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Bettina Karpathian

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2020

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118 Stories

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The Kelpie

Weekly Contest #83

    Eileen dropped her suitcase at her feet and surveyed the hotel lobby in surprise. It was a modest, moderately priced family hotel. It had a very ordinary bar and dining room with a small patio. There was a nice view of the loch and the looming hills beyond and the castle ruins were picturesque, but that did not account for the number of people milling around in the lobby. She stood up on tiptoe, peering over shoulders, trying without success to attract the attention of the flustered receptionist who, with her eyes glu...

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The Kelpie

    Eileen dropped her suitcase at her feet and surveyed the hotel lobby in surprise. It was a modest, moderately priced family hotel. It had a very ordinary bar and dining room with a small patio. There was a nice view of the loch and the looming hills beyond and the castle ruins were picturesque, but that did not account for the number of people milling around in the lobby. She stood up on tiptoe, peering over shoulders, trying without success to attract the attention of the flustered receptionist who, with her eyes glu...

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Starting Over

Weekly Contest #81

Rosalind still didn’t know why she had agreed to come on this date. Date seemed a ridiculous word to use at the age of sixty, but she didn’t know what else to call it. She found herself in a trendy, hipster restaurant, serving organic, locally sourced food. The wait staff were friendly but young enough to be her grandchildren and heavy on tattoos and piercings. Rosalind was glad to be seated in a booth. She’d brought a book in case this Steve didn’t show up. Sipping a glass of wine, she looked around. To her relief, no one was paying an...

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Flying High

Weekly Contest #80

I settled back contentedly in my deck chair in the shade of the umbrella. The children capered about, chasing a lurking seagull which was eyeing the picnic basket.“Oma, can we go in the water?” said Hannah.“Ask your Mutti,” I said. “It is up to her.”“She’s a mom, not a Mutti,” said Bobby, giggling. “That’s a funny word. Mootie, mootie, pootie!”Hannah, with all the wisdom of her ten years, rolled her eyes at her little brother.“You are so stupid, Bobby,” she said. “Just a silly baby.”“Am not,” he said, on the verge of tears. “Aren’t I not, Om...

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Home Is Where The Heart Is

Weekly Contest #76

“Hi, honey, I’m home. Where are you?”     “Out here on the back porch. Bring a glass if you want some wine.”     “You’re out there with the bottle already?”     “What do you mean by that? It’s after five and I’m of legal drinking age.”     “Okay, okay, no need to be snarky. Let me put my briefcase down and change and I’ll be there. Did you know the stove is on? Is that sauce supposed to be boiling like that?”    “Damn. I forgot it. Let me see. It h...

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Try To Remember

Weekly Contest #75

I wake up with a start to a rattling noise. Blinking, I see a tea trolley in front of me and a young woman handing me a cup. I look around the room. It looks like any sitting room, with overstuffed armchairs, little side tables and a cabinet full of knick-knacks in one corner, but it’s hot and there’s a smell of disinfectant. There are a couple of elderly gents sitting in the other chairs, one doing a crossword in the newspaper and the other muttering irritably at the talking head on the television. I don’t know them. Anxious now, I put the ...

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New Beginnings

Weekly Contest #69

    Julie made her way slowly round the table, plonking down silverware, unaware of her brother’s approach. She shrieked as he sneaked up behind and whirled her off her feet, knives and forks clattering as they fell.     “You nearly gave me a heart attack,” she said, trying to look angry as he laughed, but grinning despite herself. Their mother Ethel appeared in the doorway, looking harried.     “What happened? Did something break?” she said, pushing her hair back from her sweaty ...

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Unbelievable

Weekly Contest #67

    Janey jogged aimlessly until her face was red, her nose was dripping, and her fingers were throbbing with cold in the late November afternoon. Skippy, a collie-mix with a shaggy coat who was usually impervious to the weather, trotted beside her with his head down and his tail between his legs. Janey noticed his miserable demeanor with a pang of remorse. It was almost dark now and she looked around the deserted park uneasily, glad to see they were near the entrance gates. She had been oblivious, absorbed in the misery ...

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Hallowe'en Celebration

Weekly Contest #65

   Malinda took a deep breath as she surveyed the scene. It was the first time she’d been elected to organize the annual Hallowe’en witches’ convention, the one time of year when witches can meet, living and dead, across time and distance. She took the responsibility extremely seriously. She’d found the perfect location, a ruined, desolate and remote mansion. It was situated high on a bleak hillside, making it easy to spot from the air. Perfect for landing a broomstick. The weather was ideal, frosty and clear except for t...

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Healing

Weekly Contest #64

I sighed with relief as we got home. Ray helped me out of the car. I am always stiff and sore after sitting for hours for my chemo treatment. I pulled off my wig as soon as we were in the door. It’s hot and scratchy. I’d go bald all the time, but I get tired of people staring. He settled me in the recliner, phone and remote at hand, a tray of drinks and snacks beside me. I married a good man. He paused, looking at me searchingly.    “What’s wrong?” I said. He shrugged, then grinned sheepishly.    “I do...

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Autumn Folly

Weekly Contest #63

    By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire. The setting sun picked out the brilliant autumn colors, which rapidly dimmed as the light faded. Despite the illusion of fiery radiance from the oranges, reds and yellows of the leaves, the air was crisp and cold. I cautiously opened the glass doors which led onto the terrace. I could say I was watching the sunset if anyone asked. As the night crept closer, the trees became lacy black silhouettes against the sapphire blue sky, punctuated by glittering specks of s...

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Home Is Where The Heart Is

Weekly Contest #59

“Hi, honey, I’m home. Where are you?”    “Out here on the back porch. Bring a glass if you want some wine.”    “You’re out there with the bottle already?”    “What do you mean by that? It’s after five and I’m of legal drinking age.”    “Okay, okay, no need to be snarky. Let me put my briefcase down and change and I’ll be there. Did you know the stove is on? Is that sauce supposed to be boiling like that?”   “Damn. I forgot it. Let me see. It hasn’t...

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Learner's Permit

Weekly Contest #58

Delia sat in the front passenger seat of the car, practicing her nonchalant expression. She felt her shoulders creeping up to her ears and her jaw stiffening as her muscles clenched. Her fingers curled into fists. She shook her head, closed her eyes and tried some deep breathing exercises.   “In, one, two, three, through the nose, out, one, two, three, through the mouth,” she intoned silently to herself. She was just starting to relax a fraction when the driver’s door slammed. She immediately recoiled into a spring of tension....

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Last Will and Testament

Weekly Contest #57

  Fortunately, since she could hardly see through the rain, Ellen could have found her way to the house blindfolded after her many years of employment. She gave up on the battle to keep her umbrella from turning inside out. She turned up her collar, tried to ignore her squelching shoes and hurried on.     Old Lady Dorothea had been irascible, demanding and hard to please. Ellen had been her housekeeper, companion, cook... she really didn’t know exactly what her position was, but she’d lived there for years. Ther...

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Meeting Beyond

Weekly Contest #56

Mollie trailed up the steps of the town house behind her great aunt Susie, gritting her teeth and wishing she were anywhere else, as Susie pressed the doorbell. She winced as Auntie Susie began to rap on the door with the imposing brass knocker almost immediately.    “Give it a moment,” she protested. “They haven’t had a chance to come to the door yet.”    “No time like the present,” said Auntie Susie, her little black button eyes gleaming in her soft, wrinkled face. “At my age, there’s no time to waste.” Molli...

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