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Melinda Madrigal

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2020

Stories (233)

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127 Followers

34 Following

233 Stories

4189 karma pts

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THE BINDING SECRET

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #310

In the sleepy town of GreyStone Hollow, where fog curled through cobble stone streets and secrets lingered like the smell of old pages, Clementine Voss ran "The Hidden Chapter," an indie bookstore nestled between a bakery and an antiques shop. Her clientele were loyal, quirky and devoted to stories-but none as enigmatic as the man who walked in that Friday afternoon. He wore a faded green coat and asked for The Drowned Ledger, a book Clementine kept locked in a glass case. It wasn't for sale-not really. It was a relic tied to the still-unsol...

1 like

JASMINE AND SALT

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #309

The kettle hissed long before it whistled. Mira stood barefoot on the cool title, her fingertips tracing the chipped rim of the porcelain cup. She hadn't used it since her mother passed. Not out of grief-at least not solely-but because it always felt like a ritual and she hadn't known what she was invoking anymore. The Jasmine tea leaves, curled like sleeping beetles, lay in the faded tin with its leaves half-peeled. She scooped a spoonful into the steeping basket, inhaled. The scent rushed up-flowers in a summer rain, memories buried under ...

10 likes

THE ROOT THAT REMEMBERED

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #308

In the village of Olean's Hollow, the trees had always whispered. Not with wind alone but with memory. Every spring into summer as the frost withdrew and moss crept soft across stone, the villagers broth offerings to the Heartwood Tree, a great gnarled sentinel older than memory. Some left milk. Others feathers or song. No one remembered when the tradition began, but none dare neglect it-not after the stories. Ione was different. A field botanist, newly arrived with no use for myths. She came for the rare wildfire orchids that bloom at dusk ...

7 likes

THE KEY TO SOMEWHERE

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #307

I have always been meticulous about keeping my workspace tidy. Every evening, I always wipe my desk, align my notebooks and ensure nothing unnecessary clutters the surface. That's why when I find the key, I was certain it hadn't been there before. It lay on the desk, small and ornate, with a swirling design etched into the metal-delicate and almost hypnotic. It didn't belong to me nor anyone who should've had access to my apartment. It was too intricate to be for my usual locks, too old-fashioned to be for anything modern. I picked it up, we...

5 likes

ECHOES OF TOMORROW

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #306

Abandoned Train Station-NightThe moonlight filters through broken windows. The station is eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the wind. A lone figure (30s, scrappy and determined) crouches behind a rusted bench, clutching a small, glowing device. Camden (whispers to herself)This has to work. It has too. Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots echoes through the station. Agents clad in black tactical gear sweep the area with flashlights. Agent 1 (voice cold and commanding)She's here, spread out. No mistakes. Camden glances at the device in her...

4 likes

THE UNKNOWN ROAD

Melinda Madrigal

It only took me a few minutes to realize something was wrong. I'm lost in a place I don't recognize. I'm driving down route 3, the same route I always take home. Then something happened. The scenery began to change. I no longer saw houses or cars or two highways separating each other. There are no longer gas stations or rest stops. I see nothing expect trees. The lights are dim. What's even worse the day turned into night in a matter of seconds. I continue driving for miles. I see nothing but darkness. The darkness is starting to turn to fog...

3 likes

A STORY BY LYRICAL DREAMER

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #304

Lyrical Dreamer, my pen name. The name I use for all my books. My real name is Quinn. No last name. Just Ordinary Quinn who loves to read and write about magical worlds and far-away places. I love to write about all different kinds of things. I look out at the world and see a blank canvas. I see the people around as my characters. As the kings and queens. The adventurer and the hero. I look up at the stars and imagine a world filled with unimaginable power. A world filled with robots and aliens, dragons and fairies. I've written so many book...

8 likes

FOR ZOEY

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #303

My love, someone hurt you. They left you in a coma. They took you from me. They almost killed you. A sweet loving lady like yourself shouldn't be fighting to live. You know where you should be my beautiful Zoey? You should be laughing at my jokes with your infectious laugh. Showing me those pearly white teeth. You should be painting those beautiful pictures of nature. I know you love animals. The cutest ones even the most dangerous ones. My Zoey, you once told me all animals even the most dangerous ones are a gift from God to make the world...

5 likes

LOVING A STRANGER

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #302

Summer days are here which means sleeping in late, going to the beach, hanging out with friends and just being lazy. This is not what I want for my summer days. I like crazy. I like adventure. I like new. I like danger. A crazy out of this world trip to a place that has been a dream of mine to go. A place I never been too. An island dream I can explore. I wake-up bright and early. The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. I have a big smile on my face. Today my wild crazy adventure begins. I do my morning routine. I start off dancing to my...

7 likes

DESTINY

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #301

Fear comes to those who let it take over mind, body and soul. Fear seeps into you without you ever noticing. Fear controls you. Fear takes you down paths you never knew existed before. My Destiny which is also my name is intertwined with my fear. For many years I've known the evil that is with in me. I never let it get to me. All these years of my life I told myself, I'm stronger than the fear. I never let the fear dictate my every day life but something in me has changed. I sense something in me growing. It's not the good kind. I keep telli...

6 likes

A CITY LOST TO THE WORLD

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #300

Cities fall. Cities burn. Cities are lost. Cities are never meant to last. Cities are remembered. There is one city that has been forgotten. A city so grand it was made of gold. A city so beautiful it was meant to last generations. The city didn't last for generations. The beautiful city of gold disappeared. The beautiful city of gold is lost to history and the world. Many people believed the city of gold is a legend, nothing more than a myth. The city never existed. But I believe otherwise. I believe the city of gold did exist. I believe t...

7 likes

ADVENTURES OF THE MORGAN FAMILY

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #299

The Morgan family, your typical American family. There is papa Morgan, mama Morgan, brother Daniel, little sis Mia. then there is me the middle sister Emily. Today is family fun day or as the parents like to call it, Morgan family day. Today begins like any other day. The parents wake-up first. Mom singing. Dad joining in singing off key. Could it get any more embarrassing. Apparently it can. Mom and dad going up and down the hallway, waking us up. I put my pillow over my head to drown out the noise. Too late. Mom is in my room singing. I th...

9 likes

BEAUTIFUl: A STORY OF EMBRACING ONESELF THROUGH WORDS

Melinda Madrigal

The world is a beautiful place. Spring is the most beautiful time of the year. The flowers are in full bloom. The leaves are growing back. The sun is brighter. The days of cold weather are gone. Renewal is in the air. I love this time of the year. I love being out in my garden planting the seeds and watching my flowers grow. My garden, my flowers give me a sense of peace I needed for a long time. Finding the words to tell the story I'm about to tell is heartbreaking for me. Finding the words to tell the story is one I promised never to tell....

1 like

WHEN THE DAWN BREAKS AND THE SUN RISES: 5 MINUTES IS FOREVER

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #297

Time passes slowly when you stare into the eyes of your one true love but in fact you only have minutes to spend with her. The minutes go by fast. You want more time. The fates of time are against you. Time is your enemy. I count down the minutes, the hours until I see my love. The dawn is breaking and soon the sun will rise. The forest is where my love lives. She will become human only to turn into a wolf. A few minutes is not enough time. I want to hold her not pet her. I want to look into her eyes as I tell her I love her. I want to talk ...

5 likes

MELANIE'S STORY: PRISONER

Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #296

I wake-up screaming. I look frantically everywhere for Matt calling his name. I'm out of the bed running around the room calling for Matt. He's not answering me. Why isn't he answering me? Calm down Melanie. Take deep breathes in and out. I was having a dream. The most beautiful dream and then it turned to darkness. I'm a prisoner in my own country. No one is coming for me. I'm all alone. I'm alone and trapped in a country I use to call home. A place I was born in. I was taken away from my family from everyone I love. Nine months ago, my lif...

5 likes