Taylor Pastore

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (11)

11 Stories

223 karma pts

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“columbus” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #59

Just as Christopher Colombus sailed the ocean blue, Leif Erikson sailed the icy waters, and Lewis and Clark waded those murky rivers, I paddled my way through the creek outside my house with the ambition of a world-class explorer.  If Dora had taught me nothing, it was to explore.  And so I did. I had been to many strange places in the woods.  Abandoned farms,  secret clearings, and quiet passageways that led straight to the side of a blaring highway.  Every new place was a notch in my adventure until I had mapped ...

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“honor” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #57

The honor came with power in my family. Without a grasp on the world around you, you were weak and powerless. And without power, there was no honor. From a young age, I learned that the Robespierre family never cried and never loosened their iron thumb on the world. The modern world would not function properly without our law and order, our influence, and control. With that, a huge responsibility was laid on my shoulders as a child, being the first male born in the family. I had three older sisters who were prepared for marriage since they c...

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“prey in eden” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #56

-Eve- I haven't been out of the house in a while... It hurts to get out of the stone-cold bed in the morning. It hurts to interact with people. It hurts to get dressed and look at myself in the mirror. It hurts to see myself as the shell of who I once was, cracked from the inside-out. Even so, my friends convinced me to get out and meet someone. They signed me up for some stupid dating app and I found someone eager to meet me, so, despite my reservations about online dating, I mustered the courage to go. Sluggishly dragging myself out of...

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“destiny” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #54

Some people believe in destiny as a way to keep sane in such an unpredictable world. Others believe in destiny as a way to place the blame when things go wrong. But I believe we write our own destinies, `forging a path in the unknown and leaving a trail of regrets behind.  It was my destiny to meet Jackie, sure, but what I made of our relationship was my opportunity to rewrite fate, to blaze a trail. It would be difficult, I knew it, but when I looked in her innocent doe eyes, I knew it was the only way. To make am...

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“eagle in the sky” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #53

Every evening at about 9 o'clock, the sun dips just below the city skyline and the entire sky turns into a canvas of warm golds, reds, and purples. The trees glisten in the distance like a mirage, so out of reach. If you squint hard enough, they shimmer out of existence. It seems these days, anything could shimmer out of existence if you stare them long enough. Like looking out your cracked window at the cityscape, the glass disappears, and its just you and the outside world. It feels like the simulation glitches when the people pass by...

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“i would've preferred the bullet” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #52

"Elle Thanatos." I turned around, hearing my name. The wind was whistling in my ears, cold and ominous. I was heading back to my apartment after a long shift of work, so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. Nonetheless, I pushed forward, letting the cold air and bright lights keep me awake. Until I heard that voice and turned around to see two burly men, heading closer and closer to me. Their figures in the dark looked threatening, quickening their pace before I could notice. They wore gray designer suits, caucasian males with...

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“baby proserpina” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #52

"You're going to freeze in that dress, Andromeda," My godmother chastised and I rolled my eyes."I like this dress," I complained, "And it has sleeves!""Thin ones," My godmother shook her head in dismay, "And it cuts off above the knee. Do you take pleasure in looking like a harlot, Andromeda?"I groaned, letting my anger melt in the snow behind me. That old lady really got on my nerves sometimes. After my mother passed, I had to take over all of the responsibilities as head of the village, which was a lot to deal with as a blossoming you...

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“The Goddesses of the Moon” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #52

The annual election left me hiding in my mother's basement for 48 hours.  Not that I was very social, to begin with, but out of fear of being the one chosen, I didn't dare go above ground.  The government elected one person, age 12 to 50, to travel to the moon and join the colony.  There was limited contact with the human colony on the moon already, all I knew was that it was "safe" and "comfortable living".  But then again, it was the government's word. I could already tell something was off this year.  It was my ...

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“rising from the ashes” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #52

A part of me died that day. The Battle of Mount Wi was the turning point of the war and the fall of the Southern Plateau tribe.  We lost so many loved ones and loyal warriors to the last battle of the Cruel War.  The few of my people that were left were taken as prisoners of war to the Northern Kingdom, where they rot in cells and worked as slaves for their empire.  I remember that day as horribly as the others. We had a perfectly planned attack.  We were smaller, less armed, less uniform, and quicker to assemble.&nbs...

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“the elemental kids” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #51

"Is everyone ready?"Mr. Scott asked. The six of us crowded into our billionaire adopted father’s limousine, prepared for our first mission as a team.  I was only nine at the time, missing my mom and home.  I remember my mom getting the call from Mr. Scott, the CEO of FutureStar, offering her more money than she knew what to do with just for me, a freak with the ability to manipulate the wind, to attend his “elemental” kids program.  Little did I know, there would be five other nine-year-olds with abnormal powers like mine.&nbs...

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“supernova” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #51

Stars twinkle down, almost taunting us. They live on seemingly forever, immortal as celestial beings. Human lifetimes are laughable to a star, watching us burn out and die off within a few moments. But they say the brightest stars live the shortest. We strive to live as brightly and loudly as possible, shouting into oblivion, desperately hoping our existence makes an impact on the vast universe. And like blue supergiants, we live as bright as possible, inevitable to a supernova, exploding into nothingness again. We were young and reckless....

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