Margaret Gaffney

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

Stories (5)

5 Stories

103 karma pts

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“The Call of the Dead” by Margaret Gaffney

Submitted to Contest #89

The terrible fever that had racked William Tralim’s body for days was only beginning to abate when the Curae bandits who called themselves the Danae came to his parents’ cabin. He knew they had come by the look on his mother’s face when she came to check on him one last time. He had tried with all his strength to get up to help his father fight them off. He was seventeen, he needed to be there, defending their home and hearth against the thugs. Instead, his mother laid a cold cloth on his forehead, kissed him once more, and locked the door b...

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“Dark Corner of Light” by Margaret Gaffney

Submitted to Contest #51

Today, I saw the stars. And it wasn't even the most amazing thing that happened. I know that might not seem like that big of a deal to people, especially if they read this personal correspondence in a few hundred years. In fact, I kinda hope it doesn't. I know it wouldn't have made a difference a hundred years ago. I mean, I've read in history books that people saw the stars all the time before the Second Hundred Years war, before we went underground most of the time. I think that's why I became a criminal journalist, just so I wo...

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“The Prima Donna of Vienna” by Margaret Gaffney

Submitted to Contest #44

Margherita took a deep breath, convulsively pulling at her stiff bodice and readjusting her powdered curls, though she knew Contessa’s skill too well to question her coiffure abilities. She listened to the sounds around her; the stage crew chattering away as they worked, their laughter drowned out by the orchestra. Beyond that, the din of the crowd was softer than normal, probably because Giuseppe was coming to his key aria. A shudder ran through her and she turned her thoughts away from the audience, knowing who would be out there, watching...

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“The Witch at the Kitchen Table” by Margaret Gaffney

Submitted to Contest #43

When my eyes opened that Saturday morning, I couldn’t believe my luck. Tracy, my six-year-old sister, was still asleep in the other twin bed in my room. Relishing the hope of having the TV all to myself for a bit, I pushed back my covers and lowered myself to the floor on all fours. I cringed every time the floor creaked under me, terrified she’d wake up. It simply wasn’t fair. My best friend Alice, eight-years-old just like me, didn’t have to share the TV with her sister, who was practically an adult. I still hadn’t forgiven my parents for ...

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“The Aberforce Murder” by Margaret Gaffney

Submitted to Contest #42

Most kids in high school spent their summers at the pool or on vacation, but I preferred to spend mine in a library. Mind you, this wasn’t just any library. This was a good old-fashion card catalogue extravaganza of county birth recordings, cemetery records, drawers of family archives, and an unholy number of biographies on Abe Lincoln. It smelled of must and brewing coffee, and the ceiling creaked like a ghost was moving in the attic. I loved it. It was there that I first encountered Cyril Aberforce. Yea...

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Author bio

I have been writing stories since I was 13. I write because believe in the power of the written word to move and inspire people, and honestly, it's just fun! My debut fantasy novel Of Slaves and Exiles is now available in print and Kindle on Amazon! It follows the story of two young would-be rulers who are trying to save their world from a vindicative king who has enslaved the human race. However, one of them, Constance Neethe, heir to the throne of men, has a dark secret: a drug addiction.