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Vera N

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2024

Stories (102)

Comments

Library

16 Followers

28 Following

102 Stories

431 karma pts

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Erased and Returned

Vera N

The rain came down in a soft drizzle, soaking into the freshly turned earth at the cemetery. Fat droplets pattered against the canopy of black umbrellas, rolling off in streams and pooling in the muddy grass. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and cut flowers, mingling with the occasional rustle of shifting feet. The mourners huddled close, their breath misting in the chilly air, whispering among themselves about the tragic accident that had claimed Daniel Reeves. A car wreck, they said—no body recovered, but enough wreckage to as...

0 likes

The Forgotten Coordinates

Vera N

My Dearest Eleanor,If you are reading this letter, then I have failed. I have failed to return, failed to keep my promise, and failed to unravel the tangled threads of this mystery without losing myself in the process. I write to you now in the faint hope that my words will reach you even if I do not, that they may serve as some small beacon in the darkness that has swallowed me whole.You must understand that I did not embark upon this journey lightly. When I first discovered the journal hidden within Grandfather’s old trunk, I thought it no...

0 likes

The Dead Piano

Vera N

The night was alive with the whispers of wind slithering through the cracks of the old Victorian house. Though it had long been abandoned, the town of Black Hollow never dared demolish it. Superstition kept the wreckage standing, its bones creaking in the moonlight. Among the scattered relics of a forgotten past, one object remained untouched by time: a grand piano, its polished surface dulled but not broken, its keys yellowed but intact. It was known as the Dead Piano.Legends swirled like mist around it. Some said it was cursed, others clai...

1 like

Red-Eye Threat

Vera N

Submitted to Contest #293

The overhead light flickered as the plane rocked gently, somewhere over the Atlantic. Ryan shifted in his seat, stretching his legs under the tray table. It was a red-eye, the kind where most passengers tried to sleep through the monotonous hum of the engines.But he couldn’t sleep. Not with 37B beside him.She hadn’t spoken much since boarding in New York, just a quick nod when he let her slide into the window seat. She wore a gray sweater, her dark hair falling over her shoulder as she stared out into the night. Nothing unusual. Except for t...

6 likes

The Stranger from Seat 14B

Vera N

Lena settled into her seat on the flight from Budapest to Genova, tucking her backpack under the seat in front of her. She sighed, glancing out the small oval window as the Hungarian capital shrank below. It had been a whirlwind of a trip—solo traveling through Central Europe had been both exhilarating and exhausting. She had wandered through the gothic streets of Prague, losing herself in its fairytale-like charm; admired the stunning architecture of Vienna, indulging in rich coffee and decadent Sachertorte; and soaked in the thermal baths ...

1 like

The Watching Silence

Vera N

The rain hit the window in slow, lazy drops, smearing the view of the gas station outside. Mia pressed her forehead against the cool glass, watching the neon lights flicker through the drizzle. The SUV rumbled beneath her, the engine idling as her father filled the tank.This was just the beginning.She sighed, adjusting her earbuds. Their family took road trips almost every summer, but this one was different. Longer. Farther.Their destination: a cabin by the lake, deep in the mountains, hours away from cell service and civilization.Mia wasn’t...

1 like

A Palette Restored

Vera N

The world had lost its color.It had begun as a slow fade, a dulling of vibrancy unnoticed at first—until it was impossible to ignore. The sky over Aiden’s small apartment turned pallid, the ivy that once clung to the brick walls of his neighborhood shriveled into brittle, colorless husks, and the mural on the corner—once a swirl of reds, blues, and greens—became nothing more than a grayscale shadow of what it had been. The color bled from his world, leaving only shades of black, white, and endless gray.No one could pinpoint when exactly it h...

1 like

Brushstrokes of Magic

Vera N

In the heart of a quaint village called Vellmir, nestled between the rolling green hills of the Bavarin countryside, there lived a reclusive artist named Elias Voss. His hands wove magic into his paintings—though not the kind found in myths or legends. His creations held an inexplicable allure, a pulse of something unseen that made people feel emotions they couldn’t quite name. Some claimed his art whispered to them, that the figures in his portraits blinked when no one was looking. Others swore that landscapes in his paintings carried the s...

0 likes

Whispers in the Sunlight

Vera N

The field stretched before her like a golden sea, waves of sunflowers bending under the summer breeze. Each blossom turned its face toward the sun, their petals radiating warmth like tiny fragments of captured sunlight. The golden hues stretched to the horizon, blending with the soft haze of the late afternoon, where the sky kissed the earth in a seamless gradient of gold and blue. The delicate hum of insects filled the air, a symphony of life woven into the tapestry of the land. Occasionally, a butterfly would flit lazily above the blossoms...

0 likes

Exit Wound

Vera N

The city burned. Thick plumes of smoke curled into the night sky, mixing with the neon glow of shattered streetlights. Sirens wailed in the distance, barely audible over the gunfire rattling through the streets. The scent of gasoline and scorched metal filled the air, and somewhere nearby, a car alarm blared its dying scream. Amid the chaos, Levi Santos ran. His breath came in ragged gasps, his ribs aching from the last hit he’d taken. Blood slicked his temple, seeping into the collar of his jacket. His gun was empty—he’d thrown it awa...

0 likes

Whispers Beneath The Floor

Vera N

Submitted to Contest #291

Daniel gripped the steering wheel tighter as the rain intensified, turning the highway into a mirror of black water. The wipers slapped rhythmically, struggling to clear the windshield fast enough. It was the kind of night that made the world feel smaller, reduced to the dim glow of headlights and the muffled hum of the engine. He hadn't been back to Ashwood in nearly twenty years. Not since he left. Not since that night. The town sat nestled in the valley like a secret, surrounded by dense forests that swallowed the roads whole. The hig...

2 likes

Fractured Recall

Vera N

Submitted to Contest #291

Dr. Ethan Caldwell prided himself on his ability to understand the human mind. With over two decades as a psychiatrist, he believed he'd encountered every conceivable manifestation of mental distress. That belief was challenged the day Daniel Grayson walked into his office. Daniel's appearance was unsettling: gaunt frame, sunken eyes, and an enigmatic smile that hinted at secrets best left undiscovered. His attire—a worn, outdated suit—seemed a relic from another era. "I've been waiting for this appointment for a long time," Daniel began, hi...

5 likes

Books, Coffee, and You

Vera N

Amelia had always loved the quiet hum of The Ivy & Ink, the tiny bookshop café nestled between two towering buildings in the heart of the city. It was a place of well-worn pages and the rich scent of coffee, a refuge from the hurried world outside. Every morning before work, she would slip into her favorite corner by the window, order a vanilla latte, and immerse herself in a book, savoring the solitude before the day’s demands took hold.One crisp autumn morning, as golden leaves twirled outside the fogged-up window, she found her routin...

1 like

Ghost Hound

Vera N

Jack Mercer never stopped for strays. Life had taught him not to. A former private investigator turned small-town mechanic, he had seen the worst humanity had to offer—betrayal, cruelty, blood spilled over things that never mattered. He had buried his past deep, trading high-speed chases and shootouts for oil changes and carburetor repairs. Simple. Predictable. Safe.But that night, as he sped down the deserted backroads of Blackwood County, something made him slam on the brakes.A dog—ragged, skeletal, and soaked to the bone—stood dead center...

1 like

From Scorned to Sovereign

Vera N

The sound of distant waves crashing against the shore whispered through the open window of the high-end resort’s grand ballroom. Chandeliers cast a golden glow over the polished marble floors, and the murmur of conversation filled the space, punctuated by the occasional clink of champagne flutes. Evelyn Sinclair, once the devoted fiancée of Adrian Blackwood before betrayal shattered her world, pressed her palms against the cold porcelain sink in the lavish restroom, her reflection staring back from an ornate mirror. Smudged mascara. A torn s...

1 like