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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2020
SUNRISE, SUNSET Susan W. Hudson Fifty seven thousand, six hundred and seventy (57,670). That’s the number of sunrises and sunsets a human with an “average lifespan” encounters in his or her lifetime. The trouble with sunrises is they are so early. Even early risers take them for granted because they are grooming and preparing for the promising new day they bring. One only “experienc...
Windows of Life Susan W. Hudson The train is not moving, I am. It’s like a magic carpet ride. I am facing the window. The floor beneath me is moving forward, passing window after window. My feet are somehow fastened to the floor. The view out the window is of lovely countryside: trees, hills, ponds, flowers, and cows. The floor slows and the window discloses a different view. ...
Happily Ever After Susan W. Hudson Becky and Anna were sitting at Anna’s kitchen table. Anna had poured them both a glass of Chardonnay as she braced herself. She knew Becky was going to share something dreadful. Becky looked like she had not slept in days; tears filled her bright blue eyes and spilled over onto her favorite shirt, which matched them. Her normally beautifully coiffed blonde hair was pulled...
Reflecting on Christine and Molly Susan W. Hudson They sat on the deck overlooking the lake as they did every morning. “Red at night, sailor’s delight; red in the morning, sailor take warning,” Christine muttered to Molly. The sky was fiery red and excruciatingly beautiful. Was this truly a harbinger of things to come? Molly turned her big beautiful head up and locked her black eyes...
Yo Ho Ho Susan W. Hudson Bonnie “Lady” Wren was born to privilege in 1701. Her parents were aristocrats in Europe and she never wanted for anything. Cherished and spoiled, she never dreamed of any other life. That is until the family was attacked by the pirate ship, Cambridge, on their way to the New World in 1717, for her 16th birthday. The pirates took an abundant booty from the ship and found t...
The Winter of Life Susan W. Hudson As she gently placed her deep purple African Violet on the window sill of her new room, Grandma sighed deeply and with a tremble in her voice said, “I can’t do this.” “Now Gram,” Morgan retorted as she hugged her grandmother, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.” “This IS my defeat. I want to go home.” Grandma said agai...
Monster Mash Susan W. Hudson Archie and Anita were 12-year-old twins. They lived in a big house on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They were well-behaved, and they were equally curious and adventuresome. Their mom picked them up from school every day, and they usually went with her to finish up her workday at N.C. Theatre. She always had a snack for them, and if they were tired, th...
Double Double Toil and Trouble Susan W. Hudson Pia Damman loved to walk out to her back yard every morning and stretch her body towards the heavens. No matter if there was rain or sunlight, she did it on a daily basis. It was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so many of the days were cold and rainy or at least misty. She lived in a remnant of a Gothic-style manor, so she relished the few an...
DADDY WAS A FORAGER AND MAMA WAS A CHEF DU JOUR Susan W. Hudson Blackberry Cobbler, Strawberry Pie, Persimmon Pudding, and Nut Roll – that’s the way I identified the seasons when I was a barefoot little girl in Piedmont North Carolina. I had a ravenous sweet tooth and each season presented tasty treats that satiated it. Da...
BALDY Susan W. Hudson Aurora and Val ran into each other at a legal conference at the Downtown Conference Center in New York City. They each got a cup of coffee during a break in the schedule. And, not paying attention, they physically ran into each other. Most of the spilled coffee splattered onto the floor. They both apologized profusely, grabbed ha...
SHALL WE DANCE Susan W. Hudson Dolly awoke to sunlight streaming through her window. Although it was still cool, she had left the window partially open the night before. With the sweet gentle breeze, she watched the filmy drapes on her window bellow out and greet the haven that she loved. She stretched out her slender body and scratched Pierre’s ears....
HAVE YOU BEEN BIT? Susan W. Hudson “Have you been bit?” was a frequent conversation starter among the non-afflicted in Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead.” “If you stub your toe, get an infection and die, you turn into a zombie, unless your brain is damaged. If someone shoots you in the head and you die, you're dead. A zombie bite kills you because of infection, or blood loss, not because ...
BLUE CHRISTMAS Susan W. Hudson Annie was baffled by her mother’s decision to make all the Christmas decorations blue this year. Annie loved her mother very much. Annie knew that she was smart and pretty; she got that from her mother. Annie’s mother, Marie, had year-after-year decorated the house and the tree with beloved ornamen...
SPECIAL DELIVERY Susan W. Hudson Angie ripped her surgical cap and shoe coverings off and threw them in the laundry as she headed out through the double doors. She didn’t even bother to change out of her blue scrubs. She noted, once again, that her ankles were immensely swollen and her feet felt like her sneakers were made of lead. Sh...
LITTLE OLD LADY Susan W. Hudson Once upon a time, in a bustling southern town, there lived a little old lady. She lived with her two girl cats and her beloved girl dog in a small, quaint house. One day, the little old lady noticed some activity in and around the empty house next to hers. “Oh my, I’m getting new neighbors!” The little old lady was thri...
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