Mallory Senn-Flinn

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (8)

8 Stories

247 karma pts

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“Pay Attention” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #115

Content warning: references to suicide and death ----------- She scrolled past image after square image of happy mothers, fathers, children with their toothy smiles, all appearing candidly full of joy and wonder. This specific photography account she began following a few days ago was becoming one of her favorites. The photographer had a distinct talent at capturing families at their most perfect, their most beautiful. Of course, she knew that photos like these weren’t always real life, but as she looked at a young mother cradling her ne...

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“Death by Pink” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #93

June, 1965 Jenny wanted pink-flavored cupcakes - pink being her favorite color - for her sixth birthday. I thought about explaining to her that pink wasn’t a flavor, but I was too exhausted for that conversation, filled with the never ending, “But why, mommy?” question. I figured vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream would taste like pink to a six-year-old, so that’s what I made. That year, Roger decided he wanted to pull out all of the stops for his little princess. As he explained it, “you only turn six once”, so expenses be dam...

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“Land of the Free” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #92

Content warnings: war, drug use--Day One--Eddie March was alive and well. He woke to the smell of cow manure filling the car. The light filtering through the bug-smattered windshield was bright and pure; Eddie could feel it deep in his marrow as the car idled in a long line of traffic, flowing down that country road in Bethel, New York. It was August 15, 1969 and they were headed to a place that promised “three days of peace and music”. His friend Nathan Clark was driving the carload of people in his brother’s 1963 Ford Fairlane. Eddie was s...

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“The Book of Names” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #91

A quick heads up that this book contains themes of loss (pregnancy and spouse/partner). Other than that, it's a pretty happy story. :) Thanks for reading! ------- I remember my baby book said that you were the size of a grapefruit that week, tucked up somewhere in my womb. That day, while you and I meandered around the local library in search of books to advise me on how to manage the sudden onset of back pain I was feeling, I stumbled upon a book. It had fallen from its place on a shelf and had landed, rather ungracefully, open and sp...

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“Let Me Go Home” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #90

Content warning: themes of abuse and death.Thanks for reading!--------Plant a tree, save a life.Plant a forest, save humankind.Stella looked up from where she was sitting inside Chicago’s busy L-train and read the ad for the Trees for Tomorrow Foundation on an overhead panel. Funny, that ad, on a train in a city of 8 million people where skyscrapers and giant, metal beans seemed to soak up more square footage than trees. Stella wondered where these trees were supposed to be planted in a place like Chicago. As much as she would love to look o...

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“Hell Hath No Fury” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #89

Hi, lovelies! A few content warnings: cursing, suicidal thoughts, death, and a brief mention of substance abuse. Thanks for reading! --------- It started with an envelope - white and innocuous save for the “time sensitive” stamp in the bottom right corner. Whoever it was had spelled my name correctly, which was a rare occurrence among the spam mail I regularly received. Siobhan O’Rourke. Yes, my family is Irish, I would deadpan to whoever asked, as if it weren’t the most obvious thing in the wo...

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“Pinot Noir and a Lonely Boudoir” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #84

A few words! Hi there and welcome back to my channel! Just kidding. But honestly, I'm so glad you're here, reading this story. A word of caution: this story is mildly sexual in nature. If you read my last piece, well...this one is absolutely nothing like it, which is what I enjoy so far about Reedsy Prompts. I'm able to tell all of these different, unique stories. It's pretty rad. Like the contest and prompt would suggest, this story is about a pandemic. What I encourage you to do, dear reader, is remove COVID-19 from your mind as you re...

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“The Houseguest” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

Submitted to Contest #83

Examining her pruned fingers, callused tips a form of proof that she exists here, she lets a wave push her back up to shore. It’s a gentle nudge, a friendly reminder that all good things must end and that there’s work to be done.With a quiet reluctance, she does as instructed and stands from her seat on the ocean floor, finding the water only up to her knees after that last wave. She knows she’ll be back this evening, but it’s still hard to leave. She wants to live in the water, be one with that kind, but occasionally temperamental, wave.As ...

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Author bio

I'm a 20-something hopeful writer and obsessive reader by night. I love vintage clothing, a good cappuccino, visiting libraries, and snuggling up with one (or both!) of my cats.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #89

Hell Hath No Fury – read story