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Jane Davidson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2024

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80 Followers

25 Following

63 Stories

1249 karma pts

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Drying Off

Weekly Contest #371

The driving rain has soaked me to the skin. I walk along the dark road, looking for a place to shelter. There are streetlights in the distance, perhaps a small town. My so-called boyfriend kicked me out of the car a few miles back and took my phone and my purse with him. Asshole. He was upset that I wanted to stop at a motel and get a good night’s sleep for once. I bet he finds a motel for himself while I get pneumonia. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, we’ve had fights like this before. I carry money in my pockets at all times now. I h...

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Interviewing Patrick

Weekly Contest #370

I arrived at the office at 10:50 a.m. The young receptionist barely looked up at me. “Yes?” “My name is Vera McGill. I’m here to interview for the personal assistant job.” She looked me up and down with a show of disdain. “OK, Mrs. McGill, you’re early. Take a seat and Mr. Devereaux will see you when he’s ready.” She was already back to her busy job of ignoring me, so I stayed where I was and said “Ms.” A slight frown crossed her heavily made-up features. “Come again?” “It’s Ms McGill, not Mrs. McGill. Can you tell Mr. Devereaux I’ve arrived...

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Family Values

Weekly Contest #369

*** CW: Contains mention of child abuse / sexual abuse. If these topics trigger you, please do not read. *** I was thirty-eight years old when my uncle Felix died. The funeral was a massive affair. The family all attended, but the media were not there to see us. They didn’t really care about the ordinary folks in attendance for a man they loved and respected. But the camera crews and interviewers surrounded the many stars of the big and small screen, who had appeared in adaptations of his classic children’s books. They gave soundbites to the...

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The Beachcomber's Wish

Weekly Contest #368

Taylor went to the beach every morning to search for gifts. Every July, there was a tradition of releasing gifts on the seashore. There were many others around her, looking under driftwood, walking through the beachgrass, trying to avoid the attention of other seekers. She had come here every summer since she was five years old, and she had never found a hidden gift. Once, when she was about eleven years old, she had seen a man jump up and cry out as he was bitten by a snake in the long grass. Not all gifts were good, it seemed. He had died ...

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Morituri Te Salutant

Weekly Contest #367

It was the day of her first wedding. She’d been living with her fiancé for four years, but they were marrying so that they could maximize the mortgage loan provided by her employer. They had decided on a small civil ceremony with no one in attendance except her parents, his parents (father and stepmother – his mother was dead), her older sister and his younger brother. The celebration was a strange mix of tradition and nonconformity. They had done the traditional engagement and wedding rings, but there would be no wedding gown. She had gone ...

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You Are Our Family

Weekly Contest #366

Gemma was late to the office on Monday morning. That was cause for concern – she was almost obsessed with timeliness, often arriving 15 minutes early and eating lunch at her desk, before leaving later than most of the others. When Lydia went to get her morning coffee, she stopped at Gemma’s desk. “Is everything OK, Gemma? Are you feeling all right?” Gemma looked up briefly and nodded abruptly. She and Lydia were not really friends. The younger woman was too flighty for Gemma’s taste. She had to admit, though, that Lydia had a good heart, and...

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The Locked Room

Weekly Contest #364

“911, what is your emergency?” “Help me. My husband has been shot. Please help me.” The 911 operator was very calm and patient with me. It took a while for us to get all the information sorted out. I gave her my name and address, then explained that I had come home and my husband was lying on the bedroom floor. “Is he breathing?” “I don’t think so. Please help me.” “OK, Ma’am, there is an ambulance on its way.” “No, wait, they can’t get in.” “Can you open the door for them, Ma’am?” “No, I’m locked in the bedroom.” Well, that took some explai...

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Family Communication

Weekly Contest #363

I heard the sound on the wind on Friday night. There was a storm brewing, and the wind was whistling around the house. At first, I paid it no mind. Storms in this part of the country are wild and free, and the sounds of them are no cause for alarm. I put another log on the fire and watched the news on the television. “Reports are coming in of a major disaster in the United States. Severe rains on the west coast have caused flooding and mudslides.” I turned off the TV. Footage of disasters is predictable and disturbing. It was lucky that Séam...

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Biographical Buffet

Weekly Contest #362

My mother never taught me to cook. She was born in 1906 and learned to cook in traditional ways, and without spicy curries and the like. I have never found any pastry that was as good as hers. But I was destined to be a provider, not a housewife and mother, so there was no point in passing those skills on to me. Also, my mother could not eat cheese, and she passed that sensitivity down to me and my sister (but, oddly, not to my brothers). Meat tended to be boiled in the 1950s in England, and I hated it. Fish was not very fresh, so I hated th...

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Light in the Darkness

Weekly Contest #361

Something cut through his eternal darkness. He didn’t recognize it at first. There had been no light in his life for centuries. He breathed in slowly. He had not taken a breath in so very long. He became aware of his body. Had he turned to stone? No, he moved a leg, opened and closed his mouth. Still here. They didn’t kill him after all. It would take time to come back fully to life. He rested, and he waited. * * *Luigi came back to the caravan looking tired and angry, and covered in dirt. “What happened? Did something go wrong?” He grunted....

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Best and Worst First Dates

Weekly Contest #360

Friday night, I had the best first date of my life. Moz was a good-looking bricklayer and had similar interests to my own. I was recently out of school and was working a clerical job at an insurance company, so I didn’t have much of a budget for going out. We had agreed to have a cheap dinner (splitting the costs) and then listen to a free concert in the park. In accordance with modern custom, I had met him at the restaurant, so I didn’t have to get in his car or let him know where I lived. We ate cheap, tasty Lebanese food that we both love...

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Summer in the City

Weekly Contest #359

“Deena, I have a job for you.” Her heart sank, as it always did when he called. “I told you, I don’t do that anymore.” He laughed. “Oh, but you do for me. Call it a favor for an old friend. I need you to pick up a delivery from a friend of mine this afternoon. It’s urgent, and you need to be very discreet.” “This is the last time, Bingley. I am not running any more risks for you.” She could hear the continued amusement in his voice. “Deena, I’ll tell you when it’s the last time. I need you to go Queen Street at 2 p.m. Sit outside at the ‘My ...

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Science in the Suburbs

Weekly Contest #358

Melody was excited when the new neighbor moved in. Most of the street was inhabited by people her parents’ age and older. The new neighbor was young and fit. She watched as he supervised the movers bringing his belongings. “That needs to go in the lab. Please be very careful with it.” “The exercise equipment all goes in the back room.” “Just leave those boxes in the master bedroom.” Melody’s parents’ home didn’t have a lab. It had a front room and a back room, three bedrooms, and the usual kitchen and bathrooms. She wondered if the lab was u...

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The Least I Could Do

Weekly Contest #356

I am lying on my back, my head to one side, staring at the tall grass and wildflowers beside me. There is no pain. The sky is clear, the sun is high in the sky, but I don’t feel its warmth. I can see, and I can hear. Star kneels by my head “Oh no, Donny. Oh no, oh no.” I’d like to turn to face her, but I can’t. I can hear her voice, and her stuttering breathing. I’d like to reach out and touch her, to tell her it’s all right. I’d like to explain how this had given my life meaning. But I can’t. “I called the police, Donny. Someone will be her...

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A Lot Can Happen in Ten Years

Weekly Contest #355

“Wilkins, I have a reservation for a table at 7 pm.” Tom spoke assertively to the greeter in Chez Ma Mere. It had been their favorite restaurant for the last few years, and he and Lola were both dressed for a night out. The greeter looked at her book, and said “Good evening, Mr. Wilkins. Table for six people, near the window? That’s available now if you want to be seated at once. The rest of your party haven’t arrived yet.” Tom raised an eyebrow at Lola. He wanted everything to be perfect for her for their anniversary celebration. Lola smile...

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