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Renee Yancey

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2023

Stories (49)

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10 Followers

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49 Stories

310 karma pts

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Lost ( from hell)

Renee Yancey

It took me a few seconds to realize I was utterly and completely lost. My eyes scan the street, searching for anything that looks familiar. My heart starts to pound when I realize that not a thing does. A sick feeling draws my stomach up into a tight ball. I feel sweat cover my brow despite the cool evening air. I have been just walking, trying to work out the situation with him. Whether we stay together, if I can trust him after what he did. Walking helps to settle my mind but now I have walked too far. The issue of his cheating falls way t...

2 likes

What you Know

Renee Yancey

“Write what you know?” She studies us, her wide eyed and eager students, “Old advice and advice only for new writers, like yourselves. Think about it, if you continue to write only what you know as you develop skills, you will quickly run out of ideas. But now… for this first assignment, I what you to write what you know.” Even though I am working on a nursing degree, this creative writing class is my favorite of the semester. Maybe it should have been a sign. At the time I thought it was just a way to relax after the more intense classes. T...

3 likes

Just a Story

Renee Yancey

“It isn't my fault,” her laughter has an hysterical bent to it, “it was just a story that had to be told. How was I too know it would do all this?” Her hands fist on the table causing the handcuffs to rattle. Her eyes look past the grey walls and the officers sitting in a semicircle on the other side of her. “I think you better start at the beginning.” The lead detective says. Her unfocused eyes blink a few times in rapid succession before turning to him. “The beginning? That is easy. It started with the story idea. It woke me up at midnigh...

2 likes

The One

Renee Yancey

The Secretary of Health.” He frowns. “Beth Harper?” “Yes, why? It is just a precaution. Some in the line has to sit it out. That's all.” “I know,” He drops into the seat in front of the desk, “ is the country ready for a female president?” His boss laughs. “Yes. Besides that, if she becomes that, the country will have a bigger problem than her gender.” “A very good point.” She sits in her office, signing papers when the President walks in. Startled, she jumps up. “Good evening sir.” “Relax Beth. Please have a seat.” she sits back down. ...

1 like

Childhood

Renee Yancey

Fresh cut grass. Popsicles melting on hands. The taste of slightly warm water from the garden hose. Hot pavement under feet before a quick jump into a pool instantly cools them. New jeans and t-shirts and sweaters as the days get shorter and cooler. Brand new trapper keepers full of college lined crisp paper. Freshly sharpened number 2 pencils. Sneakers that have to be broken in. Beans and hammocks simmering on the wood stove. Mittens, hats, and scarfs dying beside them. Snow melting on the floor. Hands warmed by homemade coco and the heat...

2 likes

Therapy Session

Renee Yancey

What I did, how can I ever get forgiveness for that? You say it is easy, just ask for it. Hah! You don't understand. If it was just me then… It wasn't, err isn't. If it was just me, then well… but it wasn't. Don't you understand. No, you can't. You would have never. No one decent would have. I know, I know. I can't be held responsible for what I did before I knew, and understand my own childhood issues. It is easy enough to understand intellectually. But… My heart knows better. The deepest part of me understands that I should have known. I ...

2 likes

Just Three Minutes

Renee Yancey

“How long?” She sighs as she answers him once again. It is the third time he has asked since she brought the test in here to her bathroom. “Three minutes,” at his groan she adds, “Hey it used to be a lot longer. Mom said it took ten minutes to find out I was on the way.” She meant to be flippant, to change the tense atmosphere of the room. “Good Lord!” He sputters out as he starts pacing around the confines of the bathroom. There isn't a lot of space to walk. Between the bathtub, toilet, and sink, as well as the stand alone shelving, he can ...

2 likes

Stray

Renee Yancey

She sits still, hoping not to be seen just as she is desperate to be. Where her person has gone, she can't know. All she knows is she is gone. Now she sits amongst the trash, as thrown away as the rubbish that surrounds her. All she has known is deprivation. The adult that was with her has moved her from place to place, providing enough substance to survive but not thrive. Still, her presence was safe, her version of a lovey. Without her, she feels completely lost. Her knees shield her chest, protecting her like a prey animal protects its th...

1 like

Fate

Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #289

It was to be a quick trip before she starts her career. She recently graduated from college with a degree in finance and will be starting a job with a major bank in a month. Before the pressure of starting her life as a real adult, this trip, camping for a week in her favorite spot, all alone, will allow her to rest and renew. That is the plan. She parks her Chevy in the parking lot at the start of the trail. Opening the trunk, she lifts out her pack. It is heavy, filled with all she needs for the week. Camping pans and a stove, a sleeping b...

7 likes

Tea with Mom

Renee Yancey

There are many things she misses, many things she would love to have back again. One of the ones that presses on her heart most, is a simple cup of tea. Her mom took it as God made it, without sweetener. You knew the cup she used most because it was constantly stained with tea. No matter how much they washed it, it would never come fully clean. Now that all her cups are free of stains, she would give almost anything to see a tea stain again. They would sit at the dining room table, a jigsaw puzzle between them, hot tea within arms reach and ...

2 likes

How Cold Was It?

Renee Yancey

How cold was it? You tell me. What is the freezing point of neon? The bank sign, which usually flashes the time and weather, is fully frozen. It’s neon solid frozen as solid as everything around it. In Northern America, cold isn’t unexpected but this cold… no. The above the fold headline in the local paper shows a picture of the bank sign with the caption, “How cold is it? You don’t want to know.” They didn't. Nor did they want to know how cold it would get. But they found out.The local news was all about the weather. Stories about emergency...

2 likes

The End?

Renee Yancey

He didn’t think his life could get any worse. The stiff blanket twists around his thin body as he wakes up under a bridge, to the strange quiet, he begins to believe he is wrong. Homeless for five years now, he is used to waking up to the sound of the city around him. Honks and the sound of people talking, fighting, and making up. This morning though, there was none of that. No sound of cars moving over him. No sound of birds. Really, no sound of anything outside of his own labored breathing.  A frown as he tries to recall whether today...

2 likes

The Stepsister

Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #277

I know. I know I got a bad reputation in the story. Called evil even. I am not. No, just a grieving daughter. They ( the other reporters) forget why I was her stepsister in the first place. It is all about Ella. Is my frustration showing? Forgive me. Let me take you back to the time before. “I am sorry. There is nothing more we can do.” I sat beside my mom and sister in the doctor ‘s office. My father lays in a hospital bed a few doors away. He got weak just six short months before then. Tests and scans finally gave us the answer. Cancer. Ag...

16 likes

The Vegan Vampire

Renee Yancey

Her human memories grow vaguer every day. For a while, she tried to hang on to them. The changes are so severe, she thought if she could recall what it is like to be human, she could maintain her sanity. Even as they grow farther away, she holds on to one thing. She won't take a human life, no matter what.  “Still holding on to your vamp vegetarianism, I see,” Sophia snears, “you're a vampire. Embrace it.” She shakes her head, turning away as Sophia drains the blood of her helpless victim. “I am good with animals.” “Surviving but not th...

1 like

Jigsaw Puzzle

Renee Yancey

Jigsaw Puzzle The table is lit by the overhead light. Outside the fluttering curtains the moon adds a sliver of light. At the table, a mom and daughter sit over a thousand piece puzzle. The clock on the stove turns over another hour. Neither woman pays attention to it. Their entire focus is on finishing the puzzle and the conversation they are having. *Are you sure?” The daughter nods. “He is the one. Mom, I know you have concerns. He isn't, dad.” The older woman pushes her hair out of her face where it has come loose from the ponytail it i...

2 likes