Sue Hunter

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (19)

19 Stories

448 karma pts

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“Choking on Citrus” by Sue Hunter

It was bad enough that AI had overthrown humanity. It was even worse that Harri had to work in retail for them. He was on his knees, scrubbing the linoleum floor with a sponge that had long since lost its bright yellow color. He tried to ignore his boss’s eyes on him as he dunked the sponge into a bucket of soapy water. If he let up his cleaning regimen for even a moment, Robo-Boss would be on him in an instant...

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“The Pripyat School Librarian” by Sue Hunter

The large rectangular windows were speckled with spiderweb-like cracks. Years of heavy snow and brutal winds had battered the library walls and left a few gaping holes in the plaster. Pieces of the green wallpaper had begun to peel, revealing dark brown trails of rotting wood. Bookshelves had toppled over, sending their precious cargo careening into the floor. Those books, their pages faded from exposure to the elements...

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“Carpool to Heaven” by Sue Hunter

When Tabby imagined going to heaven, she had envisioned a golden staircase leading her toward the perfect sky, with angels and saints greeting her every step of the way. So she didn’t understand why she was walking along what looked to be a desert road. A tumbleweed danced by her feet as she continued to walk down the straight, sandy path. The road wasn’t packed enough to support her weight. With every step, she sank into the sand. Without her walking stick, she feared it would only be a matter of time before she fell. If that w...

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“The Bottom Line” by Sue Hunter

CW: The story includes elements of child harm and child death. A brief sentence alludes to predatory acts on a child but was kept as brief as possible.            The first word that came out of your one-year-old mouth was ‘cut’, though it probably sounded more like ‘cuh’ to the production staff around you. Daddy liked to yell it to his small studio, and you echoed him as a black and white board was slamme...

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“Unwanted Chatterbox” by Sue Hunter

Worn boots trudged through the fresh mud. It clung to the laces and wiggled its way into the hole near Barnaby’s left sole. He tried his best to ignore the raindrops striking at his face and tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Beads of water ran down his glasses. They returned seconds later, no matter how much he tried to swipe them away. He didn’t dare complain, though. His mother would scold him ...

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“The New and Improved 2023-24 Faculty Handbook” by Sue Hunter

“Good morning, everyone! I do hope you are having a wonderful prep week. I managed to stop by a few classrooms today, and wow! You guys have really stepped it up this year, I gotta say. We sure have improved your classroom setups. I was just talking to Tammy Belford about her putting tennis balls on the ends of those chairs in the lab. We didn’t really have the budget for new tile, so I for one am glad our kids won’t be...

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“The Station” by Sue Hunter

The Station was falling apart, and there was nothing Shyla could do about it. The battered walls did little to protect from the cold. It was an old train station, really only a rectangular box with one open wall. Even with her multiple warm layers, the chill would sneak its way through her shoes, freezing her toes until they went numb. More often than not, she and the other survivors would huddle in the corner least damaged, waiting out the night. The sun didn’t shine bright enough to pierce through the ever-present clouds, but with the d...

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“All Hail the Metronome” by Sue Hunter

Sometimes, teaching kids makes me want to put my head through a wall. I’m not talking math or science, either. That stuff is easy. Even the slowest kids will understand multiplication after a good tutoring session. I can teach almost anyone anything. I have a shortcut for almost every type of problem. Give me an hour with a D student, and he’ll start understanding how to multiply fractions or solve for x. 5th graders are annoying, bratty, and unusually idiotic. But they’re also pretty darn smart, and a good tutor can usua...

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“You, Me, and the Existential Dread” by Sue Hunter

It’s hard to break something you don’t know exists. If you don’t know what a car is, how can you crash it? How are you supposed to chop down a tree if you don’t understand what an axe does? But, even if you did know how to crash the car or chop the tree, what if you physically couldn’t? Isn’t that worse, in some way? That, despite you wanting to do something, you just couldn’t. Your feet can’t reach the pedals. Your arm...

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“Hotspot” by Sue Hunter

Carol hadn’t wanted anything to do with her old man’s business. Taking care of an apartment complex is no easy feat. Sure, it kept money in her pocket, but most of that money went right back into broken appliances. When it wasn’t the washing machine, it was the drier. When it wasn’t the drier, it was the sink. When it wasn’t the sink, it was the toilet. Carol had to keep a list of every messed-up machine in the complex.And that wasn’t even mentioning the worst part: the tenants. Mrs. Donald’s had five cats t...

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“The Tree Line” by Sue Hunter

It was a beautiful party. Such a shame she was going to die. Gladys was sitting in an old pastor’s chair, hands tied to the armrests with zip-ties. It was a comfortable seat, all things considered. The pastor probably had a good time in days long past, listening to a choir sing old hymns before his sermon. There wasn’t a podium anymore, nor a cross hung up on the wall. Only a few pews remained, pushed up against the walls to allow for maximum dance space. Gladys leaned back into the chair, trying to sink into the cushions.Sh...

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“Not Your Average Clouds” by Sue Hunter

The Jeep was battered. The bumper had a dent in it from where Erin had backed up into a streetlamp three years ago. The AC refused to work anymore. She had to jerk the steering wheel in order to make a fast turn, and one tire perpetually leaked air. But it was the only car she had. Erin started the ignition, the car sputtering twice before it finally decided to wake up. Her chipped nails tapped against the wheel as she ...

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“Sessions 2, 5, and 9” by Sue Hunter

          “You said you had some things you wanted to talk about, Helen. Tell me, what’s on your mind?”           “I don’t know, I guess I’ve just been feeling really burnt out lately. I feel like I keep repeating the same chores every single day. I have no way to liven things up.”           “I see. What about your friends? Why not ask them to hang out?” &...

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“Fiat Justitia” by Sue Hunter

His skin was covered with a layer of grime. Not that he could see it, mind you. It was too dark in his tiny room to see his own hands. Yet he could feel it. It was a mixture of something slimy and gritty, like sand and jelly. Just thinking about jelly made his mouth water, and soon his saliva joined the dirt on his arm. When was the last time the slot on his door opened to give him food? He’d lost all sense of time.           There was some semblance of happiness, in his prison...

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“Does the Cap and Gown Make Me Grown?” by Sue Hunter

She stood there, a can of soda clutched in her hand. The bathroom was the only place in the house where she could be alone. The condensation from the drink was cold, making her hands freeze. It was a good feeling. The cold kept her from getting stuck in her own head. She leaned over the sink, taking a tentative sip in the hopes it would keep herself from getting sick. It didn’t work.            The noise from the ...

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Author bio

Insert witty line here Criticism welcome Sue is my pen name (～￣▽￣)～ Every like/comment gives me one (1) dopamine.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #207
The Bottom Line – read story