Sarah Butland

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2020

Stories (11)

11 Stories

180 karma pts

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“Autumn Lets Go” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #112

Autumn, the season, teaches about the beauty of letting go but Autumn, the person closing in on her 30th birthday, has held onto everything and feels ugly for it. Her body tied in knots, too ashamed of her body to seek a professional masseuse, she is thankful for her husband’s magical way with his fingers as they worked to temporarily squeeze out the bricks she always seems to be carrying. “Why don’t you see a professional,” Chris would often ask. Autumn was never certain if he meant a masseuse or a therapist but assumed he meant both. He kn...

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“Who Caught the Cheese?” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #71

“Detective Clark and this is my partner Detective Lewis. We know you have answered all of these questions before but we need to go over it again. We like to hear it direct from the horses moth, as some say. Why don’t we have a seat?” I couldn’t sit down again. There was a mess to clean. It was a week before Christmas, the busiest time of year and my livelihood. I just couldn’t give up. Obstacles were to be climbed over and moved past from. The detectives sat, I offered to bring them a drink purely out of habit. Turning towards the espresso...

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“Fallmarked” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #70

“Which one do you want to start with this year?” I had a list, I checked it twice. I knew it wasn’t complete but would be a great place to start. “New or a classic?” “Actually, Tara, tonight we have that party to go to.” “Luke, you know that we can’t go. We talked about this. December 1st we stay home and watch our first two movies. We need to. It’s Christmas season and we have a lot to watch.” “Tara, this is ridiculous. We are under no obligation to watch every new, or old, Christmas Hallmark movie every single year. It’s insane, you ...

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“A Zoom’d Christmas” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #69

“Dad? Dad! We can’t see you. Step away from the computer a bit.” I was exasperated. We practiced this for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I would call him on the phone, he would answer and I’d guide him through answering the Zoom call. It was our first Christmas without being in the same room together. We were all heartbroken even though we almost never got along. Christmas was different every year with new faces, bodies to hug or avoid and wrapping paper to tear off the packages. I wanted this to go smoothly, to be joyous and mer...

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“Richard's Mother” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #68

“It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same but she didn’t.” He chuckled as he stared out at the crowd. They were taking a bit longer than usual to settle but they would get there. He repeated the sentence and waited for the surprised looks he expected but they never came. The group of teenagers usually turned everything into something dirty and Mr Turnbull played on that idea, hoping to spark their interest but they were off that day. It wasn’t like any other, he would soon find out and tho...

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“CappaChino Island” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #67

The seas were rough, the spirits were low and seagulls were annoying. How they made it so far out to see was beyond my comprehension, then again I was a meager captain of a sinking pirate ship. Thankfully, everything being literal except for the sinking part though it did feel like I was drowning. This year, my fifth with Luna the ship and first as her captain, was the year 2020 and it was a relief to be quarantined at sea from the reports I’ve been hearing. If would go on at sea while the world was dealing with a scurvy like no other. It ...

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“Tea For Three?” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #32

“No, not that tea, that’s still her favourite and I’m low on it.” The look Reid gave me was not unexpected. We both knew she passed away four years ago, almost to the day. “I know, I’m crazy but please, just save it.” Thankfully he put it back on the shelf and searched for another. “Try this one. I think you’ll love it.” I took the Lemon Meringue tea from the back corner, hiding it to have on hand just for this moment. “Lemon meringue tea? Have you tried it?” “Tastes just like the pie!” The distraction worked as Reid brew...

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“Another Day, Another Load” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #31

Baby shower over, the hard work began. Washing the itty-bitty socks and soft neutral coloured crib sheet I could barely reach the machine, my belly protruding like I was having twins. I wasn’t, doctors assured me, just bearing a healthy and weighty child. How does one prepare for that? At 24 years of age, having my first child was daunting enough. To then be told at 7 months in my child was a large one (naturally so, shouldn’t have been a surprise) was a bit much. Typically a positive thinker I was terrified and trying not to show it. &...

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“Summer at Gramma’s” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #30

Gramma’s house was the last place I wanted to be yet the only place I could go. The summer before my final year of high school would be sent hours away from my friends looking after Gramma Trudy and I had no say in the matter. Don’t get me wrong, Gramma Trudy was my favourite of all gramma’s, actually the person in my family, extended and immediate, that I loved the most but things were different now. I was 16 and in love with Charlie. With just days left of grade 11 and a week left before my escape to solitary I filled my remaining pag...

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“Beneath the Holes” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #29

Unlike her, the jeans came that way. That used look that was all the rage, with so little fabric creating holes and strings which left nothing to the imagination. She, on the other hand, was born perfect. Chubby, ten fingers, ten toes and a cute-as-a-button nose that caught everyone’s attention. All the nurses and doctors and other parents made remarks about her beauty but no one would commit to taking her home.So her journey began. Bouncing from foster home to group home, Lillith was nicknamed “Lil” based on her ability to stay tiny despite...

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“My Father Married His Three Children” by Sarah Butland

Submitted to Contest #28

My own romance started with a date who was late and introduced me to a friend. When meeting someone you met only online was a faux pas, I rebelled and decided to jump in with both feet but with stipulation – we go to a movie so we’d be in public. Only at 16 I didn’t think about what could happen on the drive to the theatre, I just knew I wanted adventure and so I said yes to meeting the much older man for a movie. And then he drove in 10 minute after the movie started. I should have known he was bad news but still decided I’d be safe an...

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Author bio

Always a writer with resilient determination to make a living through it, I feel I am imagination captured and letting little bits out at a time, trying to uncover what lies beneath.