Rambling Beth

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (14)

14 Stories

1123 karma pts

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“Coeden y Bywyd” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #90

(trigger warning: some violence)Lauren looked down, horrified, at the blood pouring from Joshua’s stomach. She couldn’t look at his mouth, but the distorted mumbling of her name told her all she needed to know. Whoever that stranger had been, they’d punctured her brother’s lung.“Lauren,” Joshua garbled. Lauren raised a hand to cover his stomach, staring as his blood continued to spill. “Lo.”“Shh,” she said at last, unsure what else to do. “It’s going to be okay, Josh. I promise. I’ll call an ambulance. Yeah, everything's okay.”She winced at ...

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“Meek Maverick ” by Rambling Beth

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #87

“Did you hear? Maverick is in charge of the pranks for tomorrow.”“Meek Maverick? You can’t be serious.”Maverick frowned as his fellow trickster gods walked past, relieved they couldn’t see him. His body was well hidden under the office table. The office was a state, as always. Stacks of paper towered to the patchwork ceiling, and there were pens everywhere, completely hiding him. Maverick had never been more grateful he worked in the department of chaos, even if his fellow tricksters viewed him as nothing more than a joke.It wasn’t Maverick’...

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“An Understanding” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #76

The rain was pouring into Alex’s coffee cup. He stood, hair sticking to his forehead, and stared as the cup started overflowing, until it was near the brim. He held the cup tight, holding back a hiss as the fiery liquid burned his skin.Alex smoothed his tie and glanced back at his silver Lexus UX. He examined his reflection in the wing mirror. He stroked his hair, eyeing the bird’s nest that the combed strands had become. His suit still looked crisp, though, and his eyes weren’t red or puffy. The under-eye concealer he’d bought on a whim aft...

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“The Silent Sister” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #65

The lights are off in the house, and I can barely see as I follow my sister Lucy to the games room. She’s young, like me, and full of energy, which I lack. When we reach the games room, we find our brother, Christopher, and our mother, Josephine, sitting on a couch, looking drained. Christopher’s eyes are red, and mum’s face is gaunt, long, and tortured and pained. I wonder what’s wrong. They won’t tell me, even though I keep asking as loud as I can. Lucy crawls into mum’s arms on the opposite side of Christopher, leaving no room for me. ...

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“Three-Note Call” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #63

It’s getting colder again, and you know it’s time to move when you hear your father’s three-note call. The fields are glistening with snow, long circles of dark green grass diminishing until all that’s left is the sludge of white. Adorned with a silver frost, the red and yellow flowers have lost their colour. The only constant is the sky, which shines a brilliant blue. It’s your long winding road, your transportation, your perpetual home. You have a few others flying beside you. Your mother is ahead, her black and grey wings outspread. S...

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“Cardinal Spring Cottage” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #62

In Cardinal Spring Cottage, a light was flickering. A single flame, the only source of light in the entire cottage, burning in an almost unoccupied bedroom. Katherine sat on top of the covers, hugging her Raggedy Ann doll to her chest. Her covers were messy, overturned, and dusty, as if she had been moving around a lot in her sleep. A glass of water sat on the night desk next to her, untouched. She was too afraid to drink. Instead, she glanced at the candle, burning at her bedside table. She’d had to brave going down to the kitchen and lig...

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“Ginger Snap” by Rambling Beth

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #61

It’s time to visit my father again.I hate going there, hate visiting him when he’s no longer the man who raised me. The care home is only a fifteen-minute drive, but I avoid that route even when I need to go shopping. My mother phones me twice a day, always to check on how my father is, but never to check on me. I understand why. It’s hard for her, difficult to accept that her husband can’t remember the woman he married.I pull up into the car park, turn off the engine, and stare at the wheel for a good five minutes. The care home workers are...

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“The Nightly Visitor” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #58

The demon's next to my bed again. He's standing in the corner, watching me. I don't know much about him. All I know is that he's heavy. He sits on my chest when he appears and drags me down until I can't move. I try my hardest to lift my hand, desperate to slap the strange creature away, but I can't. I'm trapped on my back, forced to stare at the creature leaning over me, suffocating me with his mere presence. I've seen him three times. The first time was on Monday when I'd settled down to sleep with a nice warm cup of hot chocolat...

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“Document 779101 ” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #57

“Yeah, my grandfather was a bit of a photographer,” Carson said, shrugging his shoulders. He tried not to blush at Scarlett’s scrutinising gaze while he removed ‘Illustrations of a Broken Man’ from his rucksack. “This is his book.”“Someone you’re related to wrote a book?” Scarlett asked, raising a plucked eyebrow. “Sorry if I don’t believe it, Carlton.”“It’s… it’s Carson,” Carson said, but Scarlett ignored him and snatched the book from his hands. Carson kicked his legs together as she stared at the cover. It wasn’t the prettiest book, he kn...

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“Ten Months” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #56

There was silence in my house for the first time in ten months. Although I knew I should feel relieved, my body was numb, and it hurt to think. I tossed and turned in my king-size bed, fidgeting until even my sheets fell off. I’d planned on getting a mattress protector a year back, but then the baby had arrived a month early.When I’d given birth, they’d taken the baby from me, said she wasn’t breathing. I sat in that hospital bed, alone, trying to stop tears from pouring and blurring my vision. Jeremy had left me as soon as he found out I wa...

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“As The Days Go By” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #55

Monday I knew something was strange when my grandfather looked at my mother one day and declared that he wanted to explore. My grandfather had always been content with living in his brick house on the outskirts of London. His sudden declaration had taken both me and my mother by surprise. Still, we were delighted at his interest. He hadn’t ventured outside of the house since his wife, Alice, died ten years ago. I knew my mother had been hoping for a change in him; his sudden curiosity was very welcome. It was Monday, and raining, as it w...

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“The Silent Strand” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #54

Trigger warning: graphic violence Marcus quieted his breathing as he hid under the bed. The bedroom he was in was massive. There was a four-poster bed in the centre, the walls were white, and there was a massive television. He was grateful the owners of the house had forgotten to turn their television off when they left. The blasting audio made his heavy breathing almost silent in the recesses of the house. He glanced at his watch. Any minute now. Lucy and her worthless husband would be back from their weekly bingo nights. He’d been w...

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“Now or Never” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #53

“This place is beautiful, Jake,” Samantha said, staring out of the windscreen in awe. There were plentiful shrubs and blooming flowers surrounding them as they drove. “Why have you never taken me here before?”“I’ve been trying!” Jake spluttered; hands white from gripping the wheel so hard. “I’ve asked you every month, but you’ve always had an excuse. Oh, sorry Jake, they need me for another shift, oh, sorry Jake, my parents are having a barbecue, oh, sorry Jake.”“All valid excuses,” Samantha said.“Yes, they are,” Jake agreed, turning into a ...

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“A Second Chance” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #52

It’s been fifty years since he left me. My face now wrinkles and I have plenty of frown lines. When people pass me on the street, they no longer offer me a friendly greeting. Instead, they walk past me, laughing at an inside joke I’m not allowed to know. Some smile at me as I walk past them, trying their best not to stare at my wooden cane. I smile back, but my teeth are rotten from the lack of care I’ve shown them since he left me. I had been pretty once. Twenty-five, freshly graduated with a political science degree, and the entire wor...

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Author bio

Hello, I'm Bethan. Taking a little break from Reedsy but will hopefully be back soon! 26, from Wales. Just earned my Creative Writing Masters, and I'm here because I love to read and write. “After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman Shortlisted Stories: "Ginger Snap" / "Meek Maverick" I also have a poetry blog, if you enjoy poetry! https://sprinklingofpoetry.wordpress.com/

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #87

Meek Maverick – read story

Contest #61

Ginger Snap – read story