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Alev Gefen

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2025

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55 Stories

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On the Margins

What a day... All the guests are laughing and singing their lungs out. They threw a party for this kid, and he's crying. Granted, he's only eight... days, that is. Eight days old and throwing one of the loudest tantrums I'd heard in years. The grownups don't give it a second thought, as they twirl around the room in a delirious haze of wine and merriment. They named the kid Isaac, but he sure isn't laughing. Still reeling from the shock, I'll bet.The smell of brisket and kugel drifts from the kitchen, mixing with the sweet wine on everyone's...

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The Blue Blanket

The phone vibrated against Lukas' chest at 2:47 AM. He didn't need to read the message twice."They're coming. Tonight. Go now."Veronika was already awake, her motherly intuition sharper than any alarm. She held their son, Theo, swaddled in the blue blanket her grandmother had knitted, the one thing from her childhood she couldn't leave behind. The baby stirred but didn't cry—as if he understood the gravity of silence. "The van?" she whispered."Behind the old dairy. Petro's cousin." Lukas was already stuffing documents into a plastic bag—birt...

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Crosshairs

They called him Orion because of his size—six-foot-seven in combat boots, shoulders broad enough to block doorways. But Captain Mark "Orion" Belmont earned his reputation through the precision of his rifle scope and an almost supernatural ability to track enemy movements across the Syrian conflict zone.From bombed-out buildings and rocky outcrops, Orion could spot insurgent activity from distances that made other snipers shake their heads in disbelief. Three confirmed kills at over 1,500 meters. Seven successful reconnaissance missions behin...

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Monuments

Jason folded the letter with an audible swish. His wife Rhiannon looked up from her book, marking her place with a finger against the spine. "Is everything all right?" she asked."Yeah, another bit of good news for today..." Jason chuckled wryly. "Orion Tech decided to forgo my proposal.""Shame on them," Rhiannon said, setting down her book entirely now. "You've put more guile and guts into it than anybody I know. And they're not even half the workaholic you are.""People in my department would agree, but they also claim that I'm... rebellious...

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Something to Behold

I see red. And white. And yellow. Phosphene levels are in overdrive tonight. Strobe lights, pyrotechnics—it's all a colorful mess, as if someone had spilled neon paint onto a canvas. I remember mixing watercolors and acrylics, dipping the brush with bristles soft as an infant's hair... Here I am, musing about infants at a metal concert.Kevin didn't care when my eyes checked out, years ago. He saw me, while I could barely make out his face. He didn't flinch at guiding me—neither on the first date nor whichever number this is. We've lost track...

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Wrestling Till Dawn

Weekly Contest #312

Jun's fingernails scraped the tatami mat. He awoke with a start, the moonlight nearly piercing through the paper walls. His wife lay on her side, and his sons' chests heaved softly under the weight of each breath. Jun tiptoed into the adjoining room, treading carefully so as not to topple the table. On it, a half-full carafe of cold sake towered over three cups and a delicate wooden tray full of half-eaten pastries. Jun slid the shoji open and stepped out into the garden.Isao is here. I know it. He may not want to hear me out, but it's the o...

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The Road to Bethlehem

Weekly Contest #311

"There you are." Liz pushed through the bookstore door, her smile faltering when she saw Miriam's face. "Somebody's in a festive mood.""Hardly." Miriam's hand moved instinctively to her abdomen, where the fabric of her spring dress had begun to cling. What was once flat now felt like a mound, and soon there would be no hiding it. "Joe wants to move the wedding up. His father insists we marry next month."Liz's eyes narrowed with the look Miriam knew too well—her friend's uncanny ability to sniff out secrets. "Don't tell me you're still hung u...

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Salt and Memory

Weekly Contest #309

Shintaro was not in a hurry to leave his apartment that muggy morning. The sun wasted no time, dousing the streets of Ikebukuro with heat at seven o'clock. He picked out an off-white Ferragamo to complement navy blue slacks, then settled cross-legged on his futon with a sleek, moss-green book. A peach-colored bookmark reading "Sugihara Street, 2016" split the pages down the middle—a keepsake from somebody else's journey.Two folded papers slid from the book. One bore kanji calligraphy of his name, שינטארו. The other: a plane ticket dated Apri...

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A Midsommar Awakening

l understand. He's always been patient with me.Dani picked up her phone and sent a text. Moments later, it rang."Hey! Um... Sorry, I know you're busy with the guys right now... Uh-huh... You're with Josh at CPK... And Mark? Oh, well, say hi to them for me... No, it's nothing... I'll tell you later. OK, see you tonight." Later that night, Christian and Dani sat on his couch, their bodies close together, though Christian visibly flinched when she leaned against him. Dani threw furtive glances his way, inhaling slowly, ready to speak. She stopp...

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Last Train from Shinjuku

Weekly Contest #305

It’s five before midnight in Shinjuku. Soft breathing echoes down the vast, empty station. The last train’s sleek frame disappears into the tunnel, its lime-green sash glistening.Isao shuffles down the escalator, his suit clinging in the August heat. He can’t go home like this. He missed the train after yet another obligatory drinking party with his boss. His head throbs, though he managed to avoid touching a drop of sake.He should have. Might as well look the part—his family always knows where he’s been.Except they’ve been in Kesennuma sinc...

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