighborhood. The branch sways as he hobbles across it, looking out to the rows of houses below him. The sun is just beginning to rise, making dew drops glisten on the grass. The other birds begin to awake, as well, letting out their morning greetings to each other. The cardinal sings a chirp back and leaps off the tree branch. He swoops under high branches and in between houses. The morning breeze ...

19 comments 19
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“Broken Bonds” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #40

NinaThe walls are booming all around me with the voices of unknown rappers and crappy pop singers. Arms are swaying above at least two-hundred heads, and everyone is singing at the top of their lungs, no doubt making their throats burn and scratch. No one cares, though. Especially not me. I scream lyrics I don’t know and whip my hair until my neck feels like it’s going to break. My heartbeat syncs up with the beat of the speakers and I feel euphoric. This is what freedom must feel like, I think, smiling ear to ear and letting out a loud whoo...

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“The Crane Machine” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #40

Students file in one by one, each followed by their specifically chosen bus buddies. Their laughter echoes through the bus as they plop down with hefty backpacks full of useless things their parents insisted they not bring for a two-day field trip. The last student to file in quietly is Margret Greene, squeezing her own backpack so tightly that the zippers threaten to bust. She takes the only seat left in the very front of the bus, no specifically chosen friend to take the place beside her. She tucks a stray lock of hair behind her left ear ...

45 comments 45
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“Awake” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #39

A shrill, screeching sound awakens me from my sleep. My head immediately throbs at the sound and I flinch, heart pounding. There’s no telling how long it’s been; the evacuation was short and to the point, giving no one a clue of how long it would take to arrive in Seroria. People were initially upset with the lack of detail, but I didn’t mind. As long as it took us away from the plague, I couldn't care less about the time frame.I squeeze my eyes together tightly, attempting to drown out the still shrieking sound and pounding headache. It’s n...

29 comments 29
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“Daisies, Marigolds, and a Daffodil” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #38

My palms are sweaty and raw as I attempt preparing the soil for new spring flowers. I never thought as a florist I would be working from home, but here we are! Not that I mind it all that much. I do miss my coworkers; fifteen year old Lili who saunters in after school with her mother and insists on arranging the red roses for the window display; Mauri, Lili’s mother, who has been working at the shop for over ten years and taught me everything I know; and Casey who is my age, twenty-one, and takes gorgeous photographs for Shower’s Flowers off...

15 comments 15
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“At the Bottom of the Lake” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #37

Bzz bzz bzz“Crap.” Easton yanks the buzzing contraption from his pocket and swipes away a new text. A blush creeps up his neck and into his ears as he feels his classmates drilling holes in his head.“Easton put the phone away.” Mrs. State taps her foot vigorously and gives a sharp clearing of the throat. He shares an embarrassed smile and goes to stash it away where it belongs when the text appears again. It’s not a number he recognizes but what it reads catches his eye.Did you hear Dexter Forgo is dead? He drowned in Harvey Lake last night ...

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“A Car Mishap” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #33

She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, she’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers dreaming ‘bout the day when you wake up and find what you’re looking for has been here the whole time…Taylor Swift’s voice blasts through my earphones and I tap my finger matching the rhythm on my knee. I lean my head back on the headrest, suddenly glad my sister called shotgun. Glancing over to her, I see that mom is talking her ears off about how unhealthy the lunch she ate yesterday was, but of course that doesn’t include the side salad she had. Which ha...

7 comments 7
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“Salem” by Maggie Deese

Submitted to Contest #24

Salem He sprints away, not daring to look back, his footsteps echoing down the hallway like distant gunshots. He just had to get to the back stairway and up to his office on the second floor, where his EpiPen was stashed. It was the only solution at this point. He should have injected himself hours ago when he felt the sensation crawling up his back. Stop it, he hisses in his mind, It’s too late now. Stop thinking about what you should have done and just go. Get. That. EpiPen! He continues to sprint down the hallway, listening for the franti...

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Author bio

English major, servant and follower of Jesus, occasional writer

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #58
Splintered Like Firewood – read story