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Megan Cianfaglione

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2025

Stories (9)
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9 Stories

155 karma pts

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The Weight of Water

Submitted to Contest #324

The sea was calm that morning, with whitecaps emerging in the distance. The horizon stretched endlessly in all directions, cold and relentless. Gray sky met gray water, and somewhere in between was my lifeboat, half-swallowed by waves. Despite the motionless oars and the salt-crusted handles, I refused to give in. My hands, blistered, bled, and went numb, but I persisted. I tried to count time by the sun's movements, but even that rhythm eventually felt off. Some days, the light never came at all.There’s a special kind of peace you make with...

15 likes 6 comments 6
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Hollow Fire

Submitted to Contest #320

INCIDENT REPORT Agency: U.S. Forest Service – Region 1 Incident Name: Pine Hollow Forest Fire Incident Number: MT-2025-0917 Date/Time of Initial Report: September 17, 2025 – 18:42 hrs Location: Grid 7-B, Pine Hollow, Lewis and Clark National Forest Cause: Under Investigation Units Dispatched: Engine 42, Brush 16 Status: Personnel unaccounted for.Smoke rose through the tree line, contrasting against the orange hue behind it. The two-tone howl cut through the evening air, rising and falling in that practiced rhythm that meant only one thing — ...

9 likes 4 comments 4
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How to Bake a Heart

Submitted to Contest #306

Intro:They say grief transforms us into monsters.But before we dive in, a little backstory—every good recipe needs one, and you’ll want to understand where it all unraveled. He wasn’t the first man to steal my heart. Just the last one I allowed in long enough to rot me from within. He spoke of "forever” with lips stained by someone else’s kiss. He brought me flowers when I detested that kind of bloom. He abandoned me in January, a cliché biting through the cold. Yet, here I am, ready to pick gravel from my knees to return to the night he wh...

9 likes 4 comments 4
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Secrets Beneath the Lake

Submitted to Contest #306

My toes splashed in the water as I dangled my legs over the edge of the canoe.“Wanna hit?” I offered Colin the joint between my fingers.He took a drag, then flicked it silently into the lake. Smoke drifted past my face as I smiled, the sun warming my skin. Birds chirped in the trees, and the soft lapping of water against the canoe relaxed me.I glanced over at Colin paddling. With his spiky hair and tattoos, he looked like he belonged in a punk band—but he was one of the kindest people I knew.He caught me looking and smirked. I turned away qu...

2 likes 0 comments 0
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Beneath the dust

Submitted to Contest #300

Cowboy boots crunched on the desert ground, creating a cloud of dirt. Saguaro cacti rose high to the blistering sun above, their spines protruding from their arms. Closer to the ground, prickly pear cacti pads give life to ruby fruits and barrel cacti loomed dangerously close. Heat rose from the ground creating distorted ripples through the eyes of brave passersby. The desert was a barren place, birds hid in scabs of cacti while the fiercer animals reserved their energy for night. Beneath the cracked surface, something stirred. It felt as th...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Life in the Fast Lane

Submitted to Contest #299

There’s something about working at a quick lube that feels like being trapped in a sitcom. The characters are there, the drama unfolds, and you’re just trying to get through the shift without another annoying customer or meltdown from a coworker.Take my manager, Greg, for example. He’s got this bipolar energy that shifts on a dime. One minute he's cracking jokes, and the next minute he’s having an existential crisis over a car lining up in the wrong bay. You can never predict it, and sometimes, it’s better to just avoid him altogether.Greg’s...

5 likes 0 comments 0
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Midnight Snack

Submitted to Contest #299

A gentle breeze ruffled the curtains in Sammy’s room. Her blue eyes fluttered open as the chill crept over her. Moonlight cast eerie shadows across her room. Something felt off. She slid from under the covers and ran across the icy wood floor to close the window. She peered out into the backyard. Even the pale glow from the moon wasn’t enough to keep the darkness from pressing in on her, watching her. It was too quiet. Her heart raced as she saw something moving. She ran back to bed, pulling the covers over her head. She knew from horror mo...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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Between Hearts, Beyond Words

Submitted to Contest #298

Rayna had been working at Ink and Ivy for about a month now. In that time, she had grown closer to Joel. His easygoing, calming nature made it easier for her to relax. Greg, on the other hand, was…Greg. He was flamboyant and loud. He always entered the bookstore as if it were a stage on Broadway. She kept her distance from him after he started calling her doll. She hated it but was too shy and unsure of her voice to tell him to stop. The bell above the front door jingled as the last customer left. Rayna exhaled; it had been a busy day. She ...

6 likes 4 comments 4
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New Roots

Submitted to Contest #298

Rayna stripped her loud, red hair back to her natural brown, deleted every social media account, and vanished. Driving in her beat-up sedan across state lines she finally pulled off the road. Down a shallow ditch there was a river flowing by, dark and fast. Rayna reached into her purse, grabbed her phone, and chucked it into the river. This was not fueled by angst—it was survival. Someone had once sworn, they’d find her again. She watched the phone plop into the water sending droplets into the air. A bitter cold wind cut across her face se...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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