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Patricia Merewether

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (48)

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42 Followers

43 Following

48 Stories

1184 karma pts

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The Shaman

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #197

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't believe the stuff people put into their bodies, like too many blue pills or poppy seed muffins. Leah worked in the genetics lab...

12 likes

Mousee

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #195

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, Amanda's nickname, in Boston, was 'mouse' - she hated that. She'd been a small, shy, timid child and the victim of bullying. Her own brother started calling her, Mousee' and the name...

15 likes

Health Care Less

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #194

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 still here, doing what I do and feeling fine." "Gran, you said you had a headache last week, and that could be because your blood pressure is too hi...

19 likes

Thank You For Not Helping Me

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #193

"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 are to you, and the doc says you'll cannot lift anything over five pounds for quite a while, just to be on the safe side." "You talked to my doctor?" My mouth was dry, and my mind felt blurry. I knew how strict the privacy laws had ...

16 likes

Family Fugue

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #192

"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 children. I never believed her, so I'd...

12 likes

Hell is Planted With the Best Intentions

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #191

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, this is a great idea, but will you help me?“S...

15 likes

Where Is Here? - 2

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #190

"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 was gone when I got up this morning. ...

10 likes

Where Is Here?

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #189

"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 2, 2098:Page OneA b ...

11 likes

The Glacier Incident

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #188

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 I didn’t hear from him for a few weeks an...

13 likes

Surprise Gifts From the Forest

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #187

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 of deer re...

13 likes

Harold and Maude

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #187

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 head and said, "Harold, this is Maude! You have a new friend!" Another cat! Seriously? Why would they think that was a good idea? Don't they know by now tha...

14 likes

Danger Keep Out

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #186

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 for me. I love the forests, the deeper and the least amount of people, the better. I must confess that I’ve ignored a lot of signs saying ‘Private property’ because I know the owners and they’re happy to have someone checking on their places ‘up north ’I’m. I’m also used to forcing my way through thickets of...

17 likes

Things Could Be Worse

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #186

"What were you thinking when you asked to meet me in this place?""Look around, Dee.""At what? A nearly empty diner serving burnt coffee? Look at those poor desiccated plants in the window. They mended these pleather booths with duct tape, and they could at least use red to match. I don't think this place has changed since the fifties, and they're so far out of date that they're back in again!""Ignore all that. At least there are no TVs blaring sports from all sides. And people are having an actual conversation.""Yeah, all four of us.""Five i...

10 likes

The Man On The Radio

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #185

"It's Mine! And You Can't Have It!" is the title of Race Grimstead's latest book, our topic today."Mike listened to a talk radio station while driving home from work and chuckled. Thinking, wow, what an idiot this guy is. But he listened anyway. He started to consider what the 'idiot' was saying about possible grid failures, social unrest, blizzards in the north, and hurricanes in the south.' He reached home before the program ended, stepped out of his car, was grateful for his happy, everyday life, and gave the ideas no more thought."Are yo...

14 likes

Stitch and Mibs Save The World

Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #184

Stitch: I will never forget you saying, "Houston, We Have A Problem." We did, but you helped me fix it. If you are reading this, I have gone Home. I appreciate your assistance and patience, as my early entries show my naivete and unpreparedness for your world. I leave this journal and hope it will inspire your writing. Thank you, my friend. "Mibs"PREP:A med-tech applied patches to my skin to keep my body motionless and remove memories of the experience, which they learned was most unpleasant.The team used new coordinates and logistics to ens...

15 likes