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Kathleen `Woods

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

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122 Stories

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So you've had a baby in a bathtub

Lillian is wet and cold in the bathroom of a hotel. She's holding the screaming bloody little infant and she can't understand how this happened, or why this was happening to her right now.  "Are you alright dear?" she hears her boyfriend say, he's been trying for a promotion but she didn't really like to call it that. Not really.She looked up at him, trying to pull him down to hold, "Yes? Why wouldn't I be?" "Well, you are meeting my parents. It's the usual thing to be a bit nervous." "Why would I be nervous? My mom could beat...

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The worst thing since Cake-mix

It's been a day since he met Sheila properly at the store before Al's party, stopped off for ice and whatever else, he'd not been expecting the figure she cut. A strappy bodycon dress, hair up in a shapely if haphazard way, and no excess of make-up given every other party he'd seen her at, looking over the cake mixes, which seemed odd to him as given the most recent gossip she wasn't seeing anyone. Moreover, she'd broken up with the guy she had been with over a month ago, so he wasn't sure why she'd be buying cake while looking that put toge...

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Backbiter

Backbiting, speaking out of turn in regards to someone who isn’t present. Synonym, Gossip. They were at the renaissance faire, and all she could think was that everything was overpriced, but while her little sister complained about the quality of the knicknacks, she couldn’t say it was unexpected. Money simply wasn’t an object, so she wasn’t certain how or why her little sister had become so miserly since the age of five. She’d have asked her elder sister, but even as she was right there she probably wouldn’t have an answer, so she wasn’t ab...

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Guilt, Sugar and Dept

It’s an awkward time eating with her daughter nowadays, it was as if their home despite its opulent size, had become too small for them and their now discordant views.She supposed it was money, they needed it and Savina had always done her best to provide. But given her skills it has led to some less than savory realities. Still, that she was willing to eat with her at all, even the one day a week, outside without walls. It felt a little bit like her daughter, even at her tumultuous age, was willing to be reasonable.There’s a ding from ...

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What Daddy didn't know

Daddy is a Plumber, and Mama makes the money, it's a hedge fund supposedly, but in a similar way to how most children learn about Santa, near the middle of the year upon opening a closet, Epiphany learned the truth. Unlike most children though… “Oh Pip, where’d you get that idea?” Daddy asked, little children don’t always understand things of course.“I don’t know. She’s always hiding things.” She pointed out, she was still learning.“Well, people sometimes do that on accident. I mean we didn’t even know about you until you were here.” “R...

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A woman from space

The body falls and he watches the woman fall beside it, frightened as can be over aim, he moved closer. “Well what’s got you out here, Margy?” he asked, trying a common name against his frayed nerves, he moved closer trying for eyes, but the little lady scrunched herself away while he did so.  As he moved closer he did make clear what it was, there’d been something seen falling, a boon in the face of apocalypse if them Walkabouts were to be believed, but as he looked down at her…  “oh, you're somebody else.”, as he took a closer ...

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A Grave

A shovel cuts once disturbed earth, sharp and clean for a month or so’s foot traffic. Kimberly, her friend, is stuck in the overt focus of new type work. That new work being the naturalizing of a sapling they’d bought earlier that day.  It was Kim’s promise to her, “We’ll go out this spring, we’ll plant a tree. And we’ll still be friends.” Opal didn’t understand what that’d meant, she couldn’t feel the tension as clearly.  She may as well bury herself too, how numb she was to it.  This new hole lacks depth when compared wi...

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Memories. No pronouns.

Warning: Barely on theme. There’s almost no timeline to this, that's just about the only part of this that is even partially on theme. If there’s something to break down or interesting implications or interpretation it’ll be really nice to see...This body isn’t little anymore, the blanket-stitch isn’t enough.All the pretty things need straight stitches. What’s the point in polyester? Walmart sells lemons, learn the backstitch, forget the feed-dogs trust the body’s hands.Forget the limits, waiting for perfect things is the same as g...

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Suzy & Brad Live By Themselves

"Atisshoo, ack. Um. Gross.” “Ah the sounds of spring. I’m telling you Suzy it’s hayfever.” “Why’re you so mean Brad?” “Because you won’t take the loratadine like a grown up.” “I don’t wanna develop a dependency.” “On what, breathing? Look, I’d make them grow some female trees, but that's more legislative than anything else.” “Why would female trees have anything to do with my sneezing?”  “The Pollon? I thought they taught basic reproduction. Like at all. Or ever.” “Iffg Uck, I think I'd rather have the pink kind.” “Diphenhydramine? Well...

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That thing about Wolves & Corvids

Leaves fall in the expected manner, pitted and dry. She feels the heady mixture of low-quality coffee and cinnamon as it permeates her mind and bloodstream. A little treat after a well expected disaster. There are days in this life that will make you want to bury yourself, to simply march into a forest somewhere and leave your clothes for crows to mangle.  This should not be Sloane’s first instinct whenever something bad happens, but not everyone is so charitable with the local wildlife. It was the third time she’d had to walk home basi...

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To Drown in a Teacup

In tight tempo with the draft of the castle, a maid sets down a tea tray, left to wait in a room that would otherwise seem empty of still living wakeful things, save the music box figure wearing away at it’s paper.  The maid leaves, knowing well how to greet her mistress, rarely, to respect her station.  A body strange and small crawls up to meet this intrusion on the space, glaring up at the stubborn grace of the only slightly disadvantaged attendant. A Princess couldn’t be cared for by a real honest peasant after all. And so en...

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Earth from the Surface

Chiluffya carried the smallest of her equipment away from the ship and the natives she’d apparently come to arms with. She made a point of looking away from the sky, as she ran from the crash site. Likely, to closer contact with the revenants. She had been sentenced- tasked with the last sweep of the planet, a grand disease had been settled on the common populace of the strange graying world, and now after a few already well-punished crimes she was stuck on it.  Literally so, as some of the ‘common’ populace managed to down her ship wit...

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Lung cancer with friends

She takes another drag of her cigarette; she knows that she’ll need to go back inside. But until then she’ll enjoy the taste.  Goodness, it was yesterday. Why does it bother her? Why is her daughter being so unfair? Give a girl a baby and she’d start lording-over like she was a doctor. Telling you how to live your life.  Her husband follows after her, seeing her breath, like she saw his. Well assisted not unlike his movements, a whirring motor.  She thinks better than to stamp it out, before handing it over to him. Gotta be ch...

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Ginevran Hostility

A star falls from the night darkened skies of Ginevra, just as the industrious folk along the equator awoke from the heat of the midday Sun, such a show in the sky, a rare treat leading up to an important holiday. Aalis watches them, along with those others far and away who are likely much more inconvenienced by it. Her cousin Ayo had set her to task this holiday season, and she has neglected to deliver. Preferring a certain entertainment that was, a bit hotter. Ayo was not happy with her. But Gino was if anything a little too happy with...

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Ice & blood pudding

The building is old, and the skeleton of it is historied, but it’s current use is scarcely less so, having been some variety of bar restaurant combo for most of its run. Lucian has taken up many roles in the current establishment, but he’s always done well on the nightshift. Even as it seems during the holidays. It’s early in the night like always it seems, when he sees a regular of his, slip in alongside a group of seasonal pub-crawlers. This regular, would frankly be too young by appearances, but got away with a correctly dated I.D. They ...

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