Menu

Prompts

Directory Contests Magazine FAQ

Apps

reedsymarketplace

Hire professionals for your project

reedsyblog

Advice, insights and news

reedsylearning

Online publishing courses

reedsylive

Free publishing webinars

reedsydiscovery

Launch your book in style

Bestseller Podcast Book Cover Art Success Stories

Tools

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Directory

Contests

Magazine

FAQ

Marilyn Filewood

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (6)

Comments

Library

59 Followers

1 Following

6 Stories

423 karma pts

?

Christmas Turkey

Marilyn Filewood

Submitted to Contest #284

“You can’t experiment on an old man. Especially not the Major.” Steve glanced over at his co-worker. “I think we should think this through a bit more.”"He'll be fine, I reckon he'll enjoy it," Martin eased the van from the main road into the alleyway, negotiating the turn with his usual skill. In places, there was barely a whisper of air between the narrow brick walls and the side panels of the ancient vehicle. He pulled up at the entrance to the alley. It was the moment before dawn broke, the light around them still dim, not yet g...

8 likes

Amor Vincit Omnia. Love Conquers All.

Marilyn Filewood

Submitted to Contest #181

(One profanity, a theme of Autism, bullying) "Asparagus got Aspergers!" Bronson lowered his face to my eye level and beamed with menace. His two front teeth had fallen out last week, so a spray of spittle came through the gaps and landed on my glasses. I wished glasses came with windscreen wipers. Due to the missing teeth, what Bronson actually said was "Athparagath got Athbergeth", but I got what he meant. Bronson was possibly the meanest of the mean boys in Year 3. He was born mean, I think, so not much can be done about it. On the ...

28 likes

Come In Spinner

Marilyn Filewood

Winner of Contest #180 🏆

Thommo rammed a bayonet into the rocky clay and tied a string to it. Thommo, the only one of us over thirty, and therefore responsible, was our Ringie, the supervisor of the Two-up ring. He attached a second bayonet to the other end of the string and, using the bayonets like a giant school compass, drew a perfect circle in the clay soil. It was the 23rd May 1915, just months since I'd left Australia, to fight for my country and our King, George V, King of England and the British Empire. We were perched on a small section of rock on a hil...

131 likes

2046

Marilyn Filewood

Submitted to Contest #172

I was so lucky when the world ended. I had the good fortune, you see, to have been born into a Doomsday cult, and we had prepared for it every day of our lives. It was almost a relief when it came. Why, we all wanted to shout, why didn't you listen to us? Two generations ago, our community had bought an abandoned mining town at the very end of the world, the tip of New Zealand's southern isle. Conveniently, it came with a schoolhouse, medical centre, and small police station with gaol. The stroke of serendipity was that it had miles of dee...

23 likes

Big Bertha

Marilyn Filewood

Submitted to Contest #169

A rap at the front door. "Who's there?" Beads of sweat were already trickling down my spine. Had someone heard something? "It's me, Ella. Stan. Is Cedric there? I need to borrow the pumpkin knife." "He's resting." This was technically true. I couldn't lie straight in bed. Best to stick to at least half truths. "I'll get the knife for you." I rushed back to the kitchen. The knife was in the sink, pinkish liquid still dripping, despite my scrubbing. I wiped it carefully and carried it out to Stan, wrapped in a clean tea towel. "Watch...

15 likes

The Lismore Ladies Who Lunch Club

Marilyn Filewood

Submitted to Contest #165

I inserted a pounding purple heart, followed by a thumbs up emoji, into the test message, then pressed "send". This was the standard way to accept an invitation to coffee from a member of the Lismore Ladies Who Lunch Club. The Queen Bee of our group, Melissa, had just sent me a personal invitation to an urgent coffee meeting in half an hour and I was beyond excited. It would be just the two of us to have a great conversation and, as a bonus, I could get out of the house. Two years ago, together with my husband Callum, I had relocated aw...

7 likes