Wendy Kaminski

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (23)

23 Stories

3883 karma pts

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“Rural Route 12: Biblical Tarot for Dummies” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #176

SENSITIVITY WARNING: The odds of a lightning strike are -- and I cannot stress this enough -- astronomical due to the sacrilegious content of this story.~~~Buying myself a deck of “Biblical Tarot” cards this Christmas may have been a little tone-deaf, in retrospect: it turns out that the Bible thumpers hate the Tarot nutjobs, and vice-versa, thus making it near-impossible to find anyone who will agree to sit for a reading in order to help me practice the occult.Fortunately, my next-door neighbors have questionable morals, a lot of time on th...

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“Doug” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #175

My husband and I found Doug at a Home Depot Arbor Day event during our first year in Washington State. Doug and his fellow twiglings were enveloped in plastic and laid out on a table en masse, free to all takers in celebration of the day. Though he didn’t have a name at that time, he was a Douglas Fir, and so - naturally - he became known as Doug before we even left the store.We weren’t there that day for that purpose, so I spent the entire trip home Googling the care and feeding of your new baby fir. We had bitten off a lot more than we mig...

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“The Town That Fights Monsters” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #175

By Wendy Kaminski Staff Writer First settled in the 1780s, the town of New Madrid, Missouri, appears charming but otherwise unremarkable. It’s a relatively small town of approximately 2,800 residents, a few shops, a small school and a boardwalk, all nestled atop an Omega-shaped bend in the mighty Mississippi River. Located in the “bootheel” region of the Show Me State, this part of the US gets all four seasons, and though there’s no enticement here for investors nor industry, the residents are genuine, friendly and helpful. They are t...

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“Rural Route 12: All Atwitter” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #174

It started out harmlessly enough. When I found myself with an abundance of leftover black sesame seeds from a failed baking experiment, I figured why not share, and tossed them out onto the back deck.I chanced to walk by later that day and was delightfully surprised at the trio of delicate feathered creatures assembled there enjoying their meager repast, each seemingly with its own personality. I watched for a time as they and others came and went. I was hooked! When the seeds ran out, so did my entertainment. Woe!How to get them back? ...

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“Definition C” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #174

Apryl, a new patient, was the young wife of Carl's attorney friend, Michael: a professional courtesy, money never changed hands at this level. They had the same dentist, as well, and formed a sort of Super Friends group of white collar grads.Carl thought it a bit unfair, as he rarely needed the lawyer nor the dentist, but they always seemed to need the psychology services he offered. For someone who had graduated at the top of his class, he was definitely getting the short end of the stick, but was it particularly enlightened of him to resen...

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“ "what the f*** is nuclear winter?!" ” by Wendy Kaminski

SENSITIVE CONTENT: Profanity, harsh survival scenarios including guns, mental health issues and suicide, evil spirits; also, the rabbit dies but that scorpion's still out there.***I used to know a guy who wouldn’t Google anything without F-bombing it, just for laughs... you know, “what the fuck is tiktok” “where can I get some fucking weed near me” “who the fuck is ke$ha?!”. If the Internet was still around, I’d love to see if anything he Googled regarding this cataclysm would show up on auto-complete. I could do with some levity right about...

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“Thanksgiving Catenation” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #173

My left arm is sore as I pass the collection plate, because Phil playfully slugged me again… because I look like my sister.Technically, she looks like me – I’m older – though we don’t resemble as much as we did when we were younger. Back then, we were often assumed to be twins. At my mother’s church these days, though, we are rarely seen together, and so at my annual Thanksgiving visit, I often get mistaken for her, since she’s a four-times-per-year “regular.”She and Phil must have a special relationship, and he must have vision issues, beca...

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“Rural Route 12: Madvent Hits Middle Age” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #172

SENSITIVE CONTENT: Mental health issues, homelessness, substance abuse, cursing, sexual debauchery, hints at murder, sacrilege, crime ... this story has no redeeming value, as one might expect in a world full of unfiltered sociopathic Dans, and you probably should not read it at all.~~~It was the end of the season, and Dan was quickly painting himself into a corner. That was the thing with Madvent: you had to start small. He had been celebrating it long enough to know that, but come December 1st every year, his enthusiasm for celebration mad...

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Author bio

What's the secret to more exposure? Get out there and show people some love! There are so many great writers on here, even the ones who don't win or get shortlisted - and so many things worth reading! Take a minute, go to "Contests" and click on the 2nd one down on the list. Check out some stories that interest you, upvote and comment. You will meet some great people and get some good feedback on your stories, as well, by making people aware that you are out there, too! Good luck! :) Bonus tip if you are new: Contests aren't won on upvotes. They're nice to have, but just keep doin' you and don't get discouraged! The judges here take the time to read and individually vote on all of the stories, regardless of likes. :) (...but if you're here to entertain, be entertained, practice your craft, and hang out with like-minded individuals... you win every week! :) ------------------------------- I'm still experimenting with different styles and themes, trying to find my niche. I realize that not everything's going to be a hit, but I appreciate your feedback, regardless! Prefer to critique in email? It's firstname.lastname@gmail. Thanks! Also: www.ToastedWry.com ------------------------------- All my stuff is © 2023 for time and all eternity or whatever usually goes here, so step offa my intellectual properties!

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #178

Round the World at the Holidays – read story

Contest #177

Screaming Flowers – read story