Martha Louise

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2019

Stories (41)

41 Stories

2263 karma pts

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“The 23rd-Storey Window” by Martha Louise

I looked out of the window on the 23rd floor. I knew that, if I jumped, people would miss me. I’d make a splash in the headlines, my dead body splattered on the front page for all to see. Maybe, finally, I might be appreciated. I’d been an aspiring novelist for the last 20 years, three days, and twenty-seven minutes. I’d written around fifteen books, but no one knew my name, and each one had gathered dust, left on shelves or in my desk drawers for years on end. I could never tweak them enough to suit my liking, and, the one time I had gat...

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“I Met God on the Corner of 22nd and 3rd” by Martha Louise

It was a cloudy afternoon in May, and I was walking down the street, on the way to a bar. Suzanne had just left me, and drowning my sorrows was inordinately necessary. The smell of charred meat, green chili and bacon wafted through my nostrils as I arrived at McLaughlans, on the corner of 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue. There was a tall man: His ebony skin caught my eye immediately, and he had a large tattoo of the tree of life on his left arm, I immediately noticed. His hair was in dreadlocks, down to his waist, and he...

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“Sophie's Extravagant Shopping Spree” by Martha Louise

Sophie stared through the shopping window at the long, golden gown, hanging marvelously on the mannequin’s skin: Paul Revere was one of her favorite designers, and she had a performance coming up this weekend. She had already treated herself to Paris’ famous chocolates from L’amour, and she hadn’t been able to resist purchasing a lovely fedora: She was a jazz singer and she had a gig that night in one of the fancy clubs, so she thought it would go marvelously with the long black, elegant dress she’d picked out for the occasion, but now sh...

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“Lavender Fields ” by Martha Louise

Leonard Goldstein looked at people on the crowded train: Some writers, some bankers, some musicians (he could tell from their loud chatter about gigs they yearned to arrive at sooner than later). The woman sitting next to him was deeply immersed in her book and he could barely move, crammed between her and a rotund gentleman who was reading The New Yorker.Had to love public transportation in New York City. He didn’t want to budget for a car and wait in traffic for hours, so this was, indeed, his fat...

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“The Lonely Scientist ” by Martha Louise

Lukas had been assisting in developing robots for a very long time. When he reached 26, he told himself that he was going to get himself a ‘girlfriend’ one way or another, but, unfortunately, the only option he had at this particular time was a robot. He knew them much more intimately than he had ever know women, and, he figured, they probably wouldn’t talk back as much, so he was safe.  He started cr...

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“Hitler and the Mixed Race Boy” by Martha Louise

"Hello." "Hi Hitler." "How old are you now?" "It's my twelfth birthday, and I've been waiting for you to come to my home. I look up to you." "Why is that?" "You're powerful." "No. I'm not. I'm a damn racist. You'd better not do that. Your mother would be quite frustrated." "My mother is black." ...

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“The 10 Reasons I Prefer My Dear Dog to a Man ” by Martha Louise

Today, I am going to write about why I prefer to love my incredibly loyal, adoring canine instead of a man. The reasons are many. He doesn't talk.1. He doesn't talk. My beloved terrier does not ever bring me down with his words. He doesn't complain about the weather or tell me that I shouldn't wear bright orange shoes with jeans or that he should wear dresses instead of sweatpants. He thinks I'm beautiful just the way I am.Men are always trying to control ho...

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“The Night of Many Suitors ” by Martha Louise

It was Christmas Eve. The lights were twinkling and the sky was barely visible above the skyscrapers of New York City. Over the past few months, I'd been going out casually with no less than six men: Bill, Tom, Marty, Andre, Lucas, and, of course, William.On this particular evening, I was wrapping up presents and putting them underneath the tree, hoping that, someday, my wishes would come true. I wanted a husband. I was thirty-six now, and I was still single, even though I enjoyed playing the field. I have to admit that ...

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“Can Dreams Come True?” by Martha Louise

I've been with Henry Hooligan for three years now. I married him when I was twenty-two, and we live in rural Kansas. There isn't much going on around here, but we have three beautiful children. I'm a teacher and I like my job well enough, even though the children can be extremely intolerable at times, laughing at my outfits and speaking out of turn.For many years, I've dreamed of being an actress on the silver screen: wearing magnificent gowns and depicting women in glorious, tumultuous love affairs, but I haven't dared ...

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“The Curious Case of Pete Thompson” by Martha Louise

In the year of 1993, Glacinda had put a spell on a man by the name of Pete Thompson. As a result, he would never be able to speak again. The reasons were many: He was a sweet—talking lawyer, and a man with more money in his pocket than he knew what to do with. He had a wife, a mistress, and a girlfriend. In short, the man would be a better person if he was forced to keep his big mouth shut, and, as his on and off girlfriend of twenty-something years, Glacinda knew this.Today, she had had the misfortune of meeting his mys...

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“The Manor in Sussex ” by Martha Louise

There was a manor in Sussex, England. A queen had once gone there for holidays, when she was very young, but something strange occurred at that particular residence when she turned 21. It was on a cloudy September afternoon on a Friday. September 13 to be exact. She was said to have died on the property. No one was certain either way, but the woman had never been seen again. The flowers stopped growing on that dreary day. Forever. The lake flooded the property, and, ever since then, anyone who wandered there noticed that the leaves never ...

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“The Time Capsule ” by Martha Louise

I've just turned seventeen today. I'm putting everything from my youth into a time capsule. It will help me remember the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Thomas, my current boyfriend, is leaving for college. He will be going to Henrenson, in Louisville, and I'm going to stay here in California. My heart aches already. We'd both vowed that our love would last forever, but, alas, it had not.  I...

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“My High School Reunion ” by Martha Louise

So, I just got an invite to my high school reunion today, and damn. There's Lisa, who hated me because I could afford more expensive shoes than her. There's Mary, who was always going on and on and on about her low-carb diet and didn't like me because I ate cheesy pasta and didn't totally hate myself. Then there's Darrel, who used to be best friends with me before he became best friends with Mary since she was skinny and had bigger breasts than I did. Then, of course, there's Sarah, who was the star athlete and a to...

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“Talking Robots” by Martha Louise

It was 2053. The aliens were here. Concrete jungles were all that was seen far and wide. Dead bodies scattered the area from a virus that had wiped out the invasive human species, leaving corpses scattered across the barren planet but the alien king, Aldwald, had found a way to “revive” them: He had put a chip in each one and used a remote so, really, he’d made robots out of corpses. He had stuffed each body so that it...

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“A Utopian Nightmare ” by Martha Louise

I am in a utopia of sorts. The rain falls on the tin roof. Next door, my neighbor sings and plays the guitar. I have many friends. All of them are laughing with me. We are hugging each other, eating good food, and they are drinking all of my wine. I spend my nights with a lover by the name of Henry. He touches me in a way that no man has ever touched me before, and all of my demons fall away.   My pro...

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Author bio

Thanks for reading. I'm so overwhelmed and grateful for the following I've gained on here!