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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2023
Submitted to Contest #261
I would rather die than have a pacemaker! That was my reaction when it became a possibility. Forty years as a marathoner and triathlete and I could possibly have a heart issue? No way! I had no family history, ate well and exercised more than most people on earth. The possibility just did not compute. It all started during my Sunday mile swim when I couldn’t catch my breath after two laps and almost passed out on the fourth. It had to be a fluke. Maybe I was overtraining. In any case, I slowed my pace and finished the mile. ...
Submitted to Contest #260
The moment she popped out of her mother’s womb, she was destined to be a superstar. Or so the family thought. Her father was an accomplished concert pianist, and her mother sang opera at the Met. Her grandfather had been the composer for the stars and her grandmother, an accomplished actress. How could she not make her mark in the arts. Even her name Star screamed success. She was an adorable baby with blonde hair and blue eyes. As she grew her beauty only increased. She reached puberty earlier than most of her peers and was a fashion model ...
Submitted to Contest #259
Jim and Judy seemed like the ideal couple. They expressed their love for each other daily. They had been married for twenty years and had two kids and loved their Jobs. Judy was a water lawyer who worked for the government and Jim was an architect. Jim’s childhood friends lived next store. Keri and Steve had been Jim’s best friends since seventh grade. When Steve became romantically involved with Keri, Jim would almost always accompany them on their dates. Neither Keri nor Jim seemed to mind. In fact, they encouraged it. Once Judy came on th...
Submitted to Contest #258
The PhotographThe photograph of the American president sleeping with the Russian president’s sixteen-year-old daughter had long been a chess piece held by the Russian leader. Every time, the American president threatened to do anything that went against Russian interests, the threat of its release stopped him cold. Slowly but surely, the U.S. was becoming a satellite of Russia. The Ukrainian internment camps were just the tip of the iceberg. Book banning and the rise of the Russian Orthodox church were the most recent evidence of Russian inf...
Submitted to Contest #243
Why do they talk baby talk to me? Okay, I could understand it when I was a puppy but I’m 12. That’s 84 in their years. My people talk normally to each other, but their voices change, and their vocabulary becomes infantile when they address me. It’s does little Lila want a treat? Or can you give me your paw, sit or speak? Of course, I can sit but I’m an old lady. It takes time. I can speak but in a foreign language. Pici and Kaya, my buddies understand me, but the only time my people do is when I try to get their attention. It’s time related....
Submitted to Contest #242
It was 1974 and I was on my first tour of Europe. My student rail pass allowed me to travel cheaply through Western Europe. My backpack and sleeping bag were my only luggage and slept most nights in hostels or public parks. I was one of hundreds of international students travelling the continent that summer. We all had our stories. Most travelers were in pairs, I was solo. My best friend, Bob, had bailed at the last minute. I figured travelling alone would force me to break out of my shyness. So far, it hadn’t worked. I was f****** lone...
Submitted to Contest #230
New year’s resolutions December 31 Find a new home (living in the back of my car doesn’t cut it) Stop taking drugs (I can’t afford them anymore) Find a new dealer (oops, I think I just contradicted myself) Maybe change my drug of choice (Fentanyl is just too damned expensive and dangerous) Make up with Zelda (but she won’t take me back unless I stop using) See more of my kids (but first Zelda has to reverse the court order) Get out of New York city (but I’ll need new dealers and never see my kids) Stop contradicting myself (I’ll be clearer w...
Submitted to Contest #228
The sign said Magic Mystery Tour Bakery. Jed and Mary had heard about it from some college friends. For two weeks that was all they could talk about.“You’ve got to try their baked goods, man. They were truly magical. After a few bites, I felt I was on an acid trip, just like my folks described. The host insisted their goods were drug free. There were a few cops in the shop buying muffins so I gotta believe, they’re on the up and up. Try their Magic Mystery chocolate cake. It will transport you to a different world.” Jake was rapturous in his...
Submitted to Contest #227
I hated Toronto winters. They dragged on and on. I missed the sun and its warmth. It wasn’t just cold. The wind and dampness made it bone chilling. As runners, Peter and I would slosh and slide through the slush and snow on the sidewalks. My feet would burn until they became numb. My shoes and socks would retain their wetness and add to my misery. I could not find gloves warm enough to prevent my fingers from turning purple and feeling like they were on fire. It wasn’t until much later that I discovered I had Raynaud’s phenomenon. My little ...
I have always been a chocoholic. When I was born my dad gave out chocolate cigars. It may have been a harbinger of things to come. As long as I can remember, there was a chocolate dish served with every meal. Chocolate cake, pudding, pie, all were sweet desserts served with every meal during family dinners. Then there were the appropriately named chocolate kisses my uncle Joe brought me every few weeks. I savored them as I would savor kisses from my wife. They flooded me with oxytocin and brought me to a level of ecstasy that I would only ex...
Submitted to Contest #225
Layla was awfully affectionate when I returned from work today. She had that postcoital glow about her. When I asked her what was up, she looked at me with those moony eyes, I only see after intense love making. She seemed to think that I should know the source of her bliss. Yet I was clueless, so I had to ask: “What’s going on? You seem to be on cloud nine.” Layla gave me a warm smile and answered: “You know.” I shrugged my shoulders and answered: “No I really don’t.” “That was some gift you gave me at lunch.” Layla embraced me and kissed m...
Submitted to Contest #224
“I can’t sleep.” Lester whispered as he rolled over in bed and touched Marge gently. Marge, his wife, was snoring loudly making it impossible for Lester to fall asleep. He had spent the last few nights sampling a variety of ear plugs and even tried wearing a noise cancelling headset to no avail. It was driving him crazy and effecting his work. Lester operated heavy machinery in a car factory and could not afford to be sleepless. He tried to be patient and understanding but his lack of sleep made him irritable. They had been married for twent...
Submitted to Contest #223
Teddy sat in the university auditorium with his study partner, Suman. They were psyched. Two weeks of studying together for this biology exam made them well prepared. They expected perfect scores. After all they were both ace students. Suman’s parents were both revered academics in India who had been educated in Canada at the university of Toronto and Suman was following in their footsteps. He had always been the top of his class in India and since his arrival in Toronto stood first or second in his class. His competition was Teddy. It seeme...
Submitted to Contest #222
He glided through the hospital hallway as if he was walking on air. Brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, it was the first day of his fellowship. Ronny Livingston had accumulated awards and accolades everywhere he went. Through college, medical school, internship and residency, he had shone. It was his destiny to excel, be the best. His parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts told him so. You could tell just looking at him that he was something special. He was tall, had a high forehead, a Roman nose, upturned mouth and those penetrating d...
Submitted to Contest #221
Son, I read your letters every day. Keep them coming. I know there are skeptics out there that don’t believe that we are in contact with the living but trust me, we are. I am always with you and follow you in your daily life. I can see dangers before you do and can travel far and wide. It’s actually freeing to be extracorporeal. The sky’s the limit takes on new meaning when you’re dead. I watched the fires devastate your beautiful town and take away your family. I’m sure you felt my tears and sorrow. Dad and I wanted so much to hug and comfo...
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