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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2020
Submitted to Contest #338
The house was forlorn. Without her grandmother, it was an empty shell, damp, stale, loveless. Julie surveyed the fading flowery wallpaper of the living room and the shabby furniture. Her friend Rosa, following her gaze, shuddered at a picture of Jesus, rivulets of blood trickling down from the crown of thorns upon his head.“That’s a bit gruesome, isn’t it?”Julie laughed.“That picture gave me nightmares when I was little. Gran finally covered it with a pillowcase…”She broke off as her phone rang.“Hi, hon. Mom asked me to pick up some things ...
Submitted to Contest #319
Charlie bounded into the kitchen knotting his tie.“Hi, hon,” he said, swatting Miranda's shoulder so heartily that her coffee slopped onto the table. “What’ve you got lined up for today?”Miranda eyed him. He was never usually boisterous first thing in the morning and his jollity seemed forced. It was also unusual for him to show any interest in her activities.“I don’t know yet,” she said, mopping the table with her napkin. “I’ll go out somewhere for a while. Agneska is coming today.”Agneska, their Polish cleaning lady, was very set in her wa...
Submitted to Contest #317
Grey clouds scudded across the sky and dry leaves skittered and danced down the path. Melissa shivered as the cold wind cut through her coat and fat raindrops began to fall. She threaded her way between the old tombstones, occasionally stopping to peer at the moss-encrusted inscriptions. The path widened, lined with shiny marble mausoleums and stone angels in the newer part of the cemetery. She stopped at her grandmother’s grave, still marked only by a rectangle of dirt, and stared in surprise. The few wreaths from the funeral were wilted an...
Submitted to Contest #316
Rhoda walked into the house in a daze and plunked her bags of groceries down. Her daughter Sherry looked up from her books and frowned.“What took you so long? I was about to send out a search party. You look like a deer in the headlights.”“That’s how I feel. I’m still not sure what happened.”Sherry got up, looking concerned.“Sit down and I’ll make us some tea.”“Thanks, love,” Rhoda said, sitting down abruptly.When they had their mugs of hot tea, Sherry looked at her mother expectantly.“Well, go on. Don’t keep me in suspense.”Rhoda took a dee...
Submitted to Contest #315
CW: Mentions of substance overdose. Vickie glanced at her reflection. Her top and jeans fit perfectly, and the new platform shoes were totally worth it, even though they were pinching her feet already. She had taken extra care with her makeup. Fluffing her hair one last time, she crept out, slowly pulling the door closed behind her.She paused outside her parents’ door until she could hear the deep rumbling snores of her father and the occasional snuffles of her mother. Satisfied, she inched forward and started downstairs. Forgetting to allow...
Submitted to Contest #314
I bounded to my feet as I heard the key turn in the lock of the front door. Normally I would prance and leap, tail wagging, trying to restrain myself from jumping up on Janine, my person. Today was different. I shot past her into the garden, desperate. I’d pushed and pushed at Robin’s arm with my nose earlier, trying to tell her I needed to go out. Lying on the couch with her headphones on, scrolling on her phone, she’d been oblivious.“Bootsy, what’s the matter?” Janine said with concern.I made it to the lawn just in time, sighing in relief ...
Submitted to Contest #313
“Are you there, God? It’s me, Myrna Valentino Snodgrass, nee Smith. Yes, I know that’s quite a handle to my jug, but my mother loved the movies and Myrna Loy and Rudolph Valentino were her favorites. It’s a good thing she didn’t like Boris Karloff. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to get in touch. My eightieth birthday is next week, so I thought I’d better stop putting it off, seeing as what we might be meeting soon, begging pardon for my presumption. I don’t think I’ve done anything bad enough to send me to the other place. I’m in great health for...
Submitted to Contest #312
I was entranced by the house. With its wraparound porch, octagonal turret and stained-glass windows, it looked like an illustration from one of my story books. The front door creaked as my father opened it.“Go and find your bedroom,” he said, laughing. “You’ve got plenty to choose from.”I rushed up the magnificent walnut staircase which curved up from the black and white tiled hallway and wandered in and out of echoing empty rooms. At the end of the corridor,a narrow staircase led to a small room in the turret. With windows and window seats ...
Submitted to Contest #311
Kate adjusted her uncomfortable black dress. Still bleary from jet lag, she felt out of place and overdressed. Her Aunt Felicity’s portrait gazed down from an easel on a small stage at the end of the room. The others milling around were those Kate would normally have referred to as geriatric hippies. These were not the kind of people Felicity would have been befriended in the past, but then Kate had not seen her aunt for three years. News of her death from a sudden heart attack had been a shock.Kate jumped as someone tapped her on the should...
Submitted to Contest #310
Dana had stared so long at the computer that the numbers on the screen were beginning to swim. She sighed with relief as the bell over the shop door jangled and Mrs. Busby entered. Hiring Mrs. Busby was one of the few decisions she had not second guessed since leaving her law career to start the bookshop in an abandoned High Street grocer’s shop in the scenic town of Little Brooking.“Hello, love. Let’s have a cuppa before we start work. I'll put the kettle on.”“If we have work,” Dana said.Mrs. Busby bustled around in the kitchen making tea. ...
Submitted to Contest #309
A group of three smartly dressed young men exited the office building lobby. Nan had seen them before, but the staff were usually long gone when she arrived to start her cleaning shift, and she had no idea which office they worked in. They left a trail of dirty footprints across the newly mopped marble, oblivious to the wet floor signs. Gritting her teeth, Nan wrung out her mop and started again. None of them glanced in her direction, much less apologized. Glaring after them as she finished mopping, she stretched to relieve her aching back. ...
Submitted to Contest #308
“Please be in, please be in,” Kitty muttered to herself as she rang the doorbell, gripping her backpack. She had been brought up by her mother, ironically the most thoughtless person she knew, to believe it was extremely inconsiderate to show up anywhere without an invitation. The door opened and her grandmother Polly appeared, looking puzzled, then delighted.“Kitty? What a lovely surprise. Come in, come in.”Kitty fell into her arms, weeping.“Gran, I’m sorry I didn’t call first, and I haven’t been in touch for ages, but I didn’t know where t...
Submitted to Contest #299
Libby sighed as she parked at her grandmother’s house.“I’m a horrible human being,” she muttered to herself. “I can’t believe it’s been six weeks since I visited Gran…”She snapped out of her guilty reverie as someone rapped on the car window and called her name. It was Annie, her grandmother’s friend of many years.“Annie! I was miles away, sorry.”Annie eyed her in concern. She was a petite lady with snow white hair and piercing blue eyes.“I’m here to see your grandmother. I’ve been trying to visit most days.”“I feel terrible. I’ve been meani...
Submitted to Contest #297
Harold shifted, trying to get comfortable. The hard seats in the auditorium made his hips ache, and his ears were ringing. The ancient speakers alternated between blasting the music at top volume and descending into a painful screech. His wife Mavis nudged him hard with her elbow.“Harold, stop squirming. What is the matter with you? Do you need to go to the bathroom again? I've told you to get your prostate checked, but you never listen,” she said in a stage whisper.“Do you think you could say that just a little louder? I think some people ...
Submitted to Contest #295
Jessica jumped back as her Aunt Sarah hurtled out of the kitchen and hugged her.“Good news. I’ve got my biggest catering job yet.”Jessica gently disentangled herself from her aunt’s embrace, led her to the couch and sat her down.“Great. You’ve worked so hard to create your business. I’ll help you set up and serve.”“You don’t mind? That would be wonderful,” Aunt Sarah said, beaming. The next moment her face fell.“Well, it’s sad news too, I suppose, though not for me because I didn’t know him…well, nobody knew for years if he was dead or alive...
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