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Levi Michael

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2023

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19 Followers
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37 Stories

591 karma pts

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Mom?

Weekly Contest #272

Susan rushed into the bathroom, closed the door behind her and rested her back against it. She took a deep breath and combed her hair out of her face. Everything's fine, Susan. She nodded, agreeing with herself and took another deep breath. She pushed off the door and straightened her cardigan. She pulled her shoulders back and marched the two steps to the sink. She reached for the medicine cabinet and clutched the edge of the mirror. Before she could open it, she caught a glimpse of herself. It was only day five and she looked like hell. He...

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Burt and Jeff and Not Darci

Weekly Contest #272

Jeff and Burt are two sick-in-the-head individuals, who met, saw the psycho in each other and became fast friends. As their friendship grew, they opened up to each other, candidly discussing their darker sides. Over the years they came to the conclusion that both of them wanted to kidnap torture and murder someone, and on a sunny Saturday in September, they decided it was time. They were almost giddy as they chatted, taking their time as they dressed the kill room. They draped the walls and floors with plastic sheeting and cleaned and sharpe...

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Gazpacho Vendetti

Weekly Contest #270

Gazpacho Vendetti ⇣jump to recipe ❍ 0 comments Everything you need to know, to create the ultimate, most meaningful meal you will ever serve — in three hours or more! In the unforgiving summer heat of Spain, a cool respite can be found in this refreshing dish, full of rich, sweet flavor you can savor long after. As with any dish, the traditions and techniques of the old world will always lead to superior cuisine. Taking short-cuts can get the job done, and even often lead to succulent outcomes. But to ensure the most satisfying meal, o...

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Catcat: Regular Cat

Weekly Contest #263

I’m just a young, gray tabby, so I don’t know a lot about humans, but it sure seems like my neighbor, Batman, has a lot of enemies. I’ve watched them come and go over the year, some more interesting than others. A clown, a bird, a couple gaudy business guys, and a handful of tightly dressed ladies. I have some favorites, but that’s neither here nor there. What really struck me was how much effort these fellas and ladies were putting into taking Batman out. Yet with all their effort none of them even came close. I was embarrassed for them. Ba...

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The Forty Million Dollar Kid

Weekly Contest #250

A caressing spring breeze carried the sweet aroma of the short-lived wisteria bloom through the garden patio in soft wafts, mingling with the scents of lavender and thyme and rose petal. Hummingbirds zipped in and out, flashing their red or blue or green bellies. The buzz of their tiny wings passing in loping drones over the distant laughter of children playing in the park. I sat in the cool dappled shade of the great oak, taking in deep breaths of the perfect spring day. The cubes in my iced tea tinkled against the glass like frozen raindro...

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The Residue Burn

Weekly Contest #250

On the surface, Grazer’s Knoll seems like a typical, picturesque small town. A little slice of antique Americana on the north end of the Sacramento Valley. The men are strong and stoic. Almost all work down at the lumber mill. The women are lovingly stern, a powerful matriarch. It’s no secret that the sewing circles of the Knoll run the show. Kenny was a good kid, the youngest of four. At ten he could already hold his own with some of the tougher chores required around the farm. He’d been in his fair share of dustups with some of the older b...

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Through the Storm Drain

Weekly Contest #247

Edgewood Creek swelled quickly when it rained, pooling into a swirling pond at the opening of the double culvert that fed the network of tunnels providing drainage to the sprawling sleepy suburban neighborhood of Jack London Park. During the summer it became a dry creek, its bed lined with cement-bag-shaped stones and surrounded by a heavy grove of poplars, cottonwoods, oaks and privets. The two culverts laid side-by-side, each three feet high. The face of the bridging walkway passing over them was painted with both vulgar graffiti and cute ...

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A Straight Answer

Weekly Contest #246

Thanksgiving, ‘97. The whole family gathered in San Rafael at my grandmother’s house. Green shag and white brick in the living room, wood and flowers in the kitchen, through the hallway was the tv room, football on the holidays. My grandfather sat in his chair, hulking, silent, stubbornly unknowable. In the chair next to him, his brother Al. Sergeant Al. Great Uncle Al the war hero, wears an eyepatch over his missing right eye and always keeps everyone on his left so he can see them. The crowd cheered on the TV as the Cowboys took it into th...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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Pesto

Weekly Contest #217

I remember the first day I saw him. It wasn’t his good looks. Sure, he was ruggedly handsome, messy hair and perfect stubble, but that wasn’t it. It was his smile. When he smiled his eyes disappeared and he was all teeth and chin and cheekbones. Then he’d laugh and blink bashfully, and grin like he was just so happy to be in your presence, grateful that you were giving him the time, even though, really, you were the lucky one. He was sitting on the edge of one of the eastside planters, him and a group of co-workers. They were having a post...

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The Ballerina's Bunion: A Jack Cliche Mystery

Weekly Contest #217

There was no doubt that she had been beautiful. Now her young corpse lay impossibly contorted among the refuse in the alley. I took a deep drag of my cigarette and pitched it as I blew a thick plume of smoke into the cold night air, whisps curling through the hard edges of the streetlight. My partner, McGuffin, leaned over her body in a crouch, looking her over. He huffed a breath of regret and stood with a grunt. We weren’t exactly in our prime these days. “You hate to see it,” he said, shaking his head. “Sure do,” I agreed, lighting a ne...

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Up and to the Left

Weekly Contest #216

We both liked reading people. That’s how we met. We’d worked together for three years, said a few words in passing, but never really noticed each other, until the day in the breakroom when we were the only two who could tell that Herb was obviously lying. We laughed and Herb shot us a glare and the rest of the group just went along as he dismissed us and continued his story. Unable to stifle our laughter we both apologized and left, only finally letting the laughs rip when we were almost halfway down the hall. I’m sure Herb still heard us. ...

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The Birdhouse

Weekly Contest #215

The ancient demon Mara is older than man. The Buddhists were the first to recognize him. The sounds that make up his primordial name were first recorded in Sanskrit. Sanskrit and all other languages are flawed in their representations of his name. The true symbol of his name cannot be expressed in any language. But it can be described. Four crosses, joined at the base, jutting in opposing directions. Northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest. I almost took the birdhouse down, and I should’ve. But I was so proud of it. The detail was am...

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L'Invasion

Weekly Contest #214

A night like this, even though I pretended it wasn’t, was my favorite part of family vacation. Mom and dad wanted an evening alone together, we were in a foreign country, so they didn’t know any baby-sitters, and even though mom told me not to watch scary movies, I did. Six hours alone to watch whatever I wanted, and to not have to watch them fawn over each other was golden. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy my parents love each other and stuff. But at a certain point it’s like, “Get a room.” I see my friends' parents and they’re not nearly as l...

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Run, Marjorie

Weekly Contest #212

“Ok, class. Today we are going to participate in a nationwide outreach program. We will be some of the privileged few to join President Nixon’s initiative to help reform those who’ve lost their way.” Mrs. Miller concluded as she stood, straight and proud in front of the class. The class stared back, blinking slowly. Mrs. Miller beamed an undeterred smile. “Today we are all going to write a letter.” She bounced on the tips of her toes, landed sure footed, and raised a hand. “Does anyone know what a pen pal is?” The class exchanged glances ...

12 likes 7 comments 7
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Wyoming Changed Everything

Weekly Contest #200

“Djya hear about the new girl?” he whispered over my shoulder. “Huh?” I looked up from my notebook, only slightly to keep from being noticed by Mr. Hamilton. He didn’t play around when it came to class disruptions. “Uh-uh,” I answered under my breath with an almost imperceptible shake of my head as I kept a covert eye on our teacher. “Yeah, I heard she—” We both froze as Mr. Hamilton looked up from his work and leveled his gaze in our direction. My eyes shot down to my workbook. Pure reflex. I knew better than to make eye contact. Andrew, no...

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