Melissa Balick

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2021

Stories (3)

3 Stories

266 karma pts

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“The Houseguest” by Melissa Balick

Submitted to Contest #120

The first thing that struck Carole about the young woman who booked her guestroom on HomeBnB was that her name, Xaria Lemieux, both began and ended with an “X.” It made her lip curl. She'd had all types of people stay in the second room of her two-bedroom Ardmont, Pennsylvania rowhome since she put it on the site, but something about those bookend X’s gave her a bad feeling. This would definitely be a weird one. She clicked the guest’s profile. Shocker — Xaria Lemieux was from California. A hippie freak, probably. Likely to stink u...

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“The Misdeeds of Annalise Eiseman” by Melissa Balick

Submitted to Contest #112

Despite her best efforts, Annalise Eiseman has yet to find the right man, and it’s starting to really bother her.She’s 31, has a successful career, and she’s attractive, with golden brown hair that falls in waves down her back, naturally dark eyelashes, and oversized retro glasses that cover almost half her face. Yet, love slips by her like spring scents in the wind, settling instead among her coworkers, whose wedding invitations she unlocks from the mailbox in her lobby, even now that everything else has gone electronic. But this is no...

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“Through the Jungle and Other Ways to Escape” by Melissa Balick

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #108

TW: mental illness, substance abuseMom’s guy ran out of benzos, so I figured it was better for me to bring Paul anywhere but home after school. When her pills wore off, at best she’d leave soap bars in the sink with the water running to expose the listening devices she was convinced were hidden inside; at worst, she’d believe that Paul and I were minions of Satan sent to spy on her. Better for us to stay out of her hair, in case it went the second way.Before school, she emerged from her bedroom in a discolored robe. She watched me zip the ha...

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Author bio

Melissa Balick is a writer based in Oakland, CA, originally from Philly. Her work has appeared in Hungry Shadow Press, Nanoism, 101 Words, and Flash Fiction Magazine. She made the top 10 in the spring 2022 Women on Writing contest and she has also placed in the top 3 of two Vocal writing challenges. You can find her on Medium @melissabalick.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #108
Through the Jungle and Other Ways to Escape – read story