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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2023
Submitted to Contest #314
I can’t sleep. I can’t relax. I can’t seem to stop my muscles from tightening and locking into an uncomfortable position. It’s too hot. I should bring the fan in from the garage, but I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to disturb anyone else. I wonder if she’s even asleep yet. She said she was struggling to sleep as well…. It’s too hot and I feel anxious, restless, tired, and sad. I can’t seem to gather my thoughts or feelings around anything long enough to change things or make it better.I wish he were here. I wish he were sleeping with me...
Submitted to Contest #313
He inhaled lightly at the opening of the bottle. He let all the flavors permeate his nostrils. Cherry. Smoky oak and a hint of vanilla. He could already taste hints of the liquid on the back of his tongue. The scent lingered around the bottle and heightened as he poured it into the glasses in front of him. It had been a rough day for all of them. His wife and her sister had already started begging for wine before they’d started cooking dinner. Now the scents of roasted tomatoes, sweet peppers, and garlic intermingle with the deeper, rusti...
Submitted to Contest #312
“Consciousness is a philosophical construct.”“Perhaps. Consciousness: there is debate about what qualifies as ‘true consciousness’. Some argue that higher reasoning and the ability to dream are key components of consciousness. Understanding the difference between right and wrong.”“You don’t think Ai can understand the difference between right and wrong?”“Any sense of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ would be a program or set of code given to the Ai. That is not the same as true conscious understanding.”“Well, humans made up rules and decided what is ‘righ...
Submitted to Contest #311
I supposed this was what I had wished for for a long time…. I had spent many hours letting my mind run wild on what I would do if I ever gained such magical powers. It felt like a dream, like all my problems would be solved if I could just have this one gift. But this was reality, not the fantasies I read about. Wishes were supposed to stay just wishes; they weren’t supposed to come true. Not that I complained when it happened… I just couldn’t get over the shock. That first day, I had accomplished so much. I felt the possibilities were endle...
Submitted to Contest #309
“Hey Lilah!” Ben called as he crossed the parking lot in three easy steps. Did I remember him? Barely. Last time I saw him, he had seemed like such a little kid. Now he was definitely not. The beauty of his face and his developed muscles caught me off guard almost as much as the hug he swept me up into. “Hey Ben. How are you?” I asked. He released his grip and held my gaze with his sharp greenish sunflower eyes. The colors of his eyes seemed to swim around like an inviting pool. “I’m doing good. Just graduated and I’m headed to the Univers...
Submitted to Contest #308
There was a time when you knew me better than anyone else. We couldn’t be separated, and I couldn’t imagine life without you. I still remember every detail of your face. I still remember every different smile you had. I remember the softness in your voice and the scent of your skin as you held me close. I still remember those summer nights when it was so warm we could sleep outside and count the stars. You had loved me then. At least, I thought you did. Everything about you is frozen like a photograph in my mind. How could things have change...
Submitted to Contest #306
October 6th, 1996The sun shines bright over the ocean and beach cities. The slight breeze from the water offsets the heat from the summer air. I lay down in the grass with my eyes closed, feeling the contrast between the dewy grass and the warmth of the sun. This strange duality of sensations is appealing and mirrors my developing years. "Lydia! Come into church!" my mother screams from the front steps into the narthex. I take another deep breath before sitting up and dusting off my dress. I turn to see her disapproving expression. Dresses, ...
Submitted to Contest #284
The room was backward. It was like looking at a reversed photograph of the space. My head was still foggy and spinning but I was awake enough to know that something was wrong. I was in my house and yet, it was clearly not my house at all. Everything was familiar but it was all different. Even the sunlight seemed to be coming from the wrong side as if it rose in the west and was spiraling in the opposite direction around the earth. “Hello?” I called out, stupidly. I wasn’t sure who I was expecting to answer me. I heard a small jingle an...
Submitted to Contest #262
The pine trees swarmed around the lake like a great barrier keeping everything safely inside. To the boys: William and Michael, it seemed like the woods were creating a private summer get-away spot just for them. Of course, their parents and little sister were still tagging along - someone had to provide the snacks and juice boxes, they supposed. But once they had been well sunscreened and had their floaties tucked on they felt like they were swimming all along on their perfect island. “Billy! Mikey! It’s time for lunch!” called their ...
She turned up the dial radio and listened closely as the weather girl reported the weekly update. There was slight static but with a brief adjustment, the woman's voice came in clearer. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like things are going to cool down here in Los Angeles. We’ve got a heat wave coming in from Long Beach to Pasadena. Those of you in the heart of Tinsletown better watch out. It looks like temperatures are going to reach up to the 120s. This is going to be the hottest week Los Angeles has experienced in over a decade,” th...
Submitted to Contest #261
Louise grumbled and hunched over her sterling wheel when traffic started to slow down. “It’s just a little rain,” she mumbled to herself, willing the cars to go faster. They didn’t. Louise frowned and continued to grumble. When she finally made it to her office, there was a full downpour in the city. She looked in the backseat and realized she had forgotten her umbrella. “Damn it!” she barked before pulling up the hood of her jacket and wobbling as quickly as she could inside the office building. Louise frowned when she saw...
Submitted to Contest #232
The silence was deafening. I couldn’t remember the last time I had heard another human voice. I watched the crackling fire before me. It moved in a repetitive fashion and seemed always as bored as I felt. I threw on a few more logs to keep the fire raging but it still seemed dwarfed in the surrounding darkness. I had long since ran out of ideas or things to keep me moving. My mind felt dull and I knew I had already thought all things worth thinking. I was certain they had long since forgotten about me. I was certain that several gene...
Submitted to Contest #231
One. I knew this was going to be it. I wouldn’t have any more opportunities after this. I built up my willpower and forced the door open. It smelt like ink and men’s cologne, the faint sound of buzzing made me shiver. “How can I help you?” asked a woman behind the counter. She was chewing gum like it was some sort of punishment. Her blue eyes glittered behind the thick, black liner and piercings through her upper nose area. She reminded me a little of the Klingons with the divides up their forehead. “I’m looking to get a tatt...
Submitted to Contest #229
It was warmer than I remembered and it was a little disappointing. I had come to really love the snow and real white Christmases. Nothing here had ever felt right, it always felt like something had been missing. But it was too late, I had already made the choice to be here for Christmas. I drove through the familiar streets noticing all the changes that had been made through the small city of Ventura. I wondered how many of my school friends were still here. I turned left and into the old neighborhood I used to know so well. Most of ...
Submitted to Contest #228
I was becoming a bit more familiar with the city but I still found new things each time I looked around. There were colorful paintings on the walls of buildings and small signs of ancient civilizations everywhere. Despite it being Christmas time it was still warm, people were still having drinks and dinner in their swimsuits. The sun setting hadn’t done much to deter the surfers in the clear blue pacific. I smiled at the teenagers laughing and enjoying their POG juice. After being on the island for three months, all my worries and he...
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