Merinda Forwood

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2020

Stories (12)

12 Stories

235 karma pts

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“Cracks” by Merinda Forwood

Rachel inched down the hallway, linen bundled in her arms, until she reached the blue door. Her fingertips automatically reached to glide over the nameplate, but this time, instead of moving on, they traced the woodwork to the handle and twisted. She paused, thinking how long it had been since she had entered this room, then took a deep breath and pushed. The hinges cried as they protested being used. Did she have any WD...

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“The Mission” by Merinda Forwood

It was almost night. The crowds below scurried in opposite directions, in that crossover between the work crowd going home, and the entertainment crowd heading out to dinner. Getting across the city with his precious cargo undetected would be a challenge, but he could do it. Half an hour or less, without being stopped. Those were the terms. Going back to his map, he plotted out his routes. The di...

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“Schrӧdinger” by Merinda Forwood

“Is he alive?”“I don’t know. He looks pretty dead to me.”I’m alive. I can hear you! Please help me!“You should check him. Take his pulse.”“No way, man! I don’t want to touch him if he’s dead. You do it.”I’m not dead! Check my pulse, please!“I don’t really know how. I’ve only seen it in the movies. Maybe we should just call an ambulance. They’ll have to come here anyway, whether he’s dead or alive.”“Good point. I’ll call them, you stick your fingers on his neck and see if y...

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“Ramona's Escape” by Merinda Forwood

Ramona crawled through the hidden entrance under her bed and sat, her small, battery-operated lantern dimly lighting up the small space. She didn’t know who’d created the little tunnel and tiny room, but it offered a small escape from her miserable existence. Time when her guardian would be looking for her instead of barking orders or punishing her for imagined infractions. It was a pity that the tunnel would not offer a...

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“The Longest Walk” by Merinda Forwood

As Jessica left her classroom and began to walk down the breezeway, she held her books close and tried not to think of all the things she had to do. Tried not to think of how Ethan looked when he sat in front of her in class, or how he never seemed to speak to or even look at her. Tried not to rehearse how she would ask him out, if she ever found the courage.At the end of the breezeway, Jessica turned to walk along the covered walkway that ran around the student courtyard. She never hung out there, but Ethan often did. Pausing next...

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“A long and happy life” by Merinda Forwood

"Is the rumour true, then? We're all going to die?"“Unfortunately, yes. The meteorite is due to hit in five hours. All the media know so far is that it's going to come close. That’s all we are going to tell them. The last thing we want to do is set off a panic about something that cannot be changed. We don’t want to make humanity’s last few hours worse than they have to be."“True. At least everything here will die instantly. Those on the far side of the Earth will not end so well.”James scrambled up from the flower be...

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“Finding the onkdehns” by Merinda Forwood

The moment Sarah reached the top of the ridge, she knew she was in the right place. Not from the view. The croecten trees were far too tall and far too thick, their fan-like orange leaves nodding in the breeze, for anyone to see beneath. No, it was the smell rolling over the hill that told her what lay underneath.If someone could capture the scent of dried fish, mix it with the scent of roses and lavender, then steep it in the scent of old tea before distilling it into a solid mass that you could use like an anvil in the old Road R...

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“The Graveyard Shift” by Merinda Forwood

“Are we going to stay the whole night?” “The whole night? I think we should.” “OK. Let’s just stay together. It’s weird here at night.” Ted and George entered the graveyard through the gate, more eerie by its silent swing than if it had creaked as tradition demanded. This graveyard was supposed to be the most haunted spot in town, although Ted didn’t really believe in ghosts. Overactive imaginations ...

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“A Burning Desire” by Merinda Forwood

“Don’t forget we have to tidy up the house tonight. Rebecca will be here tomorrow.” Those were Stacey’s last words to Rodney before the fire. He’d grunted, not looking forward to having a houseguest, then kissed her goodbye and left for work. That night, when he turned into his street, the house was already well ablaze. Eyes fixed on the window where Stacey usually waited with a book, he hit the gutter as he stopp...

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“Oven-scent” by Merinda Forwood

(Disclaimer: Technically this story is about the last time a person smelled something, not the first, but I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts anyway.) Her mother never would have approved if she were there, but Emma pulled the oven door open slightly to peek at the biscuits. The heat and scent flowed out together, and as they hit her face, Emma became six years old again. “Can I eat some ...

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“The Question” by Merinda Forwood

My dearest Rosalie, That was a scary question you asked last night. Surely you know that. You talked about us getting married as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if it was inevitable. Perhaps it would be, in other circumstances. I didn’t tell many people this, as it was considered unmanly when I was growing up, but I always dreamed of my perfect wedding, and the person I imagined was a lot like yo...

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“On the Way” by Merinda Forwood

The whole world felt moody. Not angry, just a leave-me-alone vibe that encouraged people to stay indoors. Isobelle didn’t have that choice. Walking out the door after a hurried lunch, it felt more like early evening. The trees swayed like a drunk trying to walk, and the stray hairs on her forehead alternately whipped across her face or dangled in front of her eyes as brief periods of calm alterna...

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Author bio

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