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L.M. Lydon

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

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35 Followers
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10 Stories

479 karma pts

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Interstellar Inertia

Weekly Contest #212

*BEGIN VOICE TRANSMISSION* “This is Captain Valdez of the freighter Rodosi. I wanna make a damage claim on account of space-tug Helios LXVI. On 5 Delta 2457, my starship was en route to Verbena, the fourth planet in the Delta Pavonis III system, carrying a cargo of nitro nutri-pellets. After I dropped outta the wormhole, I encountered your company’s tug near Nanshaa’s orbit. Nanshaa’s the third planet, in case you stylus-pushing claims admins don’t know your space atlas well. “Encountered? Hells, I couldn’ta have missed it. Rocks of al...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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Masters of the Winds?

Weekly Contest #163

Potential Trigger Warning: historical fiction partially set in 1930s Germany.As the last towers of New York City vanished into wispy clouds the dirty, off-white hue of undyed cotton, I sighed. Seeing the new Empire State Building from the air was an experience I could lord over my schoolfellows back home. Now I understood why they called it a “sky scraper.” Even at normal cruising elevation, we’d been forced to gaze up at the building’s towering spire and avoid circling too close, lest we collide. Boldly, we’d circled over the city, passing ...

22 likes 24 comments 24
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Osteal Lucre

Weekly Contest #159

Compulsively, Alaric kept turning to verify that he wasn’t being followed. Bringing a plow-horse and cart to his hoard was dangerous, but he didn’t have a choice. He was low on time and energy. Yet, owning the lands where such an extraordinary treasure was located wouldn’t protect him. Last winter, he’d lost a frantic race with poachers to cull and claim deer and other transient prey animals; the poachers had stripped his land bare, casually abandoning deboned carcasses in utter disregard of the meat that could have fed his family. A mere fa...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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Non Vivant

Weekly Contest #158

Shivering despite the unseasonably warm evening, Ambrose slumped on a splintery park bench in Golden Gate Park, face buried in his hands. The empty vaults of his stomach echoed with frustrated need, sapping him of the energy to pull himself fully upright. Through the fine fault-lines separating his fingers, he glimpsed the chilly, unsympathetic light of the full moon. The fog hadn’t moved in from the bay yet to cloak her pallid nudity. Back when he was mortal, he’d never fully appreciated the frigid timbre of her light; her barren, arid d...

21 likes 15 comments 15
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Blooming Barter

Weekly Contest #143

 Above Cadyn’s head, the rusty, non-functioning traffic-light swung in the restless breeze. Nervously, he gazed towards the nearby alley. It wasn’t the high-pitched squeak that he could hear that bothered him: nah, it was all the noises that the sporadic metallic clang was drowning out that he couldn’t hear. With a burst of confidence energized by resting one hand on the massive machete buckled to the right side of his belt, he took a chance and scuttled quickly across the apparently deserted street. Once sheltered by the shadows agai...

11 likes 11 comments 11
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Dewey Decimal Disasters

Weekly Contest #142

TO: reports@macroshift.com FROM: smreed@metropol.lib.gov RE: Archivobot Initial Performance Report DATE: January 15, 2029 To Whom It May Concern: Per your company’s request and as required by the terms of our contract in exchange for the preferential, discounted financial terms extended to our library as a governmental entity, I am hereby submitting my first periodic report regarding Archivobot’s performance. I must report that, despite being in only the late experimental phases of its development, Archivobot performed above expectations...

15 likes 12 comments 12
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Pteridomania

Weekly Contest #138

My final exam for General Biology is first thing tomorrow morning, Fern lectured herself sternly. I really should go back to my dorm and study. I’ll never keep that A average if I don’t ace this exam. The biological sciences department is so competitive and I won’t have a chance of progressing towards a career in biotech unless I maintain a high GPA in my life-science classes. Yet Fern couldn’t quite find the willpower to make herself rise from the soft towel spread on the outskirts of the quad lawn. Her skin still ached for the sensual c...

19 likes 12 comments 12
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The Tale of Cincinnatus

Weekly Contest #136

“The Tale of Cincinnatus” “You will never know until you try…” The words echoed once more through the desolate corridors of my mind. I wished that I had punched my noble lord father in the face the moment he uttered them. Alternately, out of respect for his many winters and gray hairs, I could have simply turned my back and walked away in silence. Or perhaps I could have embarked on a different quest of my own choosing in a less painful but still futile effort to earn his respect. Anything but what I actually did: allow him to bludgeon me...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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In the Matter of Minions

Weekly Contest #135

Content Warning: Moderately murderous musings of a megalomaniac... Gritting his teeth in rage at the mocking laughter, Markus Mordquist tried to force his involuntarily twitching face into stillness. Responding in any way would only encourage the merciless taunting. It was one of the earliest lessons he’d learned as a child. He’d always detested this particular smooth, smug bastard anyway. It must be nice to be handsome, muscular and not overly burdened with enough intelligence to suffer from anxiety or phobias. Markus himself had never be...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Negotiations

Weekly Contest #134

 “When the red planet transits the constellation of Gemini,” the white-bearded old wizard blathered, “there is an increased probability of windstorms. But when the red planet crosses through Leo, you may expect at least a ten-day of warm, dry air. In particularly dry years, such a transit may signal a lasting drought.” My jaws ached with the effort of keeping the yawn clenched behind my teeth. Finally, I surrendered, trying to crack open my mouth as narrowly as possible. Maybe he wouldn’t notice, I thought hopefully. Even if the less...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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