Tricia Shulist

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (191)

191 Stories

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“No Good Deed” by Tricia Shulist

NO GOOD DEED … Remy walked down the stairs to the subway platform. It was rush hour, and there was a lot of jostling, and unintentional shoving. Everybody was on their way somewhere after work — to meet friends, off to a show, drinks, dinner. The work day was finished, and the exodus had begun.  Remy just wanted to go home. He was tired, and his day had been pretty crappy, what with being fired, and all. Fired wasn’t the way his boss had phrased it. He’d said “laid off,” with two weeks severance pay.&...

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“Valentine's Day -- Yuck!” by Tricia Shulist

VALENTINE’S DAY — YUCK “Valentine’s Day is the worst,’ I said.   My friend Frannie and I were sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a cappuccino together at the end of the work day. It was Valentine’s Day, and the barista had made foam hearts on the top of our drinks. “There is no reason why it is celebrated,” I continued, “Other than to line the pockets of stores and corporations, and make people who aren’t in a relationship feel like losers. Except for the fact that it is prime season for cinnamon hearts — which a...

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“Up In the Air” by Tricia Shulist

UP IN THE AIR “I hate this.” I looked at my mother, trying not to cry.  “What do you hate, Sophia?” she asked. “I hate that we have to move, again. I hate that I’m going to have to leave all my friends, again. I hate that I have to start at a new school, again. I hate that I’m going to be the new girl, again. I hate that I’m going to a new country, again. I hate that I don’t speak the language, again. And, I hate that you’re okay with all that, because your job is sooooo important, and who gives a...

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“One For All, All For One” by Tricia Shulist

ONE FOR ALL, AND ALL FOR ONE “I can’t believe you believed that!” Sam snorted. “Even I knew it wasn’t true, and I’m the youngest.” Aaron looked at his brother, eyebrows furrowed. “How the hell was I supposed to know that you guys were liars?” Dev started to laugh. “Because we’re triplets, you moron. Didn’t you notice that we all look exactly alike?” “Not when I was seven, I didn’t.” “Dude!” said Dev, “Did you really think that Mom and Dad wanted another kid because having two at once wasn’t enough? De...

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“The Locked Door” by Tricia Shulist

THE LOCKED DOOR Azul Beard lived deep in the bayou of southern Louisiana in a huge, ramshackle house that had once been the home to the Beniot family, an important family who grew cotton and tobacco. The same family had held the property as late as the mid-twentieth century, when Bernard Benoit made a number of ill-advised investments, and the family was no longer able to afford their lavish lifestyle. Unable to pay the taxes, or pay off the second and third mortgages Bernard had taken out on the house, they had fled the lowlands fo...

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“ALL'S QUIET ON THE MOUNTAIN” by Tricia Shulist

ALL’S QUIET ON THE MOUNTAIN                Henry stood gazing out of the large picture window, listening to the tinkle of ice pellets hitting the glass. The window faced north, towards the parking lot. Not that you could tell it was the parking lot. It was winter in the mountains, and the parking lot was currently hidden under three feet of pristine snow. It had been snowing for two days straight. Behind him, the logs burning in the massive st...

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“The Parr Tea House” by Tricia Shulist

THE PARR TEA HOUSE “Do you want to meet up tonight?” Tilda asked her best friend Bethany. “Sure. Where?”   “How about the Parr Tea House?” “Eww! Sounds like fun! What time?” “Eight-ish?” “Sounds perfect!” said Bethany.“Text me the address.” Bethany ended the call. Even though she thought eight o’clock was a little early for a night of clubbing, she was super excited because this was the first time in almost two months that Tilda had wanted to get together for a night out on the town. Two months was a long t...

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“More Than A Feeling” by Tricia Shulist

MORE THAN A FEELING It was a usual work day for Amber, and her alarm went off at seven, as usual. But what wasn’t usual was the fact that she was already awake, and had been hours. Instead of waking up as usual, she was staring up at the ceiling, wide-eyed, trying to remember the nightmare. The nightmare that had caused her to come fully awake, gasping for air, sitting bolt up in bed, hands clutching at her racing heart.  She knew that it had been a truly horrific nightmare, but she couldn’t remember a single thing about i...

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“Everybody Needs Some Buddy” by Tricia Shulist

EVERYBODY NEEDS SOME BUDDY “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” The cheer went up, reverberating around the square. I snorted. “Yeah, Happy New Year.” I looked out at the crowd. It was small compared to anything from before the pandemic, but still larger than the 2020 crowd, when there was no ball drop, and the only people allowed in Times Square were health care workers. The rest of the world had to watch the new year arrive virtually. This year the crowd was what, fifteen thousand? That’s still a lot of people, and a lot of g...

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“Better Late than Never” by Tricia Shulist

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER I looked at my watch — 5:56 pm. I really needed to step lively if I was going to make it. I had to get to the bank before closing time at 6:00 pm because I really needed to get into my safety deposit box. The ATM can do a lot of things, but that was not one of them. I hustled a little faster. I know. I know. Why wait ’til the last minute — again? I had every intention of going to the bank right after lunch, but I met a friend for linch, and it went longer than I expected. T...

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“The Game” by Tricia Shulist

THE GAME “This sucks.” I plopped down on the ground, and crossed my arms across my chest. “I know.” My cousin Cathy laid back on the grass. “I hate it here. It’s so boring.” “I know, right?.”   I considered the three weeks that I was spending at my Grandparents’ farm a prison sentence. A really, really boring prison sentence.   Summer was supposed to be fun — hanging out with friends, sleeping in. Not sitting around watching the corn grow. I looked over at Cathy. She was eleven, a bit...

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“Monica and the Five Stages of Grief -- A Different Take on the Meaning of "Stage"” by Tricia Shulist

MONICA AND THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF — A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE MEANING OF “STAGE” Monica looked down at the gravestone with her husband’s name on it. She was feeling okay. Not great, considering, but a whole heck of a lot better than she had been the day Seth had announced that their marriage was over. That had been the worst day — Day One of a new life; not a life Monica sought for herself, but one foisted on her by Seth. Stage 1: Denial “I want a divorce.” Monica looked at her husband, shock showing on her fa...

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“When the Going Gets Tough ...” by Tricia Shulist

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH ... “We’re not going anywhere. We’re stuck.” I looked around, panicked. We were surrounded by an ocean of cars and trucks and motorcycles, and not a single one was moving. “We can’t be stuck. We have to go!” “I know, Tilda, but there’s nothing I can do.” “You have to do something, Jacob, because if you don’t, this is not going to turn out well.” I threw myself back in the seat, gritting my teeth as pain racked my body. Oh, God, I thought. I can’t stand this. Make it stop...

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“Big Surprises in Small Packages” by Tricia Shulist

BIG SURPRISES IN SMALL PACKAGES The doorbell rang, and of course, the dog lost her bananas. Bark, bark, bark, twirl, twirl, twirl, bark, bark, bark, jump, jump jump, bark, bark bark … you get the idea. I love my dog, don’t get me wrong. But man, she’s, what eight now? How many times has the doorbell rung? A million? And each and every time she loses her mind. Why? I have no idea. The majority of recent doorbell rings have been either friends or deliveries. Nothing heinous. Just pals or packa...

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“The Gift of Qamar” by Tricia Shulist

THE GIFT OF QAMAR The woman looked down at her fingernails. They were filthy and ragged. Her eyes continued down to her worn and dirty jeans. They didn’t even fit her anymore. They were baggy, too long, and she held them up with a hank of old yellow rope she had found on the street. Her shoes were worn and she knew that she was only a few days away from wearing a hole all the way through the sole of her left shoe.  She was thankful she didn’t have a mirror. She did not want to scrutinize her own reflecti...

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Author bio

Love reading. Trying to be a better writer. Meshing both through Reedsy.