Sarah Jo

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2023

Stories (10)

10 Stories

180 karma pts

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“Murder in the Marigolds” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #277

"Up, Mari!" rang my mother's muffled voice.My eyes peeled open. I tossed the rag I used for a blanket off and sat up, glancing out the window at the graying sky.My bones felt stiff as I shifted my feet to the cold, wooden floor.It creaked with the few steps it took to reach my old chest with its cloudy mirror and a bowl of icy water. I forced myself to cup some and scrub my eyes and cheeks. After drying, my eyes still ached, but I felt slightly more alert.Dressing for the cool spring weather required two tunics—only one would be too threadba...

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“Unrequited Love” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #263

I'd never been a good person. I'd found joy in torture for longer than I could remember. And I'd haunted the townhouse of 1705 5th Street since my death in 1925. While my body had long been decomposed and my spirit nothing more than the essence of this home, those three things I knew were absolutely true.Other things feel more like dreams, things I'd made up with my mind after decades stuck in never-ending limbo. When I was three, my mother made ice cream in our kitchen using the blackberries that grew behind our home. When I was six, I thou...

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“Fried Eggs and Bacon” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #262

My life wasn't always this way—holed up in my house, a recluse during the nicest days of the year. I remember when I was still a child. Just a boy who spent his days going to the beach with his friends, whistling at girls twice our age in their skimpy bathing suits, and catching sunnies with our fishing rods off the dock. They fluttered up out of the murky seaweed to investigate the bait, scales shimmering in the scattered sunlight. Every one of them took it, too. Catching sunfish almost wasn't fair, they made it so easy. My dad would fry t...

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“Kisses” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #259

Monday, September 17thDear Diary, I made a new friend today—an actual real-life friend. Her name is Agatha, and she just moved here from Chicago. 17 is such a sucky age to move to a small town in Pennsylvania. I feel really bad for her, but that's not why I decided to befriend her. I'll tell you the story. We had first period together. Calculus. Gag. And while all the other smarty pants in the class were working away at the assignment, Agatha whipped out her bottle of O.P.I. black shimmery nail polish and started painting away. I actually la...

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“The Longest Stage of Grief” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #255

Contains mentions of mental health, death, violence, and other uncomfy things. It's not often you realize just how much you mean to someone until that someone is no longer with you. And then, once they're gone, your brain strains to figure out who they were. What their life was like when you weren't in it. Before you were in it. What they went through. Who their best friend was. What was the thing they loved cooking the most.All of those things are left to go unanswered forever. And if you ever do get answers, they will never be straight f...

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“Flora and Fauna” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #254

The ballroom looked positively regal this evening. As opposed to how it usual boring presentation meant for receiving our people. I believe in their voices and that they deserve them, truly. But can't our grand ballroom also look divine while we do it?"It's not right to flaunt our fortune in front of those coming to us because they are without, Katerina," my mother always reminded me whenever I complained. As well as how uneconomical it was to constantly keep this space in such a state.But, like a dragon, I had a taste for luxury. I desired ...

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“Breathe In, Breath Out” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #249

*Ding* *Ding* *Ding* *Ding* The sound of my phone rang like an alarm, but the one I had set for the morning had yet to go off. Ding ding ding ding ding The silvery chiming was incessant enough to wake me from the hibernation-like sleep I had fallen into after a bottle of red wine and hours of doomscrolling the night before. My eyelids were leaden and sore as I worked to pry them apart. Looking out the window, the sun hadn't even started cresting the city skyline my apartment overlooked, though the sky was turning a pinkish gray. Arms heav...

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“Hearts and Kisses” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #237

Valentine's Day was a silly day to have a first date. It'd been years since we went on it, but I specifically remember thinking that. I was 16, standing in front of my old wooden dresser. My foggy reflection stared back at me from the mirror as I dabbed on red lipstick beneath smudgy, black-lined eyes. I was bright, brimming with life.My dad had been in the family room. He was nestled into velvety orange couch cushions, sipping on a warming Budweiser. Scenes from an old Hawaii Five-0 rerun flashed across our small tube TV as I passed, giving...

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“A Prized Fly” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #236

The small bell tinked in my ear, and I found myself stepping into the familiar dark, dusty entrance of Lady Theresa's Antique Store. The chime seemed to pull me out of a trance, and I couldn't even remember why I decided to stop by in the first place. I had the sneaking suspicion that I should just leave. My head felt cloudy anyway. I heard the flu was going around. Perhaps I was coming down with it. Though it's funny that I wound up here. And I definitely didn't need any more shit. I was pretty certain I'd spent at least a year's salary...

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“Cooking For the Fates” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #228

The lines at the supermarket are always the worst part of shopping. I know, I know—but what about the lingerers or the ankle biters or the hummers? I can handle all of that because I have a certain amount of patience on retainer for my journey through the store.Do I still fight to tap the lady pursuing the produce on the shoulder because she’s standing in front of the oranges that I need? Absolutely. Do I want to scream, “It’s not staying in your body forever, just grab some damn apples!” Without a doubt, I do. That’s why, by the time I get ...

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Author bio

Hi! I have been writing off and on my whole life and have recently decided to be more intentional about it. So, the more helpful feedback other writers can provide me, the better! (and I'll work to do the same). Don't be fooled by my good grammar. Grammarly is my BFF, and I am not ashamed of that (haha). I enjoy writing avant-garde short stories that fall on the creepy side of things. When considering novel writing, my heart calls to slow-burn fantasy romance (my current WIP). Some of my other interests are plants, gardening, yoga, hiking, and reading! **Profile image credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/442267625908804864/