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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2019
Submitted to Contest #240
The December wind embraced my shoulders the first night I walked past my dead mother’s reincarnation on the crowded streets of downtown Los Angeles. I didn’t know how I could tell it was her if I’m being honest with you. Her new body looked about six years old, still a young boy like I was seventeen years ago. His messy hair was the color of chestnut and he had blue popsicle juice dripping down his forearms. But still, I could tell from a mile away: He has my mother’s soul. In just one glance, I feel a crippling pain in my chest that I ...
Submitted to Contest #239
This story contains mentions of sexual assault and self harm. December 21I was sipping hot tea in my bedroom when thousands of white paper slips fell from the sky like confetti. It's always such a beautiful sight; it's the very reason I bought a house with floor-to-ceiling windows. I wonder whose secret is being exposed to the world in this storm.I turn on the television.“Today's Rainy Day reveals that Brittany Weiler was violently raped in a dorm room in the University of California when she was eighteen years old.”The secrets on the paper ...
Submitted to Contest #238
Paul was the most obnoxious little boy I knew. He was loud and disgusting and everyone hated him, but he was the only thing that made Sunday school entertaining. “Paul is putting the Bible down his pants!”“Paul is farting during choir practice!”“Paul is eating a page from the Old Testament!”Unfortunately for me, I had to sit next to him in class. On our first day, he threw his backpack on the table and looked at me in disgust.“I can’t believe I have to sit next to a girl,” he said. “How old are you anyways?”“Six,” I said.“I’m seven so I...
Submitted to Contest #237
Before she met Sam, Anna never understood why anyone would want to commit murder. She never thought of herself as the crazy type either. But here she was on a Friday afternoon, stalking her ex-boyfriend’s Venmo account and fantasizing about stabbing him to death. It had been a whole year since he dumped her and blocked her on everything (except Venmo) but the mere thought of him made Anna’s blood boil. She scrolled through his most recent interactions on the app and zoomed in on his new profile picture. This was part of her daily ritual...
Submitted to Contest #236
A week after her grandmother’s funeral, Johana found a small package on her doorstep. The black box was about the size of a quarter with a note taped to the lid: “Use it well, Love, Gran” Inside the box was an underwhelming bit of silver wire. That’s all it was — a little curve of metal. Johana had never seen anything like it. But as unthreatening as it looked, she knew that it was contraband. The government had outlawed a number of items deemed destructive to society when Gran was a child, but the law didn’t stop her f...
Submitted to Contest #235
Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of physical abuse and self harm. Running is a poor man’s exercise. So why am I even doing it? Oh, yeah. Because I’m poor now. These sneakers are tight but my budget is tighter. Dad bought me these shoes before he cut me off. I mean, Dad also used to hit me before he cut me off. Sneakers for some bruises. It was a fair trade, I guess? We don’t need to think about that anymore, though. I’m free now. And broke. No gym. Just running. At least this neighborhood is safe. Well, technically, ...
Submitted to Contest #234
Trigger warning: contains representations of sexual and physical violence Time seems to stand still at Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome. Every morning at 8:17, I pass it for just one second on the train, but it feels like a lifetime. The structure is eerily beautiful and tourists flock around it all year, but all I can imagine are the rotting flesh on living people and the gaping mouths of dying children — humanity at its lowest. There are times I feel guilty for caring so much about the people of Hiroshima. “They deserved it” is what ...
Submitted to Contest #233
The following is a recorded series of snippets from rehabilitation support meetings that the Subject A has attended. The published transcripts have been used with permission from all participants in the support group.Day 1[applause]“Hi, everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome. My name is <redacted>. I’m nineteen years old. Recently, I’ve come to the realization that… I have certain habits that are becoming detrimental to my health. I spend an insane amount of time on Instagram every day and it’s gotten to the point where I can’t even pee...
Submitted to Contest #232
It’s difficult to forget what human flesh tastes like once you’ve had a bite. It’s not the uniqueness of the flavor or the texture that made the meal remarkable but the forbidden act of chewing and swallowing a chunk of someone’s forearm. The smell, the similarity to beef, the way it felt when it traveled down his stomach would be seared into Mr. Chen’s mind for eternity. Ever since he lost his vision, Mr. Chen’s memories had become even more vivid than before. In his hospital room, he’d spend every waking hour mumbling to himself, l...
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