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ER Castaneda

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

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15 Followers
4 Following

30 Stories

533 karma pts

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What Cannot Be Measured

Weekly Contest #380

George knew his time was almost over. Pain was a part of his daily life. He’d spent a fortune on multiple doctors to pinpoint and confirm his diagnosis. Even before the doctors sat him down and used the words “cancer” and “brain,” he could tell from the way they distanced themselves from him, the pitied glances they snuck at him, and from their careful pauses that George had little time to live. George refused treatment, to the shock of his doctors. “This could give you one, two years,” they urged. “You can definitely afford it.” “I’m ...

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What Cannot be Measured

Weekly Contest #379

George knew his time was almost over. Pain was a part of his daily life. He’d spent a fortune on multiple doctors to pinpoint and confirm his diagnosis. Even before the doctors sat him down and used the words “cancer” and “brain,” he could tell from the way they distanced themselves from him, the pitied glances they snuck at him, and from their careful pauses that George had little time to live. George refused treatment, to the shock of his doctors. “This could give you one, two years,” they urged. “You can definitely afford it.” “I’m al...

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Another Romance

TW: Eating Disorder The moment I wake up, my first thoughts center around the time and if it's time for food. I have to be at work by 7 am, but by 8 am, I am well on my way to slowly enjoying a protein bar and coffee. The protein bar is 170 calories and the coffee with creamer and sugar is 130. Sipping slowly, I savor each bite and sip of coffee, knowing that as soon as the meal is over, I'll be counting down the minutes until lunch. At 5'3 and 170 pounds, I am obese, fighting every day to lose weight and get food out of my mind. Unlike dr...

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A Recipe for Success at Accounting Solutions Select

Weekly Contest #270

Welcome to Accounting Solutions Select, a mid-sized company specializing in accounting in this nondescript building in the business park area at the edge of town. Our cubicle space is approximately 80 square feet per person, all cookie-cutter copies of each other with gray walls. If you want to succeed here, I encourage you to follow this recipe for success. First, you need a gallon-sized cup of indifference. Accounting Solutions Select is not asking you to try to find creative solutions to problems, efficiency, or even ways to boost compa...

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Beauty

Weekly Contest #268

TW: Mental Health/Body Issues Michelle Crawford spoke six languages fluently, earned two PhDs in finance and computer information sciences, could play the piano at a near master level, and earned in the high six figures as a senior executive at a global, tech company. She had traveled the world (38 countries and counting), eaten the finest cuisine, stayed on luxury beaches, and swam with dolphins while working courtesy of her employer. Knowing what an incredible asset Michelle was to the company, they allowed her flexibility in her comings...

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Purrfect for Each Other

Weekly Contest #264

"When Stacy organized this wedding and said it was happening, we all were astonished. I have to admit, I thought it was a joke at first. We've seen Stacy say and do some peculiar things – all good, of course - but still on the atypical side. But Stacy, you make life more interesting, and I couldn't wait to see how this all turned out. And I kinda still think it's a joke, but it's really sweet. And I must admit that being among friends and seeing how much everyone supports one another, I think the shock has worn off a little. As long as there...

12 likes 1 comment 1
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The Cinema Butcher

Weekly Contest #263

Seventeen-year-old Steven Scott greeted the cinemagoers as they made their way out of the packed movie opening night. Holding the cinema door open and nodding his head as the last of the patrons made their way out, he grabbed his broom and dustpan, sucking in his breath as he made his way inside the movie theater. The sight that greeted him was one of horror, one that he had seen several times. Popcorn littered the floor, and it looked sticky. Hot dog containers, nacho cheese containers, and empty candy boxes—and candies—were also strewn ac...

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Captured on Camera

Weekly Contest #258

Thirty-six-year-old photography hobbyist Jack Stevenson steadied his Canon EOS R5 at the pelican, hit the shutter button, and took a picture, all without making noise and scaring the bird away. He took several more photos, watching as the pelican carried a fish in its mouth, and flew away. Jack smiled. Although his work had been featured in a few magazines, he loved nothing more than the stillness of taking photos at the beach early in the morning, before the throngs of people made their way to this particular beach, causing wildlife to s...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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My Best Friend

Weekly Contest #255

TW: Death My best friend died on a sunny Friday morning, two days before National Ice Cream Day. We had planned on going to Baskin-Robbins as we did every year for National Ice Cream Day, each eating one cone with a single scoop of ice cream - plain vanilla for her and a chocolate chip ice cream cone for me. We'd enjoy the cones on a picnic table right near Baskin-Robbins, licking the ice cream from the cones as fast as we could before the summer heat caused the ice cream to melt and drip onto the ground. Then we'd take a walk at the park n...

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Celebrity Insider

Weekly Contest #254

June 4, 2024 8:02 AM ARE ACTORS STEPHANIE SMITH AND CASEY REYNOLDS NOW DATING? Twenty-three-year-old actress Stephanie Smith is rumored to be dating her co-star, 30-year-old Steven Reynolds, from their new hit movie, It Takes Two to Tango. Which would be sweet except that Steven Reynolds is currently married to 30-year-old Casey Reynolds, a high-end real estate agent. Celebrity Insider has included exclusive photos from a recent night, in which Reynolds is shown to be trying to sneak out of Smith's condo in the middle of the night. Jun...

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A Moment in Time

Weekly Contest #253

The weather is sunny and moderately windy at Carol's Carnival Rides, a pop-up traveling carnival that has arrived in our area for the weekend. I'm surrounded by carnival games like The Milk Bottle game, Whack-a-Mole, Water Gun Race, Apple Basket Toss, basketball game, and more. To the right of me, I see a Balloons and Dart game, and a boy of about ten jumping up and down, hysterically happy after he manages to break a green balloon with one of his darts. "I can't believe I did it!" he proclaims eagerly to his pleased parents, a couple that l...

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The Woman Beside Me

Weekly Contest #252

It started in Target, where I was picking out some creme-colored, large towels for the bathroom. She, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-40s with a blonde, short, choppy, inverted bob with a side-swept fringe and chunky highlights, looked like the definition of a Karen. Because I never did learn her true name, she inwardly, was always "Karen" to me. 'Excuse me," said Karen when she bumped into me when I unfolded a bathroom towel to make sure it was the right-sized towel. She looked almost comical in her baggy capri pants, too-tight brigh...

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Pages and Ages

Weekly Contest #251

Twenty-five-year-old Max McReynolds walked into the small bookstore, The Book Buffet, every Saturday precisely at 9 am, once it opened. The Book Buffet was the only small, business-owned bookstore for miles around, accepting and selling donated books. Max always arrived promptly when the store opened, and checked out the area for new donations every week, knowing he needed to keep buying as many books as cheaply as he could as he read books at an unquenchable pace. He loved to earmark pages, highlight or underline specific passages, bend th...

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Sexy Interruptions

Weekly Contest #250

"Hi, Ann!" I uttered as soon as Ann opened her front door. "I've got some juicy dets," I practically shouted, embracing her in a hug. Chuckling, Ann hugged me back and responded, "I can't wait to hear all about it." "Aunt Susan!" Corey yelled as he ran from the adjacent room, toward me. "Did you bring Hot Wheels for us?" I turned toward five-year-old Corey. "Hey there, Corey," I gave an awkward little wave. Behind Corey, Aaron, Corey's two-and-a-half-year-old brother and practically shadow, followed him into the room and came up to me, to...

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Desperate Remedies

Weekly Contest #248

TW: eating disorder; mental health A mixture of black, white, brown, and yellow foods combined with bile and red blood comes out of my mouth as I forcefully vomit, pushing my two fingers deeper down my throat. I grin as I see the package of Oreos I ate come back up, the half pack of bread with cheese and ham, and Lay potato chips. The food lands in the toilet bowl with a sickening plop, and as soon as my stomach feels empty, I flush the toilet and watch my shame swirl away. I pace the room, willing myself to stop thinking of food the weigh...

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