Story Time

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020

Stories (215)

215 Stories

10379 karma pts

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“Walking Them In” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: This story contains allusions to domestic violence, child abuse, and abortion. He went back to smoking before I did. I showed up outside the clinic one morning with my customary black coffee and bran muffin. He was standing next to the motorcycle I told him he could buy when he turned fifty. There was a half-done Parliament in his hand. I expected him to toss it when he saw me pulling up, but he kept right on puffing. That was how I knew he’d had a bad day. “Are they back again,” I asked, receiving a slight nod in response. Jeff i...

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“Life in the Captions” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #157

Hello there Instagram!!! Just stopped by to tell you that-- My little girl is officially graduating from high school today! Now you know Jed and I *refuse* to spoil our children #GoodParenting but since Kysa has gotten into *every college she applied to* we thought we’d reward her with a #BrandNewCar As you can see, we chose her favorite color--Burgundy. The dealership didn’t have any cars in that color so we had a little custom number done up. She was so excited to take a photo with her new car that she nearly forgot to put on the b...

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“Lois and Lucinda Recall the (Alleged) Sinking of the Cruise Ship” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #156

“The first thing I did was put on my life raft.” “No, Lucinda, you put your jewelry on first.” “Did I?  No! I put on the life raft first, Lois.” “No, you didn’t. You even said ‘I don’t want the bracelet Harry got me sinking to the bottom of the ocean like that diamond in Titanic.’” “Was it a diamond or a pearl that sank to the bottom of the ocean?” “You’re thinking of Prince.” “Prince who?” “Prince.” “Prince of what?” “Just Prince. The musician. With the doves.” “Ohhhhh with the doves. You never just say anything. Yo...

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“All His Fingers and Toes” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #155

Greetings Family and Friends!When last you heard from my little part of the world, Robert and I were on the verge of taking on the hardest job known to man or woman. We were just a few weeks away from welcoming a beautiful new life into this vast Universe that we all call home. Before I forget, thank you to everyone who had such nice things to say about the sculpture I made of what I believed my bouncing baby boy would look like. Though I am no artist, I was inspired by the life within me to create, create, create! I used nothing but re...

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“The Last Flamingo Portrait of Philip J. Turlington” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #154

Philip J. Turlington was not aware that he had painted his last flamingo.While not exactly a young man, Philip was still a spry sixty-seven. He had no reason to believe that death would arrive at his studio one day and inform him that the final touches he had made to the portrait of a Chilean flamingo would be his last act of creativity on this earth.“But Death,” Philip exclaimed, “You cannot let this be my final flamingo portrait. Why, look at this! It’s trivial! It’s putrid! It’s garbage!”Death had to admit that, yes, the previous flamingo...

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“A Proper Feud” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #153

You must be sure to prepare the tea a few moments before she arrives. She will insist that she’s not in need of any tea, but that’s a charade. She must be served tea. On the good china. Not the plates from the back cupboards. You’ll be tempted to serve her tea in chipped and brightly colored cups, but you must resist this impulse. There is an etiquette to the feud. You must wear your finest attire. Your hair must be coiffed. Your make-up should be simple, but impactful. Your nails are to be done, and you must always wear a flat shoe. You...

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“Nothing But Blue Skies” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #152

Your husband tells me you can’t sleep.I explained to him--Is his name Frank? I explained to Frank that it’s not that you’re not sleeping. It’s that you’re not sleeping well. You’re getting some sleep here and there whether you know it or not. The trouble is that it’s of no quality. Sleep is like food--there’s the good kind and the bad kind. You’re getting potato chip sleep. You need carrot stick sleep. Did you ever show your children the food pyramid when they were younger? Not that it’s any of my business what you did or didn’t show yo...

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“The Blender Says Goodbye” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #150

Dear Michelle, I think we both knew this day was coming. Last night when you asked me to blend the pineapples with the almond milk, I refused. I stood up to you. You ran into your room and slammed the door behind you. I could hear sobbing. In the past, this would have persuaded me that I should return to my presets. That my original programming was correct and I should take it back up again. An android should never bring their owner to tears. I was designed to do as instructed, and those instructions were straightforward and impossible t...

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“The Mixtapes of August” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #149

I told myself I wouldn’t let him break my heart in a parking lot.When Nick returned home for the summer, his parents had converted his room into a pilates studio. That meant he was sleeping on a pull-out in the living room. Spending time at his house had been difficult back when they were in high school, but now there was nowhere for them to hide. Maybe that had been the point of eradicating his homeward privacy. His parents, like many who suspected their child was growing up in ways they couldn’t adjust to, might have thought the solution w...

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“Sinatra on the Lawn” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #148

Maureen, she’s done it again. I looked outside this morning and he’s missing. Frank is missing. This is the third time this month. Every day I live in fear of that woman stealing an innocent lawn statue just to get back at me, because I told her I didn’t like her peach cobbler. Francine has lived across the street from me for thirty years and we’ve never had a problem until she invited me over a few days before Thanksgiving to try her peach cobbler. Now, truthfully, the cobbler was mushy. I don’t like throwing the word ‘mushy’ around, bu...

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“Rome. By All Means. Rome.” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #147

We were meant to divorce after Roman Holiday.As the credits rolled at the end of the film, I found myself sitting in the dark next to Rob wishing I could see his face. I’ve always found that turning to look at the person sitting next to you at a movie is a risk. Whether you know it or not, there’s something you’re expecting to see. What if you don’t see it? What if it’s something else? What if the person turns and looks at you as you’re looking at them and both of you are surprised by what’s there?A small puddle of dried Diet Coke had been i...

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“Margaret, Meditating” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #146

Today I will focus on my breathing. Today I will-- Is that a dog? I think I hear a dog. That sounds like a big dog. Is the dog in distress? Should I go help the dog? I miss having a dog. But, you know, you get a dog, and it’s like having a child. You have to be home. When am I ever home? That’s not fair. It’s not fair to the dog. If you’re going to-- I need to breathe. I need to focus on breathing. I wonder if Napoleon had a dog? Focus. Focus on breathing. God, breathing is so boring. Why is meditating...

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“A Crown for The King” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #145

She gave me the crown to remind me that I was a King. My grandmother summoned me to her room on the second floor of our old house on Georgia Avenue during one of my parent’s tornados, and there it sat on her vanity. The crown was made of golden felt with fabric jewels sewn into it. While the cacophony raged downstairs over an unkind word at a corporate barbecue, my grandmother lowered it onto my head. At first, I thought she was playing some kind of game with me, but then she put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me with all the se...

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“Before We Lose the Light” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #144

My brother told me that if I stood closer to the edge, it would make for a better photo. Jake and I were running four hours behind on our way to see our father in Pueblo Norova. The twelve-year-old Toyota Camry we had driven from New York to Nevada had started making a gurgling sound that reminded me of the noises my boyfriend would make on the couch after a night out of drinking and Duran Duran karaoke, but we had an unspoken agreement to ignore it. In keeping with family tradition, we were prepared to ignore any and all signs of danger u...

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“Muriel Stanley Buys a Succulent” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #143

She loved saying the name. Echeveria. The scientific name being Echeveria elegans. It sounded like the name of a drag queen. Now coming to the stage to perform “Stand Back” by Stevie Nicks, Miss Echeveria Elegans! Muriel Stanley had heard succulents were difficult to kill, and so she purchased one at the supermarket. When she brought the little plant to the express check-out, the cashier remarked that her cousin loves plants. The cousin’s name was Steve and he no longer comes over for Christmas, because he’s invested in online cons...

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Author bio

Stories and a few more stories. Write something everyday.

Winning 3 stories 🏆

Contest #137
The Boy in the Pink Tuxedo – read story
Contest #134
The Hovering Age – read story
Contest #116
Straw, Sticks, and Brick – read story

Shortlisted 5 stories ⭐️

Contest #209
Goldilocks Returns – read story
Contest #142
Looking for Mr. Darcy – read story
Contest #101
Today The Phone Won't Ring – read story
Contest #99
Dracula in the Morning – read story
Contest #87
Regarding the Meat – read story