Taryn Holmes

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

Stories (16)

16 Stories

495 karma pts

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“Her Name” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #91

The golden light streaming through the window turned her brown hair bronze as she tucked a gentle curl behind one ear. Faded ink and paper filled my nose and I looked around at the maze of bookshelves. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly in concentration and wrote a title in the log book. Thinking deeply, she doesn’t notice me walk in, though to be fair I had frozen, starstruck, as soon as I entered. I cleared my throat and she whipped her head up, clear green eyes catching me. Her face settles into a smile and she calls, “Can I help you find...

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“One in a Million” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #59

“Mommy, can we go in there?” “So the meeting’s on for Thursday then?” “So I said, ‘Sure, the day you grow up!’ Great, right?” “Okay, okay, will you hold off for just one moment?” I stood beneath the crossing of conversations, squished between a thin girl with the darting eyes of a squirrel and a plump man with the mustache of a walrus, waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green. Screeching taxi cabs shot by and a cacophony of honking horns was the constant background. Avoiding eye contact with the people around me, I craned my neck upward...

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“Headed to the Top” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #58

My high heels clipping against the limonium floors, I wove through the crowds of people in the lobby. A cup of coffee in one hand and a small purse swinging on my shoulder, I cut a quick path to the shining elevators across the room. As I neared the silver doors I could see a man tapping the button, then stepping back to wait as the “up” symbol lit up. Even though I could only see the back of him, dark black hair cut short against his neck and the top plastered with gel,, a clean navy suit settled across his broad shoulders and a solid gold ...

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“Never Have I Ever” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #57

“Never have I ever...broken a bone.”  A chorus of groans and complaints filled the air of Caroline’s bedroom as I giggled. Holding my hand upright, I still had four out of five fingers raised. All the rest of the girls were down to their final few. Penny glared at me from across the circle as she put down her last finger, the cast over her left arm glowing white in the dim light.  “Lauren, you always win this game!” I grinned. “What can I say? I’m just so much more careful than all you crazy people.” Caroline rolled her eyes, “It’s...

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“Blind Date” by Taryn Holmes

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #56

I hated blind dates. Mostly because of how ironic it was. But here I was, sitting at a table, waiting for someone named Joseph. I felt a tremor at my feet and I felt Molly sit up and lay her head in my lap. I started petting her head, my fingers grazing the labeled vest she always had to wear. Molly could always tell when I was stressing out, and I certainly was at the moment.  I blamed Lauren for this. She loved setting me up, partly because matchmaking was her personal hobby and partly because she knows I can never say no to her. Afte...

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“Roots” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” The girl pressed her warm palm against the bark of my trunk. A traveling wind ruffled my branches, the clattering pine needles expressing my response. Keep a secret? As if I couldn’t be trusted with a secret. I looked down at the girl, her long black hair swirling in the same wind and her barefoot toes curling into the dirt above my roots. Of course I would keep her secret. She seemed to hear me because then she started to climb. This was not the first person to climb my branches, and certainly wouldn't be the last, ...

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“Chip Off the Old Block” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #54

“Again!” Aubrey paced back and forth beside me, her bright blond ponytail swinging and her arms crossed. I clenched the handlebars of the bike, glaring at my daughter. “I can’t do it Aubrey.” She glared back. “Yes you can Mom, you’re just not trying hard enough.” I shook my head, heavy in a thick helmet, even as I lifted my foot to the pedal. I pushed down hard, my left foot snapped to the other pedal and I started to move forward. The sidewalk before me swam before my eyes and my head spun a million rotations. I quivered for a foot, a rolli...

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“College or Bust” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #53

“Almost there…” I was laying on top of a large, gray suitcase, my fingers yanking on the zipper. With one last pull, I managed to shut it and let out a deep sigh. Rising to my feet, I grabbed the handle and dragged it towards the middle of the room. The large gray bag was a bright contrast to the faded cardboard of the surrounding boxes and the combination resulted in a daunting pyramid of packaged items. Even with the packed boxes, I could see even more college necessities peppered against the white carpet of what was only my room for a lit...

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“If You Shoot for the Moon and Miss...” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #52

The announcements rang through the street in a sweet, sugary voice.  “Missing person. Sarah Springly. 23 years old, blond hair and brown eyes. If found please notify Head Office A-11. Thank you and have a nice day.” The woman’s voice was cut off with a click and a shiver ran down my spine, despite the heavy black sweatshirt I wore. I had been dodging the Office for the better part of two weeks, ever since that cursed Choosing ceremony. I glanced down the road. Left. Right. But no one was out. Why would they be? I knew everyone was insid...

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“One Sky” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #51

As the last lingering rays of sun faded over the horizon, I smiled up at the bright, dotted sky. A gust of wind blew across the roof, running chills down my arms. I hugged my knees closer to my chest and watched the surrounding land darken from purple to deep blue. My eyes adjusted to the growing darkness and the stars left streaks of light across the sky. Fixating on the North star, I clasped my hands together tight, whispering underneath my breath. “Starlight, star bright. First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wi...

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“6 Points” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #50

The chords of “Brown-Eyed Girl” filled the interior of the truck as I belted along to every lyric. My fingers twitched to the rhythm and I bobbed my head with each musical swell, ignoring the stolen glances from my boyfriend in the driver’s seat. The fifth time he turned his bright green eyes my way, I cracked a smile and exclaimed,  “Nate! Keep those eyes on the road.” He returned my smile as I relapsed into the song, “I was just thinking how funny it is that every time we drive in MY car, we always end up listening to YOUR music.” I s...

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“Clue” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #49

Carla hated Mondays. As a general rule, she preferred to keep all negative feelings to one day of the week. But the circumstances of that Monday certainly weren't helping the day’s case. As she sat in the stuffy room, surrounded by a group of strangers, she tried to listen to the presentation. But the speaker just kept going on and on about some newfangled home security system that could only be disarmed by fingerprints or something. The whole thing was too much technology for Carla to really understand. She stifled a yawn, carefully glancin...

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“Make A Wish” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #48

My name is Caroline Starr. People nowadays call me the Fairy Godmother. Maybe a tad on the dramatic side, but I do appreciate the sentiments behind the term. The truth is, I just like helping people.  This year I am turning 120 years old, not that it shows. In truth, I haven’t aged since the day I turned 32.  I still remember finding out I was an immortal. That was sure a surprise, at first I thought I was one of the lucky ones that always looks young for their age. But that excuse only gets so far, trust me, I know. I tried to fig...

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“Saving for a Rainy Day” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #47

“Sunny, with a 10% chance of rain at 5:00 this afternoon,” you whisper to yourself. “Yeah right.” You look out the window, and not for the first time, think about how wrong the weather forecast had been. The alarm clock on your bedside table innocently blinds you with red digits that say 8:25, earning another scoff of disbelief. Opening the window shutters further, you watch as torrents of water drop from the clouds and pelt the people speed walking along the street past your apartment. You stifle a yawn with one hand while digging through ...

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“Inspiration Strikes” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #46

 I sat down at my computer, coffee on the table beside me and an array of notes neatly stacked past the mouse. As I started to open up some documents, I pushed jagged strands of hair off of my forehead, making a mental note to get a haircut soon. With a practiced finger I pushed my wire-rimmed glasses farther up the bridge of my nose and focused on the words on the screen. Scrolling down the page, I found where the section of the writing ended and began typing, my mind circling as my fingers slowly tapped the keys. I tried to think, wri...

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Author bio

I am a college student who has loved reading and writing since forever, especially because of the limitless creativity. As C.S. Lewis says: "You can make anything by writing." So that's what I plan to do :) I joined this site to get better at writing so all comments are welcome and appreciated!

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #56
Blind Date – read story