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Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2023
Submitted to Contest #290
A fuzzy red warmth emerges in my stomach whenever I hear that scraping. The Nutella is always a little hard after taking it from the fridge, so extra muscle is required to spread it uniformly on the toast. The harsh scraping that ensues, chimes like Pavlov’s dinner bell and triggers something internally. The next few minutes with my toast will bring me some joy.***Except for that scraping, the flat is quieter than I had hoped. I had plans with Claudia, but earlier decisions today have impacted my agenda for this evening. Today is Valentine’s...
Submitted to Contest #288
Mother is in the garden again. She is by the pond looking at the sky and clouds. From the way she is stretching out her neck and motioning her chin, I can tell she is catching the breeze on her face, sensing its direction and strength. She wants to know in which way the clouds are moving or how quickly they will be out of sight.Like many people these days, Mother is fascinated by clouds. This sounds boastful, but I know more about them than her, despite being only nine years old. Twelve weeks ago, I received an illustrated book from Father b...
Submitted to Contest #279
The contents of the vacuum chamber look the same as they did three months ago; as clear and empty as air. It is emptier than air, but to the naked eye, indistinguishable from it. My brother stares into it like it is the Mona Lisa. “Anything, Brett?” I say. “It’s beginning,” he replies, teeth gritted. The chamber is glass and spherical with a radius of around two feet. It is propped up by dark steel legs in a dimly lit room with walls layered four times over with black acrylic paint. I gaze into it, but as much I try to make substance of the ...
Submitted to Contest #277
There are moments when one must question the course of their life. Did one make a misstep, demonstrate poor judgment, or was one simply subjected to a sobering dose of bad luck? And if one truly has a purpose, was it met? For me, this period of introspection began eight hours ago when I heard the girl start to moan. True, the bedroom was dark and the two of us were alone, but I promise I never touched her, not once. I was completely trapped and paralyzed, and endured her moans the whole night. As no one came running to her aid, at least...
Submitted to Contest #240
The bombs had fallen near the village again the previous night, but this time, the house hadn't been hit. Billy and his mother had waited late into the morning around a small fire for news concerning the conflict. The room had a single bay window. It was patched up with cardboard, and harsh winds darted in and around it. Billy peered through curiously as the cardboard flapped. Being situated on a small coastal island, the circulating winds were not unusual in Hamley's Village, but today, amongst the brown leaves and ash, the wind carried a p...
Submitted to Contest #239
Thirty-Three reversed the car out of the bay and exited the parking lot onto the road. "240 miles to daily checkpoint," he said as he propelled the vehicle northward. Waves of sunlight flickered off the surrounding dunes, dazzling him, and he tossed his head side-to-side to shake away the glare. Accelerating hard, the car quickly reached 65 mph, and he lowered his cap."Ah, we got six hours," said Seventy-Five, biting his fingernail.Thirty-Three navigated the chicane. "Yeah, only six hours after your third bowl of soup.""Well, the soup sucked...
Submitted to Contest #238
TW: Strong language and violence throughout.Hey girl. I'll take one large ginger spiced latte and a chocolate chip muffin, please... …and sorry if I look a state. I just walked over from Bark and Solihull, the solicitors one block up, and you wouldn't believe what went down. I'm guessing this red shit all over my face and shirt is a giveaway, but damn… a guy just got his head blown half off. And don't get all nervous around me. Do you think I would be standing here hands-free if I had anything to do with this shit? Nah… I haven't so muc...
Submitted to Contest #237
This is Melissa; I'm out right now; please leave me a message… Beep.Hi there, Melissa. This is Daniel. You probably wouldn't believe it if you saw me, but I am walking down the street covered in mud. Let me explain. I had such a wonderful time with you this afternoon. I've not gelled with someone like that so quickly in forever. I guess you could say I've never been very lucky in finding a suitable partner. But the moment I laid eyes on you at the fitness club, it really was like being struck by lightning. I have never believed in falling fo...
Submitted to Contest #236
Dr. Sean Dalton sits by the porthole as the space station orbits the Earth for the 483rd time. This shift has been a long one. The curvature of England's south coast is visible through the domed acrylic. Home is down there, and so is she. It is 3 days until his return.He pushes himself from the wall with his feet, and his chair rolls on its wheels to a nearby desk. He clicks the mouse, and a video plays."Hi, Sean. Hope everything is going well up there. I miss you lots. I read in the garden today. I like it out there because I can sense you ...
Submitted to Contest #224
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” but “That’s funny …” — Isaac Asimov After thirteen hours of work and forty-seven minutes of sleep, Jasmin peeled her forehead off the desk and sat back in her chair. The glare of dawn through the window dazzled her momentarily before she lowered her eyes and began rebuttoning her lab coat. As she rose from her seat, she shrugged away the aches and stiffness from her shoulders and neck and walked across the laboratory, muttering under...
Submitted to Contest #223
Professor Smyth-Gladstone is ten minutes late. Lynn, his PA, assures me he is on campus. Standing with my back to his door, lightly tapping my head against the wood, I consider making chit-chat with Lynn but hold off as she devours what looks like a field of carrots.Twenty minutes late. I shuffle the three sheets of organic molecules, mechanisms, and tabulated data in my hand for the fiftieth time. They're still the correct print-offs; they're still the correct data. I lift on my toes, still tapping my head. The cold coat hook slides against...
Submitted to Contest #222
It was the fourteenth day in a row Daisy found herself animal tracking in the forest. By her feet was another clump of brown fur. She kneeled to pick it up, rolling the tough strands between her finger and thumb before allowing them to settle in her palm. A short gust of wind lifted them from her hand, and she watched as they spread across the air and into nature. The surrounding trees towered beyond sight and lined deep in every direction, but the thick greenery that shrouded them cast no shadow, allowing light from a blazing pink sky to il...
Submitted to Contest #221
Thomas and Giles were sitting at the kitchen table preparing for Halloween night. Though the boys were unaware of his presence, Arthur sat at the table listening to his two grandchildren.“No, the holes in the sheet aren’t the eyes, idiot!” Thomas exclaimed.“Well, what are they then?” Giles asked. “Is this more comic book knowledge?”“Listen. The reason a ghost looks like a sheet isn’t because they are white and wavy. It’s because they are invisible. They drape a sheet over themselves so people can see them.”“Ah, so the holes are like spying h...
Shortlisted for Contest #219 ⭐️
I am awake. What is this cell? Blackness, emptiness, where am I? How long have I been here?"Ok, Congressman Jones, Dr. Spears, now for the final leg of the University tour. I am Professor Colin Shelley; please step through here. You are now to witness the jewel in our crown. The fruits of our exploration into organ on a chip."Shelley led them through the laboratory. Rows of partially lit fume hoods lined the room's left, and a larger biosafety cabinet was positioned in the far-left corner. Benches with various apparatus and glassware we...
Submitted to Contest #217
Craig closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the paintbrush in his hand and then over to his younger brother, sitting across the room on the floor. "OK, Jonny. Do you see this big white square sheet with the tree stump on? This is your canvas."Jonny looked up momentarily, then down again. He was facing away from Craig and the canvas, building with his Lego. On a white plastic base in front of him was a Lego wall patterned with repeated red, blue, and yellow rows. Craig walked across th...
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