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Shelly Desjarlais

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (5)

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5 Stories

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A Kind Chat

Shelly Desjarlais

Submitted to Contest #264

This is the story of how a single conversation with a stranger altered my perception of, well, everything.*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*It’s amazing how the mouth and the brain can work independently from each other. I heard my voice saying things like, “Yes—of course!” and “It’d be an honor!” and “I wouldn’t miss it!” But internally? I was thinking that I’d rather eat a grilled cheese sandwich full of rusty nails than be a bridesmaid…and I’m lactose intolerant.Yet, this was about my dear cousin, Bella. I couldn’t refuse her offer without s...

8 likes

White Highlights

Shelly Desjarlais

Submitted to Contest #253

These bloodshot eyes grow tired, but I’m afraid of what they might miss if I were to blink. I want to gaze at her profile, to memorize every inch of her face. Those long lashes, the ones she so deftly curled this morning. Her button nose, a replica of her mother’s. Those puffy lips, which used to taste of vanilla and brown sugar. That curved chin—how I want to cradle it in my trembling palm, guiding her mouth to mine… We rest upon the bed, side by side, saying nothing. The silence between us is louder than sirens. She scrolls through her pho...

6 likes

The Symphony

Shelly Desjarlais

Submitted to Contest #186

              “I’m not known for having great ideas. Seriously, you’re looking at the guy who inspired the warning labels on most household products. But you can trust me, Dr. Schneider. I know what I’m doing here. You have to let me take him.”              “This isn’t a library, Jon. You can’t check out a patient and then drop him off like some book you needed for a research paper.”   &nb...

12 likes

The Tale of Princess Ivana and the Chipmunk

Shelly Desjarlais

Submitted to Contest #86

        Once upon a time, there was a shack that nobody dared to visit. It was home to a strange creature named Brutta Wartsnout, a witch who resembled a rhinoceros. She used to reside in the castle, but the cruelty of Princess Ivana forced her to leave. Some weeks later, she settled into a shabby house on the outskirts of town and officially opened for business.               Every peasant knew that if they had a problem, Brutta Wa...

12 likes

The Bad Hair Day

Shelly Desjarlais

Submitted to Contest #82

The hat smelled like her Great Uncle Edgar. It was a difficult odor to describe, a sort of cross between burnt bread and wet dog, and it left a lingering stench in its wake. Riley tried to hide her red cheeks beneath this filthy fedora, but her wounds stung whenever she tugged at the brim. She still couldn’t believe it had really happened. When she opened her eyes that morning, there was a stone in her gut. It was slowly sinking towards her feet, a sign that something wasn’t quite right. She sat on the edge of her mattress with her hands on...

11 likes