Sahara Carter

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (6)

6 Stories

132 karma pts

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“Home body ” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #247

I made my home, next to a liquor store, in a wooden house as cold and unappealing as I was.The "open" sign provided a glowing metaphor in March:there is light in the dark.A kitschy sign hangs in my living room too, above a stack of firewood, acquired from a nearby yard sale that says, "Home is your sanctuary."I discovered that it is easy to preserve the sanctuary - just don’t leave.And don't we all know how easy it is to just not leave. Those sweet weekends of pure dilapidation, the unruly lacking, the euphoria of di...

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“The Fort People” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #90

We sit outside before midnight to listen for footsteps from the desert. I ask the man next to me why the spirits look like one of us. He says we can only see what we understand. His rough hand plops down on my head. “You ready kid?” Once the noise dies down, we stomp out the fire and shake the smoke from our blankets. I dig out the last scoop of beans and lick my fingers. The cans clink together in my bag while we walk toward our forts. I duck my head to get inside our dusty room. My brother shoves an old wooden doo...

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“Vanilla” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #76

There are only so many faces in this world. I see them all, banded together, waiting to devour me. The ambiance of the lobby does not suit the guest the size of a dragon, who stands above me with only the counter between us for protection. I smell the caramel candy tucked in her cheek, clicking from tooth to tooth while she spits at me I need to talk to your manager. The air outside is dark and frigid. My manager hides in her office with three space heaters tucked under her desk. She is afraid of the guests, who only want to t...

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“Where Juniper Grows ” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #63

I counted walnuts in my head, the shriveled tan hearts dripping into a bowl, somewhere hidden behind a rock. This was only a fantasy now. Nothing grew south of the forest, and nobody left out nuts in the desert. Each piece of food was treasured by all creatures, and I was a small and unimportant one. We continued toward the sun, which blinded me enough to mask the change of color from evergreen to dusty brown on the surface below. The people moved around like slow crickets, headed the same way as us. They pointed in the air, so we...

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“Formations” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #51

Just imagine the stars behind the wall. They see her while she sees them on the app called 'Constellations'. She lays in bed and swipes the stars, holding her phone ahead of her like a torch, a compass. She remains down below the wall, within her walls, with the door locked and the light turned off. Dust collects around her cheeks. She wipes her nose and waves a moth away. Each formation flickers for a moment before she gets bored with it. North Star. Orion. Little Dipper. Ursa Major. Next. This is unproductive. She should be productive...

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“Cat Food ” by Sahara Carter

Submitted to Contest #50

The dark cries at night near the window. A howl comes from between the trees and the dirty walls. The woman emerges from her patio, bothered by the noise. She finds the source of the screams. It leans closer, to eat her, and she runs from it.The woman sprints out of the driveway into the street. The night is unforgiving and the dark has no moon. She makes a sharp turn on the sidewalk toward a row of houses and shouts for help. The lights are off and the doors are locked. She hears the figure following her. It shakes the ground and continues ...

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Author bio

Hey! I love to read fantasy, science fiction, non fiction, and contemporary. My favorite writer is Barbara Kingsolver. Let's share stories!