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Tricia Shulist

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (210)

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210 Stories

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Do I Know You?

DO I KNOW YOU? “Harper Lee Goodwill, get in here, right now!” I hated it when Momma used my full name. It always—and I mean always—meant that I was in trouble. For something—anything—she took umbrage with. My mind raced backwards scanning for any small transgression I may have committed today. It didn’t matter, big or small, real or imagined—f she was angry enough to use my full name, a tongue lashing that was about to be rained down on me. My twin brother. There is no gender preference with her—she despises us both equally. His nam...

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Dancin’ in the Moonlight

DANCIN’ IN THE MOONLIGHT When Opal went out to check the mail, she was happily surprised. Since the advent of online shopping, computer banking, and electronic everything else—e-vites, e-cards, e-mail, and texting—her mailbox was usually only filled with flyers and advertisements from local tradespeople touting their skills. Other than the big white envelopes from the bank, Opal and Felix rarely received what she liked to call “real mail.” So when she was the creamy white envelope addressed to Opal and Felix Gregory in exquisite calligra...

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Happy Birthday to Me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME I put my phone on my desk, face down and sighed. It was my birthday, and the government couldn’t help themselves—they had to ruin it. ***** I walked over to the white board, and wrote, “Today is my 60th birthday. Do you know what that means?” My class of about sixty second-year Ethics and Logic students looked at me blankly, or refused to make eye-contact, their gazes falling to their desktops or devices. They knew what my sixtieth birthday meant, but didn’t want to talk about it. It was kind of like when someone...

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Gardening, Am I Right?

GARDENING, AM I RIGHT? February 21: Well, I guess this is the perfect time to start using this garden journal I was gifted from the kids at Christmas. Why, you ask? I know that we live in Canada, and it is the dead of winter, and there’s not much gardening going on right now. But I was reading the paper this morning, and the gardening guy—the one who does the Open Gardens Week—well, he said that this is the last year that he’s doing in. It’s been twenty-five years, and he figures that’s long enough. But—and this is important—he was encourag...

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Done

DONE “You know what? I quit. I’m done,” I said taking a big breath. It had been a long, brutal day, and I was admitting defeat. My crusty father used to tell me that losers quit, winners got the job done. I mentally shrugged my shoulders. I guess I’m a loser, ‘cuz there’s no way I can finish this job. My husband, Uriah, smirked at me. “Again, Amelia? What is it this time? Did I leave my socks on the floor? Or put an empty milk carton back in the fridge? Or leave an empty toilet paper roll in the can? Come on, tell me—what cata...

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The Ghostwriter, Publisher, and the Star

THE GHOSTWRITER, THE PUBLISHER, AND THE STAR The Ghostwriter—Carla I looked down at the pile of paper, painted with red slashes and question marks. I don’t get paid enough for this! I thought—not for the first time. By just quickly thumbing through the pages, I could see there was more red ink than black type. This job was turning into a nightmare compared to the other ghostwriting jobs I’d done. Apparently, The Client—who shall remain nameless because of the NDA I signed—changed his mind—a lot—about how his life had actually unfold...

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Angie and Devon

ANGIE AND DEVON “Could you please, just once, think about how your over-the-top reactions reflect on those around you?” Devon shrugged. “Nope. Unlike you, my dear Angie, I don’t care what others think.” She looked around Marie’s giant head, and gave Angie a sly smile. “Besides, for every action there is a reaction. And I am the queen of reactions!” Angie sighed. “Learn Newton’s third law before you go quoting it. It’s actually ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’” She paused. “By that rationale, you should b...

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Strangers in the Night

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT Paige inhaled deeply. The air was sweet and cool. She could smell the late spring flowers on the breeze—lilacs, forsythia, hyacinths, maybe some early roses. Just what she needed after hours cooped up inside, staring at her computer screen. It was late, just after eleven—her favourite time for a walk. A light breeze gently rustled the leaves on the trees. The sky was cloudless, the stars competing with the waxing gibbous moon. She could hear the foraging of small animals in the bushes, their furtive movements a...

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This Isn’t What I Signed Up For!

THIS ISN’T WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR! I squeezed through the small bedroom window, and slip-skidded across the roof over the first floor mud room. I turned around, and eased myself off the roof, grabbing the eavestrough with my fingers, extending my arms until straight. I was hanging by my fingertips I looked down. I was only a couple of feet from the ground. I let go, and landed almost gracefully. And I didn’t break my leg. So, … yay? I looked up as my friend Daisy and her boyfriend Leo dropped to the ground beside me. “We gotta go!” ...

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Who Does That?

WHO DOES THAT? “Excuse me?” said a voice. I looked over at the two people walking toward me—a man and a woman. Obviously not from the neighbourhood. I would have known them if they lived around here. “Yes,” I said. “Are you—” the woman looked at the notebook she was holding in her hand, “—Jules Martino?” She looked back at me. “Yes,” I said. “And this is your home?” she asked. “Yes.” I paused. “Or what’s left of it.” I turned to look at the charred pile of debris where my house had once stood, where my entire life had literally ...

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A Day in the Life

A DAY IN THE LIFE 6:58 A.M. “Olivia! Get up! It’s almost seven o’clock.” Oh God. Make her stop! I pulled my pillow over my head to silence my mother’s bellowing from the hall. “Olivia! Get out of bed.” Argh! ‘NOW!” Mom yelled. “I’M UP!” I screeched back, removing the pillow from my face. “YOU BETTER BE! DON’T MAKE ME COME IN THERE AND DRAG YOU OUT OF THAT BED!” “I SAID I’M UP!” I rolled over and put the pillow over my head again. My bedroom door opened, and there she was, Marj the Mom-ster. Invading my privacy. As usual...

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Yin and Yang

YIN AND YANG“I don’t understand how you two are still friends.” Jason said, then paused. “Or why.”I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know,” I said. “We’ve been friends since middle school. She’s always just been my friend.”Jason shook his head. “Sure, you’ve known her forever, Nina, but that doesn’t mean that you still have to be friends. She treats you like trash.”I looked at my husband. It was the same every time I’d tell him about Talia. And I knew that it was my own fault. I’d spend some time with Talia, and then I’d come home and tell Ja...

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Run!

RUN! “What should we do?” I whispered “Run!” ***** “Are we going the right way?” asked Hugh. I shrugged. “I think so. There’s only one road in and one road out, so …” I let the statement hang. Hugh nodded. We kept driving down the rutted road, the wall of trees unbroken. Just before I was about to ask if he wanted to go back—which, by the way, would have been impossible because there was no where to turn around with the truck and the trailer—the trees parted, and there it was. The perfect campsite. I let out a sigh of relief...

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Bob the Blob

BOB THE BLOB Enola looked disgusted. “Ew!” she said shaking her head. “How many times have I told you that is not cool?” Bob cocked his head and looked at her. “Seventy-six. Seventy-seven if you count right now.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Exactly. And yet you continue to pick your nose and look at it.” She looked frustrated. “Why?” They were at home, relaxing, watching television. Bob shrugged. “I’m curious. This is the first time I’ve ever had a nose. It’s interesting to see what gets trapped up in there.” He ...

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I Believe

I BELIEVE“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of our dear friend Evan ….”I shut my eyes and let the words wash over me. The pastor’s melodious voice soothing me, bringing me a modicum of inner peace, making today a bit easier to bear.I didn’t expect to be sitting here. In fact I rejected the idea of attending outright. How could I celebrate the life of my friend … lover … partner? Evan—who was everything to me—when I didn’t believe he was dead?I believe that he is out there, somewhere. I don’t—I can’t—believe tha...

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