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Hailey Philpot

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2025

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7 Stories

105 karma pts

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Static

Weekly Contest #371

The clock reads 2:05 am. I sit across from a washer that contains my clothes. It feels like it's been going forever. I lean my head back on the cold wall. The detergent smells too fake and chemical-like. The sound of clothes clicking and water sloshing is the only thing audible. I sit alone, with a certain dread and peace. I look around with my eyes. Outside the window is a pitch-black night. The lights above me flicker, then even back out again. I see a vending machine near the door. I stand and walk to it; the...

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Becoming the Illusion

Mariposa Academia, that's the name of this place. It's a school for creativity and for art. Yeah, that's the name of the school; the founder really loved butterflies. There's even a butterfly sanctuary on campus. They believe it helps encourage creativity. And every year we have the annual showcase. They make a weeklong spectacle of releasing butterflies and showing the work of all the students. Right now, everyone is getting ready for this, including me. The campus comes to life with the butterflies and blooming plants. Inspiration is every...

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The First and the Last

Weekly Contest #342

The sky has a dark grey, gloomy feel. The wind, the air feels still like before a storm. Rain pelts softly against everything not yet harsh. It's the peaceful yet fearful kind of weather. It's the weather I love and feel drawn to most often. I stand outside under a type of awning to keep the rain from soaking me and bringing coldness. I can hear someone walking, or shall I say running, to the awning. It's not who I expect it to be, but I shake it off without much care. I can feel their eyes on me, their breath is still slightly heavy from r...

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The Person You Hated Most

Weekly Contest #341

You look in the mirror; eyes fixated on every slight imperfection. You move your hair, flipping, twisting, turning it until it falls the way it’s supposed to. You soften your eyes, practice the smile, adjust the angle of your jaw. But it’s always a little off, too much tension in the eyes, too little emotion in the mouth. You keep going until the crazed perfection finally settles, until the smile looks exact. You glance down at the picture in your hand and adjust your clothes to match it before looking back into the mirror. They never knew, ...

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The Lie I Told Myself

Weekly Contest #338

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” The words escape my mouth easily. How would this be the place I’m at? Of all the people you’d expect to be here, my name would not be on that list. I might not have much experience with these places, but I do know the shelves don’t normally move. But hey, I could always be wrong. There would also be more lighting. The air feels too still, like the whole place is holding its breath. Even the shadows look organized, lined up neatly between the shelves like obedient soldiers.Where am I? Well, of all the plac...

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Undoing

Weekly Contest #337

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of childhood accident, emotional/psychological distress, and memory loss. Everyone is focused on their conversations filled with laughter and words. There is a deadly kind of cliff nearby. People sit and stand near the trees for shade. Some have children who run and play, unknowing of the danger waiting too close. A young girl runs as if danger is a foreign thought. She feels like a memory, like a familiar face you can’t forget.The cliff gets closer, but no one really sees it, wrapped in their own ...

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Trapped in Snowfall

Weekly Contest #331

CW: Psychological distress, imprisonment The wind outside whispered its chill—a cold room with eerie silence—a small house near a lake with tall standing trees. Nothing and no one for miles, a gravel road nearby, would alert any vehicles in the quiet nights.She wakes on her compact couch from an accidental sleep. The cold is bitter and biting its way through any warmth she has. She draws in a breath, and the fireplace's fire casts faint light into the room as it's close to dying out. She stands barefoot on the cold wooden floor. Her feet fee...

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