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Marte Van Der Linden

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (51)
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513 Followers
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51 Stories

1762 karma pts

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A deal with the devil

Submitted to Contest #12

I met the devil at the crossroads of my life. He offered me my heart’s desire in exchange for my soul, and fool that I was I took him up on it. In my defence, I thought he was joking. I didn’t know he was the devil. He didn’t have a pitchfork or horns or anything. He was just some guy.We met in a dingy basement bar. I was six whiskies deep and hoping the seventh would bring oblivion when he plonked himself down on the stool next to me and said I looked like I could use some help. I snorted.“No, seriously,” he said. “I can help.”“Oh yeah?”“Yo...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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The girl in the tower

Shortlisted for Contest #11 ⭐️

My dearest girl,If you are reading this, then you haven’t burned my letter. It’s more than I deserve, and I’m grateful. I can only imagine what these last years have been like for you. You must have been lonely. You must have felt abandoned. And you must have been so, so angry. Perhaps you still are. I don’t blame you.As I sit here writing this letter, I know I can’t tell you the truth when I send you away. So let me say it now: I’m so sorry I lied to you. If I had told you where you were going, you would have fought me or run away. And if I...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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Pale grey dot

Submitted to Contest #11

“I never thought I’d see this,” Eric said as the grey, pockmarked surface drew nearer.Nell focused on the panel in front of her. “Mission control, this is Muninn. Our altitude is seventeen hundred and thirteen metres. Confirm descent trajectory.”“Trajectory confirmed.” Lena’s voice was loud and clear over the com system. “What’s the view like?”Five high-resolution cameras were mounted on the outside of the Muninn module. The images were displayed on small screens inside, and no doubt on dozens of full-size ones at mission control. Still, the...

6 likes 1 comment 1
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Villain, viper

Submitted to Contest #10

The snotty-nosed kid from next door rang the doorbell for the seventeenth time in three weeks. David knew it was her before he’d wrenched the door open. No one else rang SOS in Morse code.“Hello mister! I’m sorry to bother you but -”“You kicked your ball onto my balcony.” David stood back and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go get it then.”“Thank you!”The kid bounded down the hallway and returned a moment later with a ball and a grin plastered onto her freckled face. After some blithe assurances that she’d be more careful, she was gone. Dav...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Schrödinger’s Cyclist

Submitted to Contest #9

A screech of tyres. A sickening crunch. A scream. My own, I think.I consider myself to be a calm sort of person who quickly adapts to new circumstances. So when I was catapulted off my bike by a car that came whizzing around the corner, it only took a couple of deep breaths for the world to stop spinning and the adrenaline to leach out of my system. I was still rather shaky as I got to my feet, but I felt that was justified in the circumstances, given the sizable dent in the bonnet of the car. I quickly patted myself down and realised that I...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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HMS Adventure

Submitted to Contest #8

The little raft danced on the waves like a dandelion seed on the wind. It was picked up and tossed down and hurled sideways through the water. Five pairs of hands clung on to the splintered beams. Five pair of eyes were clenched shut against the lashing water. Five yells sounded over the noise of the storm as the raft crested a wave and plunged into nothingness, then the voices were abruptly cut off as the water closed over them.And when the raft finally scraped onto a sandy beach, five utterly bedraggled figures staggered ashore.“Get her ou...

13 likes 3 comments 3
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