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Penelope Stansfield

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2024

Stories (40)

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84 Followers

101 Following

40 Stories

1268 karma pts

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A fleeting present predicament of past and future

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #289

Once, in a time not unlike ours, in a nearby land, lived a man and a woman known as Mr and Mrs Fleet.  They inhabited a house that was neat and modest in size, positioned within a row of other neat and modest sized houses with tidy gardens to the rear and well presented driveways to the front.  The residents of these houses, much like their homes, were orderly, predictable and polite, going about their lives in a tidy and modest way.  To any casual observer, everything appeared exactly as it should - regular and routine, with ...

21 likes

Learning to breathe again

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #288

The solitary figure had been leaning on the wall across the road for at least an hour, with no company except for the lone jackdaw that hopped from one door to the next. Stella peered anxiously around the corner of her living room window, glad of the voile curtain that afforded her a little privacy. The figure’s head bent downwards against the deluge of rain that had set in earlier that afternoon, their face hidden beneath the tent-like hood of a yellow mackintosh. Their hands were stuffed into deep pockets, feet in long rubbe...

21 likes

A cup of mortal longing

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #287

Gillian carried the tray of trembling white porcelain between the tables of the busy cafe, heading towards the corner and the only empty seat.  Once settled at the formica table, on a small, unnecessarily hard chair, she set out her tea things, poured a cup from the bullet shaped teapot and sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.  ‘How a cramped little cafe can be such a source of bliss,’ she thought to herself, and then reached into her bag and took out her paperback, placing it carefully on the table, establishing herself in the co...

15 likes

The boy, the sheep and the forest

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #286

Doran had never travelled beyond the village before, and as he stood at the edge of the narrow dirt track winding into the distant hills, he was filled with anticipation of the journey ahead.  The two sheep, destined for market in the neighbouring village, tugged gently at their ropes and Doran felt a swell of pride at the responsibility his father had bestowed on him with this important task, but his mother’s parting words had instilled a lingering sense of trepidation in the young man.  "Stay on the path," she’d warned him that m...

13 likes

Public enema and other modern stuff of 1989

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #285

”Any sausages left mum?” I swirl the stubby end of my last sausage in the cooling gravy, catching bits of mashed potato clinging to the edge of the plate. “All gone Mark, need to save some for your dad,” mum at the sink, tipping frying pan fat into an empty baked bean can.  “He’s on a late shift, will be home later.” She covers the sausages, mash, and gravy with an upside-down plate and sets it on the cooker, ready to warm over boiling water when Dad gets home.  I keep telling them to get a microwave, everyone else has one but mum ...

13 likes

The River and the Red Tree

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #284

“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Sally lifted another box onto the kitchen table and began unpacking more crockery, “the way the solicitors dragged their feet, I never thought we’d move in on time.”“Well, we’re here now,” said Pete, putting down his drill and hugging his wife, nuzzling her neck beneath her dark hair.“Hey, no time for that, get on with putting up those shelves,” said Sally playfully, pushing Pete away, “it would be nice to get things sorted and unpacked, I thought we might go to the village pub later, show our faces, mee...

16 likes

The seventh setting

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #283

For a moment, Hannah stood by her car at the end of the driveway, cold white flakes falling silently around her, reminding her of childhood, when Christmas had felt soft and light, frosted with the essence of secrets and mystery. At the top of the drive, an expensive looking Range Rover belonging to Peter, her brother-in-law, looked down at Hannah’s battered old Renault, which sat meekly close to the roadside, an appropriate distance away from the house.Hannah curled her cold fingers around the handles of the bag of gifts, took a deep b...

10 likes

The small impression that we leave

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #281

Another knock at the door and Susan hastened down the hallway to welcome her friends.  “Come in, Alice, Bobby, oh, I love that dress, wine, oh thank you!” “How are you Susan?  It’s been ages since we’ve seen you.” “Oh, you know, here, give me your coats, Darren, Darren?!  Can you get a drink for Alice and Bobby please?” “Hello you two, good to see you!  What will it be Bob?  Beer, whisky?  G and T Alice?” Darren led Alice and Bobby to the modest, mid-century living room where the other friends and neighbours wer...

17 likes

A Tale to Tell

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #280

”Is anyone sitting here?” Harriet looked up at the older woman standing at the other end of the bench. “No, not that I can see,” she responded, thinking to herself ‘does it look like anyone’s sitting there?’  Her day had been hectic and she desperately wanted to get home. The woman sat down, fussing her fur coat around her, and shifting her ample bosom into place.  “I hear the train to Foschester is delayed, how bothersome.” “Yes, it is, I’m not sure what’s happening,” Harriet glanced at the woman and then resumed her gaze on the d...

13 likes

The Space Behind the Curtains

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #279

“So yeah, it’s all good, just so long as his wife doesn’t find out,” my friend, Lucy, is updating me on her latest conquest.  She always was a one for the boys and now that she’s in her fifties, nothing’s changed, flitting from one bloke to the next, but that’s her way and a sight raising of my eyebrows is the most I ever respond with.  None of us is perfect. “Anyway,” she continues, sipping her flat white spiced cinnamon something or other, “what are you up to tonight whilst Justin’s away?  Got anything planned?” she adds wit...

19 likes

The Blue Envelope

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #278

She grasps for something, anything to cling to, as the maelstrom increases its ferocity, shattering Sophie’s world into fractured pieces. But there is nothing and no one to catch her, and she stumbles downwards, numbed and tortured, further and deeper she spirals, twisting into the dark unknown towards the locked door that she’s never dared approach and whose handle she would never turn. Now the door shudders open on screeching hinges, releasing a tempest that swirls around Sophie’s blinded eyes, her ears deafened by the howling, t...

13 likes

Many a Fool

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #277

Over the centuries, many mortals and fools, have attempted to reach the remote village of Whalescliffe, nestled far between the rocks, forest and sea, protected from the kingdom beyond. Memories of the small hamlet, only accessible from land through the ancient forests, are now lost to time and few have heard stories of the tiny community perched beneath the cliffs, looking out across the cold Elfin Sea. The hidden trails, once woven across the forest floor, are now gone, free from uninvited visitors for longer than living memory. ...

17 likes

Captivating Chaos

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #275

One careless afternoon, Sam had accidentally agreed to attend the ‘Captivating Chaos’ exhibition as suggested by his secretary, and now, despite himself, he was making his way to an unfamiliar part of the city. After leaving his apartment, he’d navigated the bustling city centre where the Saturday shoppers were now transmuting into evening drinkers, flooding the wine bars and bistros. The begrudging light of a grey November day had gone, and the heavy darkness of late autumn settled in the shadows and doorways, too thick for the city’s ...

18 likes

The Rider on the Wheel

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #274

The small shop at number thirteen Temperance Street had stood desolate and empty, ever since old lady Morrison closed down her sweet-shop and died. That had been three years ago, the time it had taken her family and their solicitors to quarrel over the late spinster’s estate, and once a truce had been reached, the little shop was finally sold. So, one damp October morning, after months of rumour and speculation, number thirteen Temperance Street reopened to a curious and suspicious gathering of townsfolk.“Well I’ll be damned if I k...

12 likes

The closeness of shadows

Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #273

Shirley had known Agatha for as long as she could remember, inseparable since infant school. So when Agatha suddenly disappeared that June without a word, it felt like Shirley had lost a part of herself, and the months that followed were filled with heartbreak and unanswered questions. But then, five months later, Agatha came back, just as suddenly as she’d left.Shirley was thrilled to begin with, her lifelong friend had returned to their small town and everything that had been disturbed was now slotted back into place, but things ...

14 likes