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Joyce Schook

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

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38 Followers
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32 Stories

523 karma pts

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I Died A little Each Day

Where do I begin?I guess the beginning makes the most sense. But honestly at this point in my life I'm having trouble remembering the past. We were happy once. I looked at him with a sense of longing and he would hold my face in his hands and tell me the sweetest lies. I was desperate for affection and took it the way an addict scores their next hit. I was high on the feeling not the person who delivered it. I miss how naïve I was. The not knowing made me accept what I should have feared. I was such a fool. I know that now. Now I pretend I'm...

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The Terrible Thing

Weekly Contest #324

The surface resembles glass. It is oh so calm. Olivia has never seen water this still in her entire twenty eight years. She continues to stare out at the sea. It has her in a trance. She shivers from the cold Canadian air. Then pulls the long gray cardigan closer to her body to ward off the chill. She inhales deeply. The sweet salty air still lingers in the room.The events from the previous day and night seem like an entire lifetime ago. Another persons slideshow that she tries to switch off. She closes her eyes. His face comes into view. Hi...

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The Fall

When your stomach hurts truly hurts from lack of food you'd be surprised what you'd do. Layla gets to her feet than yanks the blanket away from the side of the couch. Her younger sister April is still sound asleep on the other end of the couch. Layla yawns. She heads into the narrow kitchen which is directly across from the living room.The microwave clock reads 6:15 but its blinking. Layla passes it on her way to the sink. She wonders if the power went off while they were sleeping or if her Mom stopped billing the bill. Layla is sickening by...

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Out of Time

Weekly Contest #305

Not knowing how this ends well that's a chance I'm willing to take. I keep thinking tonight is my last night on earth. The fear is unreal. Never have I experienced so much dread. I run and I run until it feels like my legs will buckle underneath me. My heart beat is so loud that it drowns out everything else. I'm going to die, I accept that now. Its not an easy conclusion to come to but I'm out of time and out of luck. I cant seem to lose them no matter how fast or how far I've come.Again I'm hiding behind another tall stockade fence. The th...

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The House on West Shore Road

Weekly Contest #300

Trigger warning: mention of death and suicide. Violence and grief.We drove passed it at least once a month. It was in serious need of TLC. The house on West Shore Road had remained empty for a decade. I remember trying to understand why a house that could be in such an amazing neighborhood plus a house that was once beautiful and charming could remain empty for so long. One night just after I loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, my husband rushed into the room and he looked like he was about to burst with excitement."Ok, tell me why you ha...

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Five More Minutes

Weekly Contest #297

I don't dream about you anymore. I used to every single night. The house was too dark when I would wake but was impossible to fall back to sleep. There's a gaping hole inside my heart. Its been there since the day you went away.***July 17th is still the hardest day of the year for me. And as it draws near again, I try to imagine another year without you. So much has changed. Your Dad and I are no longer together. He couldn't bear to see me suffer from the unimageable grief of losing you. He moved out a few months after your accident, leaving...

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Not Who She Appears To Be

Weekly Contest #295

We met on the first day of school. She had red hair. Not scarlet or crimson but strawberry blonde that looked beautiful whenever the sun would hit it just right. My daughter Cassie was super emotional about being away from me all day and I was trying my hardest to keep her spirits up. I was telling her jokes on the drive to the school. We held hands as we walked together to the building. "You're going to have so much fun and make new friends. And we can have a snack together when you get home."Miranda introduced herself to me while we were s...

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The Reunion

Weekly Contest #261

Dear Morgan,I just want to express my gratitude to you. Your kindness meant the world to me. You were more than just a great hostess, you were a friend to me. At first I felt out of sorts in your home but you quickly made me feel welcome. I was relaxed and comfortable in no time. I was forever that shy kid who always held her tongue. You gave me permission to be my most authentic self. And I just want you to know it meant a great deal to me. There are still angels on earth, I believe that because I found one in you. I am still trying hard to...

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A Tale of Two Cities

Weekly Contest #248

I was born in Staten Island, New York. I love where I come from. Some of the best parts about me are because I'm from this city. People say New York is the city that never sleeps and its honestly not far from the truth. There's an energy in New York that you won't find in other cities. As a writer, I have the advantage of living almost anywhere I choose to. It was soon after college that I realized to stay in this city would require me to get a second job if I was to live here comfortably.I knew just about everyone from my old neighborhood. ...

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A Red Dress and An Easter Egg Hunt

Weekly Contest #244

You never know that one moment will alter your perspective on the life you had before. Once it happens, your in a state of limbo. Unable to move forward and not ready to revisit the past. A past that was merely an illusion in which you were nothing more than a naïve participant.On the Thursday before Easter, Emily had the entire house to herself. This was the weekend her family gathered together for a family reunion and holiday that she hosted each spring. It had turned into a tradition that she always looks forward to. Today Emily woke at s...

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It Had To Be You

"Here we go again." Sophie hears coming from her sons bedroom. She ties the front of her bathrobe before knocking on Ethan's door. She can hear him searching for something under his bed. She grins and knocks again. "Everything ok in there?" "Yeah, Mom! I'm almost done!" Sophie turns the doorknob and slowly slips her head into Ethan's room. "Ok, buddy. I'm going to start breakfast. You have five more minutes." Ethan looks up from the debris on the floor that surrounds him. He pleads with her by a sullen look in his eyes. "No, buddy. Five minu...

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The Book Kate Wrote for Beverly

Weekly Contest #186

Maggie couldn't breathe. The longer she remained trapped inside this confined space the worse it became. Her heart beat louder than it ever had before and Maggie wasn't able to concentrate because it drowned out everything else. There wasn't enough air. Escape was everything. Maggie rolled onto her back and positioned herself so that her legs were higher than her head. She used all her body weight to kick at the object that was currently keeping her prisoner. One, Two, Three powerful blows to the black monster and then one enormous lunge...

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The Runaway

Weekly Contest #163

Trigger Warning: Contains Domestic Abuse/ mental/verbal abuse.I sit and stare out the window of the train car. There she is. Fall in all her glory. My absolute favorite season. And I have to admit she's even more beautiful in this part of New England. Rich vibrant shades of scarlet, gold, orange and emerald green saturate every strand of landscape. It comforts me to know that as I embark on this journey, the world itself has decided to transform too. It seems fitting that as I change, grow and embrace my dreams mother nature has come along f...

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Ella Ryan

Weekly Contest #130

I am the first born daughter in a large Irish Catholic family. I'm also the middle child of six. Plus I'm an Irish twin. I know it all sounds a bit confusing but I swear its accurate. I have two older brothers (Shawn and Timothy) plus two younger sisters (Maureen and Kathleen) and Daniel is the youngest or as our mother refers to him her baby. I still find this both strange and amusing especially now, that Danny is twenty three. My family is so much more than a family. We are extremely close and furiously protective of one another. Sundays a...

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The Speech

Weekly Contest #123

Deanna felt her stomach drop at the mention of her speech. It was less than a week away now, though she had practiced in front of her mom, step dad and younger brother, she was in no shape to deliver such a powerful message to the class of 2020. This morning Deanna ate, showered and returned to her bedroom. She lifted the yellow folder off her dresser. Walked to the full length mirror which hung on the back of her closet door. Deanna opened the folder, took out the speech and started to read a loud. " I want to begin by letting everyone here...

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