Patricia Merewether

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (36)

36 Stories

871 karma pts

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“Taken” by Patricia Merewether

"Fill your mind before you empty your mouth." ― Habeeb Akande Anna sucked in sweet fresh air through a small opening at the bottom of her prison's door. She listened to crickets and peeper frogs, wishing she was back in her cottage with her parents and little brother. This tiny, dark, stone cell only revealed a slice of daylight when someone brought her meal and changed her water buc...

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“Travelers” by Patricia Merewether

“What if God was one of us?Just a slob like one of usJust a stranger on the busTrying to make His way home.”Alanis MorissetteTravelersI looked out of my third-floor walk-up apartment and groaned. Another four inches of snow atop the original covering of ice. I was really tired of clearing snow and scraping ice from my car, this was the third day in a row. I was also a bit fearful of doing another impromptu break dance routine on patches of black ice. My boyfriend had dumped m...

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“Another Brick In The Wall” by Patricia Merewether

Katy looked around her ugly gray cubical, and the walls started to grow taller, then they turned to brick. She closed her eyes; the twelve-hour work days, caring for her dying father, and being dumped by her fiance made her edgy and tired, or like a machine. Four people worked with her in the advertising department of a city newspaper, and companies paying for the operation by buying ad space dwindled more daily. Her sta...

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“The Shaman” by Patricia Merewether

I never believed in sage burning, gem mooning, or shamans until I met Leah. She was always happy and cheerful, and it wasn't an act. She was wise beyond her thirty-something years and became my best friend. We worked in the medical lab of a major hospital in Ohio. I enjoyed my work, but it brought me little joy. I verified testing results, such as blood counts, checking pee for illegal substances, etc. You wouldn...

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“Mousee” by Patricia Merewether

Amanda's body shook as she bolted the cabin door, then stared at her bloody body and clothing. She checked on Lily, her infant daughter, who'd cried herself to sleep. Amanda washed the blood from her body, then soaked her clothes in the washtub. She pulled on some of Jame's clothes. She wondered what her family would think of her now. Several years earlier, Aman...

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“Health Care Less” by Patricia Merewether

Jen opened her grandmother's screen door and stepped into the kitchen. Marie glanced up from her rocker between the stove and the window and continued crocheting. "'I'm not going." "Gran, please? You have to go for a checkup if you want to refill your pills. The ones for your blood pressure are important." "I haven't taken them for six months or more, so I guess I don't need them since I'm...

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“Thank You For Not Helping Me” by Patricia Merewether

"Integrity is when our words and deeds are consistent with our intentions." Simon Sine " It surprised me when my neighbor and friend Marie entered my hospital room. "We'll help, Maddy," My dear neighbor took my hand. "All of us will, Mrs. Martin, Lisa, all the neighbors, because we know how important your gardens ...

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“Family Fugue” by Patricia Merewether

"Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife."– Kahlil GibranSomeone told me, "Maybe you don't want to know." This might be true, but what could be more traumatic than I imagined? No one in the family will tell me why, but my parents left me with relatives for my first four years.Dad wouldn't talk about it, and Mom said they left me with my paternal grandparents because she and Dad were building a house and couldn't find a place to rent that allowed c...

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“Hell is Planted With the Best Intentions” by Patricia Merewether

I should have seen this one coming when I heard Sharron’s voice on the phone. “Maddy?”“Yes?”I need your help. I have a plan, but I cannot pull it off alone. I want to surprise the residents of that high-rise old folks’ apartment building with flowers.”“You mean to send them all flowers? Are you crazy? That will cost a fortune, even if we get them at Walmart and deliver them ourselves. There must be two-hundred people living there!”“No, I have a different kind of floral delivery plan.”“Uh oh.”“No, ...

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“Where Is Here? - 2” by Patricia Merewether

"Speak now. We want that book, Mrs. Skinner."Mildred's body shook, and her legs felt weak. "What do you want me to say? I don't have it anymore.""The Journal? The one, your son found and gave you. We have your letter to the Smithsonian and your transcriptions. Hand it over."Mildred was tired. She just wanted this blustering man and his driver to return to the black Land Rover with tinted windows to leave. "I don't have it.""We'll go away after you give it to us.""It was on my bedside table last night and...

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“Where Is Here?” by Patricia Merewether

"The Oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." H.P. Lovecraft.My grandson found this book in the woods and brought it to me. I’m 90 years old and still remember how to read and write (New American English). It’s taking me longer than I expected to translate because it is handwritten in cursive, a very old form of writing and old English. I’m sending a copy of what I've written so far to the New American Smithsonian. Regards, Marie Bradford May...

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“The Glacier Incident” by Patricia Merewether

Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.– Jane AustenHave you ever had a terrible day when someone says, “You’ll laugh about this in the future?” Do you want to smack them with a pool noodle? Well, don't; they are right.Matt’s friend fixed us up for a blind date. We were both breaking up with our partner, so Matt and I chatted on the phone, sharing words of woes and support, and became friends.A second date also went well, lunch at a local diner, where we talked for hours. Then...

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“Surprise Gifts From the Forest” by Patricia Merewether

Mother nature has more surprises in her bag of tricks than we give her credit for. I interviewed Mike for a school assignment after he'd received an eagle (a dead one) which is a high honor to use in ceremonies. Mike is a Chippewa who helped me use nature as a form of therapy.I walk a short distance on our country road and into the woods each morning. I stand quietly in the same spot, and wait, as Mike taught me how nature would help and present me with a gift of knowledge or sometimes a surprise. My gifts included watching a herd ...

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“Harold and Maude” by Patricia Merewether

Harold and Maude I have to tell you how angry and disappointed I am. My dinner was so late that it was dark outside when they returned. They told me they were going out to get me a surprise, so I let the late dinner slide. But then they came home with my surprise, and I just wanted to jump up on that knick-knack shelf and knock every smashy thing onto the floor! The female scratched my h...

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“Danger Keep Out” by Patricia Merewether

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.T. S. EliotI stumbled upon the area while photographing and cataloging wild mushrooms of Michigan for MSU, a job I believe is the best in the world, at least ...

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Author bio

I love writing, painting, and rescuing plants, animals, and people. My favorite authors are Shirley Jackson, Anne Tyler, Charlotte Perkins Gilmor, Ron Rash, John Steinbeck, Margaret Attwood, Alice Hoffman . . . and so many others. Feel free to contact me at: patsarts@comcast.net