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Laura Ethington

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2022

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26 Stories

586 karma pts

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The Velvet Guillotine Continued

Weekly Contest #362

Cassie stood motionless in the middle of her kitchen, naked, water dripping from the ends of her wet hair onto the heated marble floor under her feet. She stared out the window and could see the steam heat rising from the streets as the hot summer rain poured down. Lost in her thoughts, she jolted when she heard the screaming kettle doing what the scalding shower couldn’t. It cut through the silence of her apartment, sharp and unforgiving, growing louder with every second she ignored it. Demanding her attention and action. Funny how everythi...

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When you're ready, come home

Weekly Contest #308

She woke up gasping, tangled in sweaty sheets that felt like the cold kelp from her dream, dragging her down by the ankles. She had been underwater; salt filled her nose, and black waves roared in her ears. She was clawing her way to the surface, and there was no one to hear her silent scream. Then, the darkness shifted and gave way to the soft morning light in her apartment. Her eyes darted up to the ceiling, then to the nightstand, where the quiet tinkling of her alarm's chimes reminded her she was safe and it was all just a dream. She loo...

18 likes 6 comments 6
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The Velvet Guillotine

Shortlisted for Contest #307 ⭐️

The quick, hot sting of the burn on her fingers snapped Cassie out of her daze. She'd been burning the cigarette for too long. She watched the smoke curl toward the ceiling in lazy spirals. One of the windows was cracked just enough to let the cold in, but not enough to let her tension out. On the table in front of her sat two envelopes. The black one was thick and expensive-feeling, with a faint musky floral scent, leather, and a hint of ambition. Inside was an opportunity. The white one was thinner and simpler. Inside, an exit. They didn...

31 likes 29 comments 29
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Journal of Lucy Scott

Weekly Contest #306

Journal of Lucy Scott – YEAR UNKNOWN June 8I arrived at the cabin this afternoon. The drive was the same but different. The large rock at the turnoff was still there, but it was covered in moss, and the thorny brambles were covering most of it. The little general store was still open, but the cheery store owner, who was always out sweeping the porch, was old and grey and had an air of bitter regret. His usual friendly 'Thank you' was now a mumbled grunt of acknowledgment as I purchased the basics for the weekend. Even though age had taken i...

8 likes 6 comments 6
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Come for the Monkeys, Stay for the Emotional Damage

Weekly Contest #300

A True Story of an Adventure in Belize After a very mediocre relationship during COVID with a truly uninspiring man named Kyle, whose greatest passion in life is collecting discarded or lost gloves and hats found on the streets of New York. I find myself single, vaccinated, and dangerously susceptible to bad ideas. It isn't my finest moment, and let's be real, no one knows what they are doing during COVID times. Most of these relationships founded during lockdown are purely for emotional survival. "You have to go to Belize," my friend Jenna ...

19 likes 16 comments 16
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A bitter choice

Weekly Contest #287

The first thing he could recognize was an old, musty, wet scent. He's groggy, his mouth is dry, and his head hurts, but he feels warmth on his face. With that, he hears a crackling fire; attempting to lift his hand to his face, he realizes his hands are tied. His feet are tied. He opens his eyes and can see that he is tied to a chair. His eyes get used to the fire's dim light, and he is seated in an old, dusty room with wooden beams at a small round table with a teapot and teacup in the middle. He smells the scent of steeping tea. He starts...

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Can we just stop!

Weekly Contest #285

Leah sat staring into her untouched latte while her senses were slowly overwhelmed. It was the first time she'd left the apartment in the weeks since she'd been back in the city. The coffee shop smelled of roasted beans and cinnamon; its warm hum of quiet conversations and the clinking of glass cups provided what would normally be a soothing scene, but it was just too much for her. She sat across from her best friend, Zoe, seeing her lips moving but not hearing her. The steam swirled upward from her cup, dissipating before reaching her face....

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Just Try

Weekly Contest #284

The blue glow of her phone lit the dim, undecorated room as she lay in bed, scrolling aimlessly through TikTok. It was still early, barely 8 a.m., but the endless stream of videos had already set the tone for the day. Families in matching pjs danced in front of their Christmas trees. Couples in snowy cabins exchanging heartfelt gifts. Her thumb paused on a video of a couple laughing as their dog played with the mangled paper and bows from the gifts they had given each other. She didn't even realize she'd sighed until the sound escaped her li...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Not a creature was stirring, except this mouse

Weekly Contest #281

Content warning: This story contains sexual themes, violence, and murder.They say it's the most wonderful time of the year, but I loathe Christmas. But not for the reasons you think. I used to adore the holiday season. The smells, the lights, the joy, but especially the food. I loved how easy it was to feel magic in the air. Then it all came to an end; I now shake with anxiety the second the last dish from Thanksgiving is done. And no amount of holiday cookies or cozy movies by the fire can help; I am a ball of ...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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The Hare's Lament

Weekly Contest #277

The table stretched long and uneven beneath the twisted canopy of the Mad Hatter's garden, covered in teapots and stacked like lopsided towers, mismatched cups, and crumbs from cakes no one bothered to finish or clean up. Laughter rang through the air; each clinking of glass made his eye twitch. The March Hare was singing at the top of their lungs, off-key, he noted. Somewhere down at the end of the table, the Dormouse was drunkenly recounting a story no one understood while the Hatter himself twirled a spoon while looking dreamy-eyed at all...

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Crumbs of Love

Weekly Contest #276

Boston was wet that night, the misty drizzle that makes a whole city feel like it is under a giant dewy lens. The streets glow, and so did I, but probably for different reasons. This was my 20th first date this year, and it was only February. They weren't all gems, not even kernels of fool's gold found in dirt. It was rough out there, kids. Let's just say the local sex shop knew my first name and vibrator preference. I'll admit, it's been a bit of a dry few months...fine a year and a half.I was about to meet someone new, someone who had—in o...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Finis historia

Weekly Contest #266

Evelyn stared at the blank page on her laptop, her head in her hands, staring at the keyboard, praying for some divine spark to ignite her creativity—or at least the first sentence. The blank page mocked her as she watched the cursor blink. The words wouldn't come, and they hadn't for days. She's done everything she normally would to inspire her next psychological thriller. Baking, drinking, numbing with casual dates on dating apps, even visiting her mind-numbingly boring sister and her 3 kids in Omaha. But nothing. She'd been suitable for t...

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Champagne makes everything a party

Weekly Contest #246

Sarah yelped as lightning cut across the sky. A loud boom followed, breaking the silence on the playground. Rain was pouring down on her as she slowly rocked back and forth on the swing she had been perched on for the last 30 minutes. She barely noticed she was drenched. She felt numb; she didn't even have the energy to go over everything from that evening. "What time is it?" Emily asked, swaying on the swing next to her.Reality slowly returned to her. Sarah looked down at her watch. "It's almost 2 a.m.," Sarah said. Unsure what they were wa...

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Ain't life a dream

Weekly Contest #239

"Jessie." An echo rang in her ears. She felt like she was being pulled out of a pool of water. Everything felt slow and fuzzy. "Jessie. Wake up." The voice said, louder this time.  The next thing she heard were birds. Then, the smell of damp moss and a forest after rainfall. She couldn't move yet. She felt the earth under her, wet but not muddy.  "There you go, you're okay. You're safe." Safe? Why wouldn't she be safe, she thought as the voice rang clearer in her ears. Gaining the feeling back in her hands, with a brush of ...

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A Demon Whispers

Weekly Contest #238

The early morning light was blinding as she stumbled out of the forest, confused and cold. Her dress was ripped and covered in mud. Isabella walked into the early morning sun, scared and off-kilter, but not knowing why. Early morning was her favorite time to forage, but for some reason, she could only think about getting home as quickly as possible and sitting In the warm safety of her hearth. While returning to the path she usually walked, she looked down and realized her basket was gone. The familiar weight of it missing in her arms. But s...

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