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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2020
The flame of the candle flickered as a gentle breeze blew through the back garden. The sweet smell of the flowers still in bloom wafted through the door, making Derek wrinkle his nose in an effort not to sneeze, as he wrestled the potatoes onto their roasting tray. Everything has to be perfect, he thought, as he glanced at the book propped open against the toaster, his finger shaking slightly as he ran it...
The lights turned off, leaving the entire seventeenth floor of the office complex in darkness, except for the computers with their screensavers showing exotic locations. Swearing loudly, Maggie staggered out of her chair, it’s wheels squeaking on the scratched lino, and flicked on one of the desk lamps. It’s yellow light shone over her desk, illuminating the pile of papers she’d neatly placed after completi...
Shuffling through a pile of dusty paperwork, Samuel paused to sneeze, causing goose bumps to appear along his arms. Rubbing his tired eyes, the ink still wet on his left hand leaving marks on his face, he glanced over at his fellow detective. He was asleep. His head was resting on a large, open book, and saliva had dribbled out of his mouth and onto the pages. “Hey,” he yelled, rubbing his arms to wa...
Cool water splashed against the sides of the goblet as it was poured from the jug, dampening the crisp cloth. “Oops, I’m such a butter fingers! Never mind,” Aunt Daisy giggles, patting one of my cheeks. I sniff as subtly as I can as the smell of moth balls reaches me. My cousins, seated around me, grin. They know I have an announcement to make. I have their support at least, even though they w...
It had been twenty four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The blinds were drawn to shield the room from the bright sunlight, or what light ever reached the place, and the scattered cushions still had indents in them from where people had leant. The only sign that time had elapsed was that the clock was no longer ticking, it’s cuckoo trapped forever in a hibernation. “It’...
Rain lashed against the windows, and the strong wind howled down the chimneys. It was cozy inside the library but the inhabitants still shivered as a breeze blew across the room. The fire had long ago died.Despite the thick curtains, they could all sense the thick fog surrounding them, almost as if the moor was penetrating into the house.Madame Kiri coughed and cleared her throat. It turned into a racking, chesty hack which she tried to stifle with the sleeve of her dress. The rich embroidery on the material was quickly damp...
By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire.The air was thick with smoke and clumps of ash seemed to be falling from the sky. Not that the sky could be seen. It looked like it was midnight. The sun had been blocked by the smoke, great swirls of grey and black and the eerie glow of red as the fire came closer.“Come on Abby, don’t just stand there!”, my dad cried as he ran past, the garden hose clutched in his hands.A trickle of water squirted out of the end as he aimed it at the leaves.The water suppl...
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. They paused as their owner peered into a room. The door creaked slightly as they shut the door behind. Stephanie could hear them as they searched for her, moving files and shifting furniture. As if they thought she was hiding behind a desk. She glanced around. It was an ordinary office. Nowhere to hide. They’d find her quickly....
A strong breeze blew over the castle walls, ruffling Lizzie’s hair. Despite the sun shining, she tucked her arms under her threadbare cloak and wrapped it more tightly around herself. It wouldn’t do to catch a cold. Not yet anyway. Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was back home. Safe and cozy in front of the log fire, her father laughing from his seat at the head of the table as th...
This is the room where she’d be spending the rest of her life.The tiny window had been boarded up by an unknown person or people long gone and only a tiny sliver of dimmed light shone through.Dust particles floated in the air, landing on the grimy, stained mattress lying in one corner and adding to the filth already carpeting the floor.Hastily, Jazzy pulled down the mask she was wearing and breathed deeply. The air felt fresh compared to outside where the sky remained a dark grey at all times and from being behind the...
The baby hadn’t stopped crying all night. Its shrill cries echoing through the house so none of its other inhabitants could sleep. As the suns beams entered the house, none of them tried to remain in bed instead staggering out to the kitchen in various stages of undress as the baby dozed. “Oh mum can’t you make the baby stop?” Milly groaned rubbing the sleep out of both eyes with her fists made into balls. ...
The smell of melting chocolate filled the house. “Oh yum” Sandy whispered, tugging at her dad’s hand. “It does smell nice, doesn’t it?” he asked, glancing down at her, a twinkle in his eye. She skipped happily into the kitchen not noticing the frown between his eyes. “Oh Auntie Mae, you made my favourite. Chocolate brownies!”, she gasped, clapping her hands together. Mae laughed as she ...
Bright lights filled the studio. Willow blinked but could still see nothing except for a blur as the game show host leapt in front of the cameras. “And action!” a man holding a clapper board yelled. She couldn’t see him or the audience but she knew they were there as they started cheering and clapping. “Welcome, welcome everyone!’ the host was yelling over the noise until it slowly died down,’...
It was a day like any other. The sun was shining and the birds tweeting while balancing on the slender overhead branches of the trees. There was a cool breeze which was welcome as I jogged through the park, beads of sweat glistening on my brow. I’d made good time, not quite good enough to beat my record but still pretty good, when my mobile started to buzz angrily inside its little pouch. Paus...
I never saw the end coming. It was only a short distance to my house and the cold wind blowing between the rows of houses causing the rubbish to fly in all directions, meant that no one else was out. They were all tucked up safe and warm inside their houses, the curtains drawn so they didn’t have to see out. Probably all watching the television. And it had been late. Maybe some were actually asleep.
I'm a registered nurse in an aged care facility, and trying to find that perfect stress-relief! 😁🙄🧐
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