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A. F. Barraud

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2026

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42 Followers
6 Following

7 Stories

362 karma pts

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Tartare

Weekly Contest #360

Content warning: murder, violence, and disturbing themes.The smileThe knives flashed in the open kitchen. From the couch, while waiting for dinner, I stopped reading the news on my phone and watched Mark cut the meat he had taken from the fridge. The white countertop contrasted with the dark blades of the knives.Ever since my husband took that cooking class, it had been the same ritual. He would come back from the butcher with a freshly cut piece of meat, carefully wrapped in a reusable container. He would let it age in the fridge for two da...

19 likes 2 comments 2
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Yet another Mars ticket

Weekly Contest #354

By 2142, Mars had become profitable.Priya and Ethan were sitting at their Martian desk, scrolling through the piled-up tickets. To improve efficiency, support staff had been relocated to Mars. Managers remained on Earth. They were already used to the twelve-minute delay anyway and their managers only needed a report with pretty charts and cute colors at the end of the week.A new ticket appeared on the screen. It was, as usual, flashing in red.“Priya, we have a new ticket. They're asking us to deactivate Cerena’s access.”“Who are ‘they’?”“HR....

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Color of truth

Weekly Contest #352

“Mind the shadow. What do you think that means, Anton?”“How should I know? I think this guy was paranoid. The outside team found this yesterday with the corpse. He wasn’t supposed to be outside.”“There are a few pictures on this phone.”“You figured out how to charge it?”“Yes. You hired me for that, remember. Let’s check them.”Anton opened the first picture. The photo appeared in full screen.“What is that?”“Liam, it’s not important, the file is probably damaged.”“The phone was in his pocket, along with the note: mind the shadow.”“Do you know ...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Dance with me

Weekly Contest #351

The quill was dancing on the paper. The dim light of the kerosene lamp cast shifting shadows along the walls. The only sound was the scratching of the pen against the paper. The writer placed his quill back in the inkwell. At last, she was there. On the paper, Elise's life had taken shape. A happy childhood, swept away by her adult life. He couldn’t remember when he had first imagined her. She might have always been there. After a short break, the writer returned to his desk. She was in the library, sitting at her desk, reading. Had she been...

10 likes 5 comments 5
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Pending

Winner of Weekly Contest #350 🏆

A few years ago, a new law was enacted: ‘It is forbidden to open an animal’. No one had thought about surgeries. When an annoying journalist raised the issue during the press conference, the committee replied that the solution was simple: We just had to miniaturize humans so they could operate from the inside.***Now, everything was ready to operate on the ginger cat. The suit was set. Pressure: OK. Temperature adjustment: stable. Compressed air: OK.Once Lisa was miniaturized, she could be swallowed by the tomcat. The most difficult job for A...

113 likes 109 comments 109
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Subject 12

Content warning: physical abuse, captivity, and psychological distress.Luca was running across the long grass. Well, running wasn’t exactly the right word. Since the accident, he couldn't run very well. Each step was heavier, as if his knees refused to carry him. Leaving the group and traveling alone hadn’t been a good choice. Now, a group of men was after him.Then, he stumbled.It took only a few seconds for the men to grab him. They beat him, tied him up very tightly, and dragged him by a leash. Under the sun, they pulled him for hours with...

2 likes 2 comments 2
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The Red Dust

Weekly Contest #349

Day 1It’s done. I’ve made my choice. We left the house today. I tried to delay my decision. There were rumors. Rumors of slaughter carried out by militias. We thought it would pass. It always does.Last night, we heard gunshots in the distance. All the blinds were closed, but we heard screaming outside. Was someone hurt? I couldn’t get out to check. To help. As the gunshots got closer, my eldest broke down. I’ve never seen her like that since her father disappeared three years ago. She was trembling in my arms.At dawn, we grabbed everything w...

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