Tammy Pieterson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (7)

7 Stories

189 karma pts

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“Where there's autumn, there's fire” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #63

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire, and those that were not, consumed the ground they fell on. Charred bodies in the distance, sunk into the crispy heaps, the cloudy sky engulfed in red and an eeriness in the air, so thick, so unsettling, you could almost feel it pressed up against your cheek. There was no other explanation, no other possible cause. It was here, it was finally here, and it was looking for me… I threw my bright red scarf around my neck and tightened the straps on my backpack. I ran down the library stair...

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“On Both Sides” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #57

They spat fire. Beautiful, luminous fire in every colour imaginable. Fire, so beautiful, you wouldn't mind if it killed you, in fact, you would prefer it that way, to be graced by it's foreign beauty and give it the honour of taking your life. It was early in the afternoon and training had begun. The Ra-ens were a very proud and undefeated tribe, descendents of Ra himself, shot down from the heavens as seeds, many, many years ago. They grew from the soil like trees, fed by their father, glowing in their silky ochre skin and piercing ...

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“Boy” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #54

They say charity begins at home. What about anger? Anger that never sleeps, never leaves, never dies. Anger that tears families apart. Well, for young Keisha, anger did begin at home, and it was eating her alive. "I hate you!!" The harsh words were dragged out from the pits of her soul. "Why did you bring me into this world only to make my life miserable? I wish you were dead! No scratch that...I wish I was dead!" Keisha was clearly not enthused by the "great" news. Dad got a promotion, but the post is at a different ...

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“Those unfamiliar hands” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #51

She shouldn't have drank those last two Long Island cocktails last night, but she had a long day, as all her days are lately, and she did drink those cocktails, and now she's stumbling to her bathroom with her eyes half open, balancing the weight of her headache and controlling the storm in her stomach. After decorating her toilet bowl with different shades of undigested fluid and regret, she flung herself onto the counter, knocking her elbow against the left tap, tired and almost melting into the washing basin, she stared at her reflection ...

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“Head girl” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #51

We arrived at the camp much later than planned. Between Angela arriving a whole 30 minutes after the scheduled time of departure because she couldn't decide which shoes to pack, Lesley's car sickness, the flat tyre and briefly getting lost, I'm not sure which one contributed more to our 5 hour delay. But needless to say, we arrived, eventually, and thank goodness we did. The camp director almost gave away our spot for the weekend. I'd been looking forward to this trip all month, and had been clenching my teeth and crossing my fingers the who...

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“After the Last Summer” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #50

I remember when a visit to grandma's house was the highlight of my entire year. I lived for those warm December holidays, spread out flat across the seaweed colored veranda, rolling shirtless, braless, breastless, over the chips of weathered paint as they stuck onto my clammy skin, sipping on cheap sachets of cola flavoured ready-mix juice and stuffing my mouth with even cheaper cookies from the small shop around the corner. It was a humble, but blissful life. My two cousins and I were the equivalent of a full blown house party. Our immature...

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“THE SMELL OF SIN” by Tammy Pieterson

Submitted to Contest #49

THE SMELL OF SIN by Tammy Pieterson I've learned to love the smell of sin on a warm summer's evening. Laced with notes of rustic ambience and cheap cigarette smoke that hangs thick and heavy in the already stale air. Where, for the next few hours, you can become whoever you want to be, where everyone is the star in their own movie, and reality is left at the door. Where you really can afford the car you drive and your business really is a success and you are as confident as everyone thinks you are and you really do love your wife and she's...

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Author bio

I write because it burns when I don't (and I've been burning a lot lately - not enough time to write😢) Full-time Multimedia student. No formal training, but plenty of raw talent and desire to grow. Aspiring writer (among other things) and all-round lover of the creative spectrum. Feedback and comments, massively appreciated:) Haven’t written since 2020…I’ll be fixing that😌🤞🏽