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Izabella Fiorentino

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

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22 Stories

341 karma pts

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THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE

Weekly Contest #363

THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE Some women are born mothers. They may not play with dolls or brush their hair, they may not play house or being a teacher or having a tea party.However, they start reading the signs of distress in others early and take care of other people while still being the ones needing care themselves.When she was a kid, Ella had never thought of getting married or having kids. She was bored to tears when her cousins wanted to play the bride or when they wanted to be pretend- moms with their baby dolls.Her parents had never emphasi...

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THE COOKBOOK

Weekly Contest #362

Milena didn’t have enough time to mourn her parents because her brother’s wife Anna swooped in right after their father’s funeral."Just before she had died, your mom said I get to keep everything I find in the house after her death“, she said with false earnestness in her voice.Milena looked at her and asked: "And when was that exactly? During her last week in hospital, you never came to see her!“Anna was far from departing from her predatory ways."We spoke on the phone!“Milena didn't even blink hearing that blatant lie. During her mother’s ...

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THE LAST MESSAGE

At 11:47 p.m., Sofia received a text from her dead husband.The notification appeared while she was brushing her teeth.She nearly dropped her phone. FROM: DanielI need you to meet me tomorrow. The toothbrush slipped from her hand. For several seconds she simply stared. Then she laughed.A short, nervous sound.Because it had to be a mistake.A glitch.Someone using his old number.Some cruel prank.Daniel had been dead for almost a year.Three hundred and fifty-eight days.Not that she counted anymore.At least that was what she told people.She opened...

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IT'S ALWAYS THE SHY ONES

Weekly Contest #357

July 2018 Kelly was in a hurry to get to the only store in the neighbourhood that was open on a Sunday evening. She had just got off the plane after a long week spent as a camp instructor on a faraway mountain, so cold in July that the kids and the staff got bronchitis (and plenty of nosebleeds). She rushed to do a bit of grocery shopping, go back home, unpack, turn on the washing machine, take a shower and a long breath of relief.She rushed into the store, picked up a few things and went to the checkout desk. She had known the woman since f...

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SHIFTING

Weekly Contest #351

By the time Mila met Andrew, she had had a string of alternately unfulfilling and good relationships with one big black hole in her late 20s and a short bit of her early 30s. Her relationships made her feel stressed out because they required so much effort and although those guys really cared about her, she was involved so she wouldn’t be single. God forbid she was single in her 20s!Mila felt like a shining star next to them. After a lot of soul-searching, she realized she had treated them poorly and they deserved someone that would really l...

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Another chance

Weekly Contest #349

Today is April 31.At least that’s what the calendar says. Mila is counting the days until her next period. In her PMS/“just woke up“ haze, Mila is counting „…28th, 29th, 30th, 31st…“ and lets out a heavy sigh.It is going to start on the first day of her short break for May Day. Great, she thinks, as if women didn’t have enough troubles. It seems to her getting a period rules the entire women’s life as well as all those other „rules“ women stick to which all start with „do not“.Mila sighs. She has been reading so many bad news about being a w...

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UNPACKING A LIFE

Weekly Contest #345

Who would have thought that packing the suitcase would, in fact, mean unpacking your whole life? I had always prided myself on being able to live out of a suitcase.“Oh, we have moved so much that I am actually used to living out of a suitcase!”, was my favourite form of identity I loved to present to the world. My anthem actually.It was also the image I loved to share with others to show what a free spirit I was, “hard to chain down, ready to take off in a blink of an eye”.Yes, I did feel as I if I had no roots because neither my father’s n...

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MR. NICE GUY

Weekly Contest #340

Lauren is typing. She is serious, brow furrowed, in old sweats but freshly showered. Her desk is neat and tidy, just like the rest of the apartment.I have known Lauren since 2015. Whenever she gets serious about doing something, she needs to clean up her space, get a shower, comb her hair, pull it up in a pony tail and then she gets down to work.A couple of weeks ago, Lauren had a girls night with her gal pals. They were reminiscing about old flames and lost loves, and suddenly, my name started popping up. A lot. They made fun of me, my habi...

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KIWI CAN BE REALLY SOUR

Weekly Contest #338

One guy on LinkedIn claims that having your books in the bookstores is obsolete and the only right way to have your book published is self-publishing through Amazon. The price for helping you do that and guiding you through the process – pure „Dollar Store“ ticket, $1,200. Too pricey for me, sorry. However, nothing had prepared me for the whole mix of emotions when I saw my book in the bookstore window! And not just any bookstore but Strand! Yes, it was nested among promo T-shirts and other books but thanks to its vibrant colors on the cover...

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THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY LIVES

Weekly Contest #325

The only life I know I was in the middle of working on the final chapters of my book when my daughter’s laughter made me look through the window. The study, or „Mom’s writing room“, was on the ground floor and the French doors opening to the patio allowed a gorgeous view of the lush backyard and my kids playing there with our dog.I was not a dog person, actually, I liked animals but not in my house. However, the kids wanted a dog, of course, and now our clingy Labradoodle, Lady Dana, followed them around and all of us like a shadow.I sighed ...

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JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER

Weekly Contest #325

July started with a sudden fever (38.5°C, or 101.3°F if you like it better that way).“Virus”, was a universal verdict from the medical professionals. “Stay at home and rest as long as you have it!”Apart from the temperature, there was nothing else wrong physically. I didn’t feel tired, restless, listless, or experienced bouts of sleeplessness. I even slept well, ventured out in 40°C to run some quick errands, read, did yoga, all the while living in a haze of 38.5°C.The second week I thought I could do a bit of cleaning. I ended up with three...

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SWEDISH FIKA

Weekly Contest #324

Lena was looking at the cobalt blue sea. It was so peaceful and she felt so much at ease, especially when she felt two arms hugging her from behind.„Enjoying yourself?“, a seductive voice murmured in her ear. She nestled more into the hug and closed her eyes. She felt secure. Held. „I got you“ feeling all over her.She woke up slowly, listening to the soothing sounds of the seagulls, breathing in salty air. Eyes still closed, she enjoyed the peace, the sounds, the smell. She turned around in bed and opened her eyes to the new dawn – her windo...

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TWISTED

Weekly Contest #323

CW: Anorexia, implied sexual violence, mental healthFrom the moment I saw her on the window of the maternity ward where my daughter was standing, showing her to us, I knew my granddaughter Selena was special. I know, you will say, “How could you see that from far away?” but my gut was rarely wrong.It was a varicella epidemic in the region at the time, so we were not allowed near the baby. That’s why the hospital window was the place where we saw her cute tiny face first. That face with fluffy hair, piercing eyes and soft mouth, her tiny body...

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This is the end, my friend...

When you hit more mature years, and if you have managed to mature with them and gain some wisdom on way there, you realize you need people who are going to do the same you do for them: accept you as you are, respect you, love you, cheer for you…You don’t need a rival, or a frenemy, no idea what is worse. As the years go by, I simply remove someone unbearable regardless of the years we have spent as "friends“. Less stress, more time to devote to the people who deserve it.Ever since we were kids, Suze was kind of self-absorbed and focused on h...

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MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Weekly Contest #322

CW: Themes of emotional abuse and familial trauma When Tonya was six, her mother took her to the school psychologist to have her intellectual and cognitive abilities and capacities tested prior to starting primary school. She was standing in the corner while the psychologist talked to her daughter.- So do you have many friends?, he asked.- I do but sometimes I hide from them in the cupboard when they come calling me to come out to play, said Tonya seriously.- What do you mean?, the psychologist was confused.- Well, I want to read and they al...

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