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L. E. Scott

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2022

Stories (16)
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102 Followers
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16 Stories

840 karma pts

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The Incident

Ares bit their lip and dug their fingers into the skin of their palms. They could do this. They had to. Just like they’d rehearsed.“Please state your full name for the court.”“Can I use my preferred name?”Ares saw their lawyer shoot them a withering look before asking the judge to approach the bench. The two whispered in hushed tones for a few minutes before the Judge said: “I’ll allow it.”“Ares Winter… Your honor.” They tacked that last bit on for good measure. I mean. It couldn’t hurt, could it?“Please state for the court, in your own word...

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The Farm

Submitted to Contest #161

That high pitched whine rang out letting me know that Momma’s coffee was just about ready. That meant she’d be in shortly to wake me up. I’d get dressed and feed the animals and collect the eggs, but right now, with the quilts piled on me, I was too comfy to get out of bed ahead of Momma’s insistence. Out there, the chill of the drafty house could be felt. I only wished I could dress under the covers, but Momma doesn’t like that. Says it makes me look sloppy, as if the animals don’t mess me up themselves. It’s not like I’m goin’ to church. Y...

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Can't buy me Love

To say that Edward Ayers’ current predicament is complicated is an understatement of grandiose proportions. To understand what is going on with Edward, you first have to understand what life has been like for him up until now. Edward was born into a wealthy family. His parents were never around much when he was younger, but he found that he never got into trouble if he bribed the servants not to tell on him. This carried over into adult life. In school, he learned that he didn’t need to study, he just had to find the smartest poor kid in any...

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The Land of Knowledge

Jack was always an average student. Never got the best grades, but never the worst. Enough to skate by through high school and then, in college, well… D’s get degrees, don’t they? He wasn’t worried about that. Useless knowledge, that’s what he thought of it. Only needed what would get him ahead in whatever career he chose. Well, he still hadn’t chosen a career yet. But all that was about to change.Jack never saw it coming, the portal that ripped him from his dimension just appeared one day and he stepped right into it. If he’d been walking w...

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Obsession

Just one more time. I know I can win. I have to. The money I’ve already spent was borrowed. I have to pay it back. No one can know. I can’t let anyone know. Please. Just one more time. I won't ask again. This is my lucky day. I knew it the moment I found that card on the side of the road. You don’t understand. A problem? No. I don’t have a problem. I’ll win. You’ll see. Yes. One more. That’s all I can afford anyway. What did I tell you? Didn’t I say I’d win. This is amazing. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of. It’s exhilarating. It’s my lucky day...

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Never Enough

Submitted to Contest #159

What’s that you say? No amount of money could ever make you throw away your moral compass? That’s what I thought too. I’m a fair and impartial arbitrator. Nothing could make me take a bribe. I looked down my nose on all those other judges who traded dismissals for favors. They were the problem with the judicial system in this country and I was going to change things. Nothing could sway me. I would stick to my values. My ethics would not be tainted by the bribery that was rampant in this world. I was above all that. But my ethics came unravel...

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LOST

Submitted to Contest #158

Where am I? Really. Somewhere in the country/wilderness, definitely not the city. Too many trees. I check my map. Wait. Why do I have a paper map? I vaguely recall someone telling me there’s a map on my phone and all I need to do is tell it my destination. Who was that again? I pick up the phone to check if there is a map in it.“Go home.” I command. “Out of service area.” The phone responds. I toss the phone on the seat beside me and study the paper map again. That must be why I got it, but why can’t I remember? The road stretches in ei...

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The Four Horsemen

Submitted to Contest #157

“Did you see?” Pestilence bragged standing a little taller than usual and puffing out their chest. “Pretty good, huh?”War rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Eh, two global pandemics in a couple centuries? That’s nothing to brag about.”Death took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He put his bony fingers together and rested them on what would have been the bridge of his nose if he’d had a nose. These two were always bickering, each trying to one up the other. Famine mostly kept to himself, bothering third-world nations an...

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Just like High School

Submitted to Contest #156

“Don’t you remember back before we had to wear these?” Katie pulls at the mask that’s not being worn correctly anyway. She’s got it nestled on her chin. She’ll pull it up if she sees a manager, but not until then. She’s not talking to me. No one does. That doesn’t stop me hearing what they’re saying. I can hear it all. “Not really.” Denise responds forlornly. “It seems like this virus has always been a part of our lives.” “For real. But I know you’re not being serious that you don’t remember.” I didn’t go to high school, but I imagine it’s ...

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The Deal

TW: This story is about death and dyingI can’t remember a time when I wasn’t familiar with the concept of death. I wonder if my parents ever needed to explain it to me. I remember vividly when they explained where babies came from, but I don’t remember them ever talking to me about death. The first time I remember someone I know dying, I was twelve. No, maybe before that. Actually, I don’t remember how old I was. I remember what I heard happened to her. I’d spoken with her once or twice. I barely remember what she looked like. I remember her...

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Late

Submitted to Contest #155

TW: This story alludes to a mass shooting.The vehicles are packed together so tightly we only move a few feet anytime it starts. A sign flashes to my left “expect traffic delays.” Yeah, no shit. I look at the time displayed on my car stereo, the only part that works unfortunately. The time says 9:05. I’m already late. Boss isn’t going to like it, but what can you do? Maybe if I cuss out the hundred cars surrounding me the line will start moving.I consider exiting the freeway and attempting to get to the office by an alternate route. Would th...

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The Boots

Submitted to Contest #154

The sun was shining bright outside, but Sangue’s parlor was shut off from it. Priceless antiques that would fade in the sunlight were stored in here. There was the vase that had once belonged to Louis the XVI. It was rare in that it had escaped the revolution unscathed. Sangue was particularly proud of it, but even it wasn’t the ultimate piece in his collection.Esmerelda Alvarez was coming to tea. Sangue asked his cook to prepare something particularly tasty for the occasion. He was hoping to show off his collection. This was one of the rare...

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Broken

Winner of Contest #153 🏆

TW: This story alludes to sexual abuse, and contains some violence.It has been ten years since you told me to leave and never come back. I think about that night sometimes. I replay it in my mind. It was mostly my fault. I took my anger out on you, because I couldn’t take it out on him. I think I blamed you, for not noticing, for not stopping it. Eventually, you kicked him to the curb, but that didn’t quiet my anger. It continued to explode. That was the night I shattered plate after plate against the side of your house. You screamed at me t...

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Intuition

Submitted to Contest #152

Today it was a broken railing that caught and grabbed her attention. Most days it was roadkill. The grotesque bodies of whatever animals had been foolish enough to venture into the road. It always made her stomach do little flips. Her nose would fill with the smell of death, even though she knew that was impossible. There was no way the smell could reach her in here. She’d picture what the animal had looked like before, as if that would make it any less dead, any less mangled. Then she’d curse humanity for inventing such a destructive force ...

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Clara

Submitted to Contest #151

The alarm blares in my ear. It is times like this when I question my sanity in picking that alarm above all others. Especially when I could be woken up to a favorite song, or the peaceful sound of birds singing. Why did I choose this one again? I reach for my phone to snooze it and that is the first time I realize that something is amiss. I cannot find my phone. I have not opened my eyes yet, but I’m not feeling anything even slightly resembling my phone when I reach in the direction of the noise. Ugh. Looks like I’ll need to wake all the wa...

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