Tamarin Butcher

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2022

Stories (23)

23 Stories

653 karma pts

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“Local Matters” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #254

[Note to readers: This is loosely based on genuine news items recorded on the day in question.] LOCAL MATTERSBuckeye Valley News, Buckeye, Arizona, 18 April 1935 To Peoria Sunday-- Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Anderson and children, Alison and David, of San Fernando, Calif., motored to Peoria Sunday and visited Mrs. Andersons sister, Mrs. H. L. Lovett and family. The visit was described as "unexpected," as the two sisters have been distant for many years, an event stemming, it is believed, from the ill-fated Easter Service debacle of 1928. Recent re...

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“The Story of the Waterer” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #245

AZYX 963 stretched his arms. They creaked with the sound of rusting metal rubbing against exposed wires. He leaned back, the orange light from the fire contrasting with the flickering blue glow in his remaining eye socket. "Let me tell you The Story," he began. His voice stuttered and blipped, as though it were being transmitted from a great distance across an unreliable connection. Nevertheless, there was a note of confidence in his tone, the promise of a good tale to follow. "In the beginning, there were humans. Millions of them. Billions ...

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“Silent Hero” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #238

March 30th, 2024 (a.k.a. the stupidest day of my life) Dear Diary, What. The. Hell. This place is so weird. I know Dahlia wants us to 'reconnect' in time for mom's birthday (or something) but why did she have to choose a silent retreat? And if it had to be a silent retreat, why did it have to be such a weird one? The point is for us to start talking again--how can we do that if we're not allowed to talk? I've been here one afternoon, and here's just some of the stuff I've noticed: 1) The owners are named Justin and Justine. Yes, they're mar...

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“Saving Daylight” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #232

Lillian dragged her feet as her mother pulled her through the crowded temple, making her unhappiness at being there known in the heaviness of her gait. She had to do what her mother said, certainly, but she didn't have to make it easy for her by trotting happily at her side. She glanced up at her mother's face, wet with tears that Lillian didn't really understand. "I am happy and sad," her mother had explained as they approached the temple. "This is a rare, holy opportunity, and you should be happy and sad too. It's called awe." Lillia...

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“Mushrooms and Mice” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #228

I am only little. The Wizard says that if I were good, I would be bigger, but because I am bad, I will be little forever. I cannot see what's on the table unless I stand on my tiptoes and stretch, but I must clear it anyway. I cannot add wood to the fire without being singed, but I must stoke it anyway. I cannot reach the windows without first putting a heavy box on a heavy chair, but I must wash them anyway. Sometimes, I talk to Mouser, the cat. Sometimes, Mouser talks back. Mouser says that the Wizard has the wrong word. Inste...

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“Family is. . .” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #226

Matilda glanced nervously back at her car. Maybe she should just go home? She had driven as far out of the city as she could, twisting through country roads until she found what she was looking for. Now she was here, and all she felt was heavy embarrassment. She was a sensible adult human, attending a sensible college to finish a sensible bachelor's degree. Sensible women did not dabble in the occult. Yet, she took the box from the right pocket of her oversized coat. "This is stupid," she said, as she knelt in the center of the cro...

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“Below and Above” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #221

Brecti smiled warmly at her father when he came to collect her, his ever-present scowl deeper and darker than usual. She, on the other hand, had perfected the art of warm smiles--scowls were for men, smiles were for women. "You ready then?" he barked. "And so it begins," whispered Hitieli in Brecti's ear. Brecti ignored her. Ignoring the ghosts was a skill one developed over time, especially when they chose to remain invisible. "Yes, father," Brecti said, and Hitieli screeched with laughter at Brecti's docile tone and calm expression...

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“Alfonso and the Duke” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #217

The duke surveyed the dragon atop its perch, staring unblinkingly as it always did at some unknowable goal on the distant horizon. "Something must be done about it," Alfonso hissed into the duke's ear. The duke considered the sly spirit's words. It was true that he had not hitherto considered the dragon to be a threat to his little corner of the world, protect it as he did with all his might. After all, the dragon had merely sat upon its mountaintop, unreachable, concerned only with its own thoughts and never once impinging on the well...

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“Mittens' Return” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #212

To whom it may concern, I require an immediate refund for the resurrection spell I purchased via mail order on July 17th. Your speedy attention to this matter is greatly appreciated. Glaret Ocula Mage, Fourth Circle ----- Mage Ocula, We're sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your recent purchase. Can you please provide your order number as well as your reason for returning the item? Note that we can only offer partial refunds on expended spells, and that any magical benefits you have already received will immediately be revoked o...

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“The Numbers” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #206

Carol shut her eyes to block out the ten glowing numbers, laid in front of her in exactly the right sequence for the dreaded ritual, but she knew that they were still there. For months, her excuse had been that she didn't know the numbers, couldn't find them, they were hidden, but now they had been revealed to her and she couldn't put it off any longer. Do it now, do it now, DO IT NOW. That was Anxiety, screaming that the world would end if she didn't get her act together and do what needed to be done. "It won't," Carol whispered to hers...

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“Blood and Water” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #203

Sandra reached for her phone. It was an automatic movement, something she did hundreds of times a day in the hope of seeing something that would make her brain go, 'Ah, yes". Today, dozens of notifications glared back at her, and her stomach twisted. Instead of sweet distraction, all she saw were reminders of the inescapable. Barely comprehending the digital onslaught, Sandra scrolled down the list. Cousin Amy, who lived her life via Facebook, tagging every family member she could think of in her public announcement of grief.: #sadd...

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“Owl Academy” by Tamarin Butcher

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #198

Delilah watched, smiling, as this year's batch of fresh students filed into her classroom, guided by an older student who had not, if he knew how to follow the rules, answered a single one of the many questions the teenagers no doubt had. Once all six children were in the room, the door closed, suddenly and with a small snap. Catherine and Isabella, names Delilah knew from the files she had studied carefully in the weeks before the start of the semester, looked around suspiciously, but quickly decided that the noise posed no threat. Aft...

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“Which thought?” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #193

Violet stared out of the window, trying to find the bees whose minds she could just feel on the edge of her consciousness. This was her not-quite-a-secret spot, behind the curtains on the window seat where no one could see her. Mother and father never spoke about anything important in the living room without first checking behind the curtain for little ears that weren't supposed to be listening. Violet had never understood why. What was the point of keeping their mouth silent when their thoughts were so very, very loud? A bee buzzed past...

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“The Joy of Obedience” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #189

Obedience peered through the chain link fence. It was something she had done many times before, but this time, it was different. This time, she was on the outside, looking in. Inside the compound, Isaac's People, her people, went about their daily tasks, each in their place, each a carefully positioned cogwheel in the Great Plan. They looked so content. Of course, they were the obedient ones, while Obedience, despite her name, had always struggled doing what she was told. She'd never been content to harvest the vegetables or care for ...

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“DO NOT PRESS!” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #184

As they descended, Maggie stared blankly at the live video feed shining forth from the closed elevator doors, her permanent, slightly befuddled smile fixed firmly on her face. The feed showed The Button, gleaming under bright lights in it's carefully guarded lair. DO NOT PRESS! Seriously. This button will totes for realsies end the whole entire world! Maggie thought that the person who'd written the warning was trying too hard to convince everyone that it was a real danger. But, at the same time, it was exactly the sort of thing that the...

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Author bio

I am an aspiring author with a passion for writing 'quirky' YA/adult fantasy and sci fi. I have a self-published booked called The Reality Warper (available on Amazon) and am currently working on two other manuscripts which may, one day, land me an agent.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #198
Owl Academy – read story