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Natalie Wills

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2023

Stories (5)

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2 Followers

2 Following

5 Stories

78 karma pts

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A Lifetime of Questions

Submitted to Contest #285

At the click of a button, Luca found himself in an empty lecture hall at the top of the staircase. He stared at the device in his hand, wondering where exactly it had taken him, and more importantly, when. At least a dozen rows of seats and crescent-shaped tables surrounded him. Each row had fewer seats approaching the stage where a large chalkboard spanned the front wall.And then he saw her. Off to the side, there she stood behind a podium, rifling through sheets of paper. At least he thought it was her. The distance between them made it ha...

8 likes

The Photo

Submitted to Contest #244

There is life before the photo, and there is life after the photo.We follow one Tobias Sinclair, an average thirty-something year old man from midtown Toronto. He lived in a condominium with two dying plants and the neglected hamster he only purchased so his six year old niece would have a reason to visit.Before the photo, he was content. He enjoyed his routine. He woke up before the sun each day, chugged a protein shake and took the train to the school. He was an elementary school teacher, and had been for the past decade. He enjoyed intera...

3 likes

Four Years and Four Months

Submitted to Contest #242

She stared deep into the eyes of a stranger — a portrait of a stranger, rather. Framed in gold, it sat on the gallery wall meeting her face-to-face. As she gazed upon it, the words, “What do you feel?” echoed her mind. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, noticing the twinkle in its eyes and the glow in its face. Four years and four months ago she found herself in this very spot, before this very wall. The wall was empty then, though it wasn’t supposed to be. “Shit,” she mumbled to the blank wall. She held up her wrist and read...

7 likes

Until Sundown

Submitted to Contest #239

It was the type of sculpture that trapped Thalia in her room for days. Dried bits of clay were wedged beneath her fingernails and lightly speckled across her skin and overalls. She circled the sculpture meticulously smoothening its limbs, rounding the wrinkles in its clothes, and perfecting the curls on its head. She took a thumb, swept it across its bottom lip, and slowly stepped away from the sculpture until her calves brushed the edge of her bed. She didn’t know if it was the step back, the final smoothening of a feature, or her piercing ...

5 likes

That Pit in Your Stomach

Submitted to Contest #196

Swimming above the asphalt. Bathing in the rain. Blinded by lights that blur in the fog and twinkle in the raindrops. How did you get here? Your headache is back. The one you woke up with this morning. You swore you’d be fine, but deep down you knew you wouldn’t be. All day your head was throbbing on and off. You should have called in sick, but you don’t like the way you feel when you do. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to come in today,” you’d stammer. “Damn,” Jan would sigh quietly under her breath, but loud enough to travel to ...

9 likes