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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2020
Submitted to Contest #89
The same thought kept going through Alveera’s mind round and round again: I can’t believe I’m doing this. She’d spent many hours during the past four years watching other people do things like this, fully believing in their actions, but now she was beginning to doubt herself. The queue of bathers ahead of her followed a curve around a wall of cement made to look like it had been carved out of the Earth. With the wall in the way, she was still to catch her first glimpse of him in real life. When she did, all her doubts were washed away.The re...
Submitted to Contest #88
As she lay slumped over her bed, sobbing inconsolably with her head buried in her arms, Princess Fiadh heard her father’s angry stomps receding into the distance. Her mother’s calm, calculated steps, however, grew closer, until the edge of her bed sank slightly and a hand was placed on her shoulder.“Think carefully about it, Fiadh. Don’t make any rash decisions you’re bound to regret. Your father is only doing what he thinks is best for you.”“No!” replied the princess, her arms muffling her voice. “I’ve made my choice. Now leave me alone!”Th...
Submitted to Contest #84
“You know, Frank, I think it’s our anniversary today. One year exactly since we first walked into this room.” The words came out with a stickiness to them, several letters being reduced to one every time his teeth closed down on his food. The meat had slid cleanly off the bone and was perfectly tender, but he’d torn off a larger piece than he’d planned to and now found himself having to chew exhaustively before swallowing. “I know, I know,” he continued, enunciating much more clearly after having gulped most of it down with some water, “ther...
Submitted to Contest #83
You tear and claw at the water, fighting to pull yourself up and out, a fight countless others have lost, a fight you know you must win. The sea holds an irresistible grip on you, invisible tendrils wrapping around you and pulling you deeper and deeper – or so your instinct tells you, your brain incapable of telling you where up and down are. If being washed overboard wasn’t enough to disorient you, the impact of something dangerously close to your temple as you crashed over the railing – cargo? A loose line? The railing itself? – ensures it...
Submitted to Contest #82
“… and may they deem us fit for the Palace of Eternity.” The congregation spoke out the words as one and fell silent, every head looking down at the floor. Other than the occasional sniff or cough, the only thing breaking the silence was the rhythmic drip-drip of some new leak that had appeared in the last ten minutes. He would find out where it was once everyone was gone. Now, though, he too kept his head bowed, his eyes glued on the rotting and chipped floorboards that made do as a floor. A foot in front of him, a particularly large stain ...
Submitted to Contest #71
DEBRIEFING NUMBER: KL156-396/R6. LOCATION: Base 302, Building 2, Room -448. PRESENT: Agent Harper (lead investigator); Agent codename Labrador. DATE: [REDACTED]. TRANSCRIPT: Harper: Good evening, Agent Labrador. I am Agent Harper. Labrador: Hi, hello. H: I am assuming you have been informed of the purpose of this debriefing. Is that correct? L: Uhm, not exactly, no. But I have a fair idea. [both agents remain silent for several seconds] H: Would you like to tell us what that idea is? L: Right, yes. I, eh, I was in charge of the Agency’s ce...
Submitted to Contest #65
“I’m no sure we have the energy for all of that, Dave,” said Neil. “But it’s quite the memory trip, I’ll give you that.” “Aye, it is. Be good to see what’s changed and what hasn’t, don’t you think?” “Depressing is what it’ll be, if you ask me.” “Depressing?” chuckled Dave. “Wait till I tell you what the last stop is, pal.” “The last–? Aw, no Dave. Please tell me it isn’t the bloody cemetery.” Dave nodded, the smile never leaving his face. “Come on, Dave, you know I hate those places. What have we lost there anyway?” “We could pay old Hedge a...
Submitted to Contest #64
“That’s seventeen pounds and forty-three pence, Mrs Hartridge.” Margaret flipped open her purse, where she found two ten-pound notes. One of them was of the older kind, the ones they were phasing out, which she recognised as the one she’d found in a pair of Harry’s trousers as she’d emptied his wardrobes. Her eyes paused briefly over it, but quickly held it out together with the other one. Mr Tennison, however, remained motionless behind the counter, save for an apologetic shake of his head. “I’m afraid we don’t take cash anymore, Mrs. Hartr...
Submitted to Contest #62
He’s here, Dr. Pérez.” Sandra felt every muscle at the back of her throat contract as she swallowed hard, something she didn’t remember ever feeling before. The excitement that had been dominating most of her morning suddenly turned sour as she realised what it was they were about to do. She cleared her throat discretely, a hand over her mouth, before replying. “Thank you, Xavier. I’ll be in shortly. Could you help Mr. Beauchamp into the chamber and start prepping him, please?” Xavier nodded and walked back out the door, which clicked bac...
Submitted to Contest #61
The inside of the car was nice and toasty after having had the heating on during the fifteen minute drive to the train station. It had been harder than he expected to find a parking space in the usually empty parking lot of the station, but Tom had finally found a spot and was now mentally preparing himself for the upcoming shock of the crisp Autumn air waiting for him outside. As expected, a rush of cold air surrounded him as he climbed out of the car, and a wave of goosebumps began to wash over his whole body. He shivered, but as he did hi...
Submitted to Contest #60
“Ugh, Jack is being quite the nightmare today. Poor kid, though,” said Christine. “Poor kid?” replied Hellen. “I was helping Jessica find the right crayons for her drawing, but before she could make a choice Jack grabbed the whole bunch of them and flung them out the window. Not only that, but when I asked him to bring them back he launched the cello tape after them. Don’t you go poor kidding him.” They looked over at the mats next to the wall, where the children were fast asleep after a messy and exhausting lunch. Jack was at the far end, c...
Submitted to Contest #59
The ascent is gruelling, but you do not complain, no point in complaining, nobody to complain to anyway. You use the large dimples in the sand as makeshift steps, an uneven staircase that clumsily leads to the top, most of them sinking a couple of inches as they take in your weight, making you feel like you are walking up an escalator going down. Not all of them sink, though. Some of the them remain in place, stable, steady, lifting your body and your trodden spirits alike, small comforts in this tribulation of yours. But those are few. Mo...
Submitted to Contest #56
Kelly looked down over the banister onto the large atrium, where the bulk of the party was taking place. How long had she been wandering upstairs for? There were still plenty of people on the first floor, enough to constitute a successful party, but the amount of people crammed into the one living room downstairs was astounding. Small gaps here and there revealed its three-dimensionality, but at a first glance one could easily have thought a large, multi-coloured quilt had been spread out over the entire room and was swaying gently to and fr...
Submitted to Contest #50
"Initiate systems check." "Roger that, Commander Itri," replied Sterling. "Initiating systems check. Mission Specialist Estrella. Fuel?" "All in order, boss." "Mission Specialist Hoshiko. Airlocks?" The question hung in the air for several seconds, an old-timey radio-like crackling the only reply, interrupted by the occasional high-pitched grunt. As he waited for an answer he became fully aware of the ship's stifling heat, which was only made worse by the insulation layer that lined the inside of his space suit. Several beads of sweat formed...
Submitted to Contest #49
"Is this seat taken?" Jo looked up at the person who had asked the question. It was a woman close to her own age, perhaps a bit older. Definitely not past her early thirties – either that or her olive skin was the best she had ever seen. Her dark, silky hair was tied expertly in a bun, with something resembling a worn down chopstick piercing it at a stylish, uneven angle. As Jo's eyes had looked up at her, they had taken in the three items of clothing she was wearing: flip-flops, a pair of sweatpants and a faded t-shirt, the only thing still...
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