Tempest Phoenix Smith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (34)

34 Stories

614 karma pts

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“Frame of Mind” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #258

It was the calico cat that started it all on a Saturday morning.Not even his cat, though he had let her inside a few times since moving to Old Town.Ambrose had stripped the king-sized bed first thing, taken everything to the laundry room, then brought fresh lavender-colored sheets and pillowcases. He had stretched the last corner of the fitted bottom sheet over the mattress corner when he noticed the calico cat staring in through the bedroom window.Taking the cat to be scanned for a micro-chip was on his to-do list as none of the neighbours ...

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“The Tempest” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #257

Luckily, she was good at focusing. In the bustle and noise of costume shop where the sun never shone in the basement of the Dramatic Arts building at San Diego State University, she threaded several needles with midnight blue thread and stabbed each of them into the enormous peach-coloured pin cushion which bristled like a porcupine with pins and needles. She appreciated her preparation, then liberated a needle and began to hem.The trouser press hissed. Costumers discussed last night’s incident when the shoulder of the leading...

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“The 497th Santa” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #256

Mabel patted her hair, fingered underneath the back, then switched the hairdryer off and set it down on the dresser. Silence rushed in. She put one hand on the wall to steady herself and bent over to turn off the mains before unplugging the gadget. She would let it cool down before putting it back in the drawer later today.When she stood up, she was eye level with one of the teddies perched on the long shelf above her daughter’s bed. She tried to read some message in those glass amber eyes, felt she might get some insight, maybe one word to ...

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“Sandcastle in the Storm” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #255

I remember standing on the pale sands in warm sunlight watching the boy who kneels near his sister. He is using the top of a red plastic shovel to shape each turret on the sandcastle towers with deep concentration. She is looking down at him and smiling. He is her best ever birthday gift as he was born on her birthday. Who needs a doll when you have a real baby to cuddle? Only, I don’t remember this at all. I never had children. I wanted them desperately, but never had even one. I didn’t even get so far as a miscarriage. Why does this scene...

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Author bio

Tempest Phoenix Smith loves to weave words into poetry and stories. Her first Read Aloud book will be available as soon as her website is up and running, so watch this space. If you like "Unexpected Guest", you might enjoy: "Refuge", "Fever" and "Nightmare" which are set in the same world.