Winston Smith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (6)

6 Stories

176 karma pts

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“Eye of Newt” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #100

Coriander. Cardamom. Turmeric. Saffron. Most of the spices and herbs were labeled. They all had little handwritten scraps tied around the necks of their glass shakers. But one bottle set apart from the others. It was a little, crystalline thing which held some brown or yellow spice that I couldn’t place. I watched my host, Inma, use the unlabeled bottle multiple times as she cooked our dinner. I counted when and where she sprinkled that certain spice, wary of its contents. I feared she might poison me. Inma swayed and hummed in front of th...

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“Agoraphobia” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #99

“It’s been a year today.” A year? No. It couldn’t have been a year already. I hadn’t seen my sister in so long. I hadn’t seen the sun in so long. “You hear me? A year today,” my sister spoke over the phone. Her voice always grew warped by static. I used to think she was just perpetually travelling through a tunnel, but lately I realized that my basement caused the issue. Ever since I moved the house phone into the basement, people always spoke to me through static. “Do you need help?” “No,” I answered, quick to deter her over-worrying. She...

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“Chaos spoke unto Cosmos” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #98

A rabbit and a hare sit in a river boat, coasting along. “The river is mine,” says the rabbit. “See how it follows the grooves in the Earth.” &nb...

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“317” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #97

Three knocks hit the cell window. Officer Young jumped to his feet, sending his folding chair clattering to the floor behind him. He scrambled to retrieve his rifle and gripped the barrel in two, white-knuckled fists. “The hell?” he whispered to himself. For the first time in six years, Officer Young stood at attention. He stared down the length of the hallway, refusing to believe that the knock came from his prisoner. Inmate 317 had been in solitary longer than Young had been an officer. And 317 never made a noise. There it came again. ...

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“Tent City” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #96

Imani watched the screen of her mobile phone black out as the battery died, leaving only the dull reflection of her face in the screen to keep her company. It wouldn’t matter if she could find somewhere to charge it; she had no one to call. She stuffed the phone in her purse, hoping it would still be worth something later on. If anything, she could sell it back to the store. She slouched into the rigid park bench, threw her head back, and allowed the heavy winter rain to ruin her makeup. Less than three weeks ago, Imani was (rapidly) climb...

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“Maple's Birthday” by Winston Smith

Submitted to Contest #95

TW: murder “I’m being silly, aren’t I?” said Maple. She dropped the laundry into the basket and clasped her hands in her lap with a sigh. “Of course not,” said Lady, “I was a nervous wreck when I was your age.” “You’re just saying that.” “No, no. Not at all.” Lady set down her share of the clothes and turned to Maple, who kept her head down bashfully. They sweat in the blaring heat of midday, with their stray hairs slicked to their red foreheads. The rickety laundry house offered little in the way of shade....

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Author bio

Novice writer trying to get my first book published. The novel has no title as of yet, but its blurb is copied below. My work focuses on thriller/suspense, but I branch out when I can. I love reading short stories on Reedsy, especially from writers with less experience (such as myself). Some of my favorite, popular short stories include "The Egg" by Andy Weir and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. My book (unnamed, WIP): Atlas is an old world. With new rules. Dark magic has created a ruthless empire, a sanction against freedom, and a rajah of deadly dominion. When her caretaker disappears under foul circumstances, Priya and her companions must venture into the Atlas to save her, with scarce chance of returning home. She soon discovers how her own twisted fate intertwines with this mystical universe, and the old god that led her there. Now, she must choose between an ill-fated home or her true destiny.