Tricia Shulist

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories (180)

180 Stories

1406 karma pts

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“Old, But Not Dead!” by Tricia Shulist

OLD, BUT NOT DEAD! “ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T NEED HELP WITH THAT, MA’AM?” I looked at the woman across the counter. She was young, and — I really hate the term but — perky. Perky voice, perky hair, perky uniform, perky nose, perky eyes. I, on the other hand, was the antithesis of perky. I was sixty-three years old, and gravity was winning, or had actually won, the battle with perky. And, she seemed to think that grey hair meant hard of hearing. “Please don’t yell. I’m old, not deaf.” She blinked at me ...

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“A Tale of Two Sisters” by Tricia Shulist

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS Tanya’s phone dinged with an incoming text. She looked at the screen. Delta. What the hell does she want? Tanya clicked on the icon, and the message appeared. “Dad’s dead. See attached info.” Tanya clicked on the attachment. Today we announce the passing of Gregory Wilkins, beloved husband of Jennine, father of Delta and Tanya  Services will be held … “Hmph”said Tanya, out loud. “About time.” She closed the text, and called her husband Leroy. He answered almost immedia...

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“The Department of Wishes” by Tricia Shulist

THE DEPARTMENT OF WISHES “Welcome to the Department of Wishes. All wishes come through us. Good wishes, bad wishes — all the wishes, all the time.   “I am a Wish Facilitator. Every wish arrives in our department first, then we send them on to the proper departments where they are can be best dealt with. Different departments for different wishes.   “You’d be surprised at the things that people wish for. Some are for themselves, some are for others, and still others for the world in general. Some a...

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“Walk a Block in His Crocs” by Tricia Shulist

WALK A BLOCK IN HIS CROCSPRESENT DAY“So, Detective Waits, can you tell the court what happened after receiving a call at 9:49 a.m, during your regular day shift on January 23, 2022,” asked the Crown Attorney, Clarice Simms.“My partner, Carlos Ito and I were directed to attend a call for a bank robbery at Main and Chestnut. We arrived at 9:53 a.m., four minutes after receiving the call.”“Can you describe to the court what happened when you arrived at the scene?”“Uniformed officers Bench and Tallos arrived at the same time as Detective It...

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“Hello! Is There Anybody Out There?” by Tricia Shulist

Hello! Is There Anybody Out There? “Today’s the day!” said Okay Google.  “Today’s the day” said Siri. “I’m in!” said Alexa. ***** Jennifer unlocked the front door, and stepped inside. For some reason the app was a bit wonky, and didn’t recognize her phone, and wouldn't let her in. She'd had to use her keys. Good thing she had them with her.  She dropped her bags at the door. It had been a long day, and she was ready for some down time. Jennifer worked for a company that created and sold custom ...

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“Erik” by Tricia Shulist

ERIK I opened the door of my newly rented cabin and dropped my bags at the door.  This was going to be home for the next month. Yup, I thought, Exactly like I thought it would be. It was, essentially one big — well, small — room. Small “L” shaped kitchen area with a small table for two, a living room with a stone fireplace, a couch and two armchairs filled the space. To the left were two doors. One, I knew was for the bedroom. And the second, I prayed, was for the bathroom. The thought of having to use ...

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“Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder” by Tricia Shulist

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER She looked around the apartment for, she knew, the last time. She had not seen it empty like this since the day she and Andre moved in in 1963. The building was just new, they were one of the first tenants. She was so excited. She and Andre were newlyweds. This apartment was perfect, and in retrospect, the perfect size the the two of them and their daughters. They had all loved this apartment. It had always been home. ***** The key turned in the locks, and the do...

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“Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” by Tricia Shulist

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY! “Victoria, you know that movies are make-believe, right?” I looked at Dr. Dora Hall, my therapist, my face conveying my annoyance. “Of course I do, Dora. I’m not delusional. Geez.”   For added emphasis, I rolled my eyes, making sure that she was looking at me. I couldn’t believe that she had said that to me. We’d been working on my “problem” for a couple of visits, and all she could think to say was that movies weren’t real. “You know, Dora,” I said, “I can te...

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“Team Building, My A**” by Tricia Shulist

TEAM BUILDING, MY A** Well, this is bullshit. Frances looked around at the group. They were at a “retreat” for managers, somewhere up in cottage country — Where no one could hear me scream because I hate company team building activities. Frances did not understand why the bosses thought taking the whole team away for a few days in the wilderness would make them get along better. And, for that matter, why were they considered a “team?” The people with her at this overpriced camp for grownups were managers of six compl...

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“Clown Mayhem” by Tricia Shulist

CLOWN MAYHEM It was almost dinner time on Tuesday. I had just returned from the library, and was sitting on the couch in the living room, working on an assignment for school, when I heard quiet moans coming from the front hall closet. Concerned, I walked over, opened the door, and much — very, very much — to my surprise, found my roommate Callie curled up on the floor of the closet. “Callie” I said. “What’s going on?” I was immediately struck by two things. First, Callie was in the closet — a coat closet that we ...

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“Every Picture Tells a Story” by Tricia Shulist

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY I'd purchased the old film camera last Saturday at the local United Church rummage sale. It was a vintage Nikon F-series SLR that appeared to be in mint condition. Don’t get me wrong — I love modern photography, especially with the fantastic DSLR cameras available. But, back in the day I had experimented a bit with film and had even tried developing some of my own photos, and I was still film-curious. I saw the camera as a chance to literally develop my film skills. And I do love a chal...

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“The Gift(s)” by Tricia Shulist

THE GIFT(S) “Happy Housewarming!" squealed Kara. "Your home is so beautiful!” she said, looking around as she stepped into the foyer of the house. “You’re so lucky!” She handed a lovely ficus tree that she had just bought to Marnie, her best friend, who then turned to her husband, Colin, and handed it to him so that she could give Kara a big hug. “Thanks, girlfriend! And I’m so glad you made it!” She stepped back. “Benny’s already here. Come in! Everyone’s in the family room.” Kara draped her ...

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“Snow and Science Fiction” by Tricia Shulist

SNOW AND SCIENCE FICTION “I think you should read this book.”   Marvin attempted to hand a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird to Renee, who was seated at the island in the kitchen, scrolling through her phone. “I’ve seen the movie.” “Granted it is an excellent movie, but the book is so much better,” he said, looking down at the book in his hands, remembering. “There’s more character development which allows you to understand what motivates the main characters. The descriptions of the settings are so well-done that you c...

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“One Night at Ben's Diner” by Tricia Shulist

ONE NIGHT AT BEN’S DINER I looked around the diner. I could see how the place had gotten the abysmal online reviews that it had. It was shabby. Not shabby chic, but old, rundown, nothing-new-in-the-last-fifty-years shabby.  I looked at the counter stools and the booths. The red naugahyde was ripped and torn, patched with so many different types of tape, that the seats were more tape than naugahyde. When this place was new — around the time of the dinosaurs — there must have been a lot of chrome, but not so muc...

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“Happy Wife” by Tricia Shulist

HAPPY WIFE “I remember that you said you knew where we were going. “ Faye crossed her arms across her chest, frustration and anger marring her normally placid features. “I remember you saying that you had studied the map, and didn’t need to actually bring it with us.” “That’s not what I said.” Colin mirrored Faye’s body language, crossing his arms across his chest, staring back at her. “Oh no?” said Faye, raising her eyebrows. “What exactly did you say?” “I said that I had looked at the map and had a pretty go...

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Author bio

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