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Tanya Humphreys

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2021

Stories (102)
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87 Followers
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102 Stories

1977 karma pts

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HUNTED

Submitted to Contest #252

The man was stealthy and impressively silent as he stalked me. It was not his fault the wind had changed direction and I’d caught the scent of gunpowder and freshly oiled steel. I stood still as a statue as the wind changed direction again, it howled through the treetops, and whistled through the elderberry brush, taking the stink of the man with it. He and more of his kind camped out in the cabin at the edge of the mesa. They drank whisky into the night and smoked skunky tobaccos…apparently, they never bathed either, strong was their scent...

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The Dancer

Submitted to Contest #249

From my table at the back of the tavern, I saw, and was mesmerized, by the woman dancing.When I was able to tear my eyes from her lithe and quite nearly ethereal presence, I noted that every man in the place was just as spellbound; every eye had a twinkle, every lip a twitch and tendency to rise a little on one side. Just as, I’m certain, there were many a rise in their pantaloons.The tavern was a typical West Indies affair with colorful candle glass tossing about their hues like stained glass windows in an old dim church. The air was infuse...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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A Tail of Two Cities

Submitted to Contest #248

“Well now, ya cocky Whippersnapper, what makes ya think dis ere alley ain’t good nuff for ye?” the old rat asked. He was large with angular pink limbs and greasy grey fur that stuck out in tufty tufts all over. He leaned over his fat round white belly while gnawing on a toothpick stained with barbeque sauce and was nose to nose with one of his 436 grandchildren.Whippersnapper stood defiantly, black whiskers bristling, pink paws fisted so tightly his sharp little claws drew pinpricks of blood in his palms. “Grampy, you’re down to 129 grandchi...

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The Captain's Game

Larabie’s right hand crept surreptitiously towards the hilt of his sword. Julieth, who saw all, caught his eye, and shook her head a single infinitesimal second, understanding that the man’s hatred of the captain was something that must never be revealed. Julieth placed a hand upon the captain’s shoulder when she noted his eyes narrow suspiciously at Larabie. “YAR!!!” cried the boisterous man with the gold epaulets as he slammed the table with his open palm, wooden steins rattled, the inkpot jittered, and the cup of quills fell over. “War i...

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Miss Purdy Sees

Submitted to Contest #245

Though her coat was black, Miss Purdy was predominantly Siamese. When she stretched in the patch of early morning sun, her body was a long, sleek, torpedo, her glossy fur shone like rich satin. Miss Purdy was taking it a bit easy, catering to the needs of eight three-week-old kittens was exhausting.The kittens were safely sheltered in a box tucked into a closet. The closet was in an office high on one of the top floors of a building. Miss Purdy did not know exactly how tall the building was, but from the woman’s desk she could see nothing bu...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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Dogs Rule

Submitted to Contest #243

“Heyyy Buddy, you okay?” A young man’s voice, Cali accent. It was black, ‘night’. There were stars, ‘outside.’ There was warmth and crackling, ‘a fire.’ Distant voices, inebriated, and the rumble and crash of waves, ‘a campsite by the sea.’ “He looks dead. Eyes open like that…it’s creepy.” A young woman’s voice, perhaps Hispanic. “Dude. Lorna’s right. He’s killin’ my buzz man. Check his pulse.” Cali Dude Two. I had to move before any of them came over to check my pulse, but my brain circuits were not functioning up to speed. I engaged the Li...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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El Gato de la Muerte

Submitted to Contest #242

Dominic sipped espresso as he watched the cat. The thing was all angular bones under tufted black fur, it slunk low to the ground, making Dom think of the Grinch as it stole the Whos’ Joy. Looking at this poor creature, Dom felt his own joy ebbing away. The thin dark woman selling fish tacos flapped her apron, “Sal de aqui!” she screeched as the cat did also. Dom went to the woman’s stall and pointed at the fried fish. She narrowed her eyes as she assessed his station in life. She could have been 30, she could have been 50, her skin was taut...

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Kissing Frogs

Submitted to Contest #241

Warning: Olde Timey fairy tale Once upon a time in a land full of magic and mischief… A skinny peasant boy pitched up the grassy bank of a sunlit pond, a large green bullfrog’s legs dangled from his hands like overcooked asparagus spears. “Here m’lady! Here’s the finest one yet.” Princess Rose rolled her pretty brown eyes. Seth said that every time he caught another one. The frog squirmed, it was slimy, and she nearly dropped it as she took it from the lad. “Ugh.” Seth looked up expectantly. Rose raised the frog to eye level. It blinked its...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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The Raven at the Window

Shortlisted for Contest #240 ⭐️

One thing I was very wary about was the temperamental moods of Nature. Before leaving the nest for the first time, my mum had instructed me on flying head on into a steady stream of wind, one flick of a wing against it and I would be tumbled beak over toes. “Better to use the gales to your advantage to conserve energy. A slight breeze will allow the airfoil of your wings to allow you to soar. Back drafts allow you to hover in place.” I had been excited to try. To make her proud and master the art of soaring and hovering and attacking those...

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The Puppeteer

“I can’t believe I’m talking to a filthy rat…”“Seriously? Filthy?” said the rat.“Okay. So, you talk. I drank too much, and..."“Um maybe... but …still a talking rat, dude.”Pallo’s father stepped from around the stage just then and Pallo shrunk against the stones of the wall next to where they’d been holding their puppet show.“Pally!” shrieked Karen, the lead puppeteer. “You missed yer cue,” she hissed.The children gathered in front of the stage giggled. Pallo’s father placed his blood-stained hands on his wide hips and glared. Pallo glanced a...

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Monster and Dog

Submitted to Contest #238

Lilybeth hummed to herself as she made her way down the path to the fishing hole. her Jack Russell by her side bouncing, along, yipping happily, as if the two were dueting. She sang a made-up song, “The fish will bite today…Hip hip hooray. Hmm hmm hmm hm hm hm hm.” As they passed their neighbor’s home, which was halfway between their own cabin and the river, she fell silent. Bobbi looked back nervously as well, and slowed, glancing up and forward, back and forth, until given the sign it was safe to sing again. Lilybeth put a slender finger...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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Money Cats

Submitted to Contest #237

Min Lei the Money Cat greeted the visitors to the Happy Dragon Gift Emporium by waving her ceramic left arm in a gesture that silently greeted customers, ‘Hello, welcome, spend your money here and we’ll both be lucky.’ She was white with red cherry blossoms painted on her belly and a merry, squinty-eyed smile on her glossy face, the eyes like upside-down horseshoes. Her body was rotund like Fat Buddha and though her coat was glossy, her belly was dull and greyish and flat at its apex where patrons gave her a little pat or rub to cl...

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Grammy's Game

Submitted to Contest #236

Geraldine’s eyes flew open as she whooshed upwards through the fading dream she’d been having. ‘A noise? Was it a noise that just roused me?’ She lived alone in the large Victorian though a waitstaff of three dwelled on the property in the large guest house over the four-car garage. Butler, Jameson, maid, Felina, and Maxxy the cook. Oh, and of course there was Jimmy, her best friend, an aging but spry Mastiff she’d adopted after the death of her husband. She was sixty-six years old, but her hearing was like that of a cat’s. She heard a ...

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Christmas Bear

Submitted to Contest #227

The bear dreamt of sunshine warming his thick black coat. He dreamt of splashing into the great river and pouncing upon a fat salmon, its juices slick and oily on his tongue. He dreamt of his mate and his cubs and as he slept, tears ran down his muzzle. Equally sad were the dreams of his world as he knew it now. All his ten years he wished the humans would go away, and they did, mostly, but in their wake, they left a toxic wasteland, and the joke was on him. Mostly, though, he dreamt of the girl. She’d become the beacon that brought him out...

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Mortis

Submitted to Contest #226

The colt with the ashy colored coat stood upon sturdy legs at four months old and watched with keen interest as his mother was led from the stable once again. At just three months old, the wee horse had accepted the fact that its mother was led away often and knew she’d return before the sky grew black. He had at one month old freaked out as she was led away- bucking his sort of wobbly legs and crying shrilly. He'd been beaten then. With a wooden pole, hard enough to hurt but not so enough to leave scars. His mother leaving became a routine...

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