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Lily Finch

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

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139 Stories

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The One Who Got Away

Weekly Contest #379

I slowed at the display case. Down the hall, she wedged a stack of papers beneath her chin. A book slipped, and she caught it against her hip. Pencils struck the floor around her shoes. I left the glass. She gathered the pencils before I reached her, but I got to the staff room door first. “Thanks. That’s very nice of you.” She smiled as she passed. Her perfume lingered while I held the door. When it closed, I stood with my hand against the push plate until someone behind me asked to get through. Three weeks earlier, I wouldn’t have known he...

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The Wrong Woman in the Coffin

Weekly Contest #378

The family gathered at midnight to mourn Mrs. Lukas’ death. She had been the binding agent of love and support for the family. Through their hardships, their ambitions, and the failures they seldom spoke about, she had provided whatever they needed. Each month, money arrived in their accounts. When someone needed more, more came. No one remembered her refusing a request. Yet none of the children had ever seen her face. They knew her through the money she sent, the letters she wrote, and the promises she kept. They worshipped her like a godde...

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The Danger of Insatiable Curiosity as seen in The WriteLaunch by Lily Finch Short Story Issues / Issue 85, July 2024

Wade saw the roofline as he hiked along the forest's edge. He walked past it initially, but he couldn't ignore the tall spires and darkened stained-glass windows’ Gothic look. He’d never seen a real Gothic mansion before—only what he’d seen in movies and books. The house piqued his interest, and Wade, without thinking about all the possibilities or anything untoward, quickened his pace to the front door. He stepped onto the porch with its high, double-arched ceiling, and then he noticed a broken window and shards of glass strewn across the f...

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The Burning

Weekly Contest #376

CW: Violence, death, and gore “I can’t see in here! “Let me out, Jake!” Esther slapped both hands on the underside of the boot lid. Alice laughed when Jake shut her in. "He'd give me five minutes," he said. Esther counted for well over five minutes before she lost track. “Come on, Jake! She listened for his step. Outside, nothing moved. She drew her knees up to her chest. She turned to one hip and felt along the lining, searching for something she could pull. Her fingers found a latch. She tugged at it until it gave, the lid popping up. Est...

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THE NEXT DEPOT

Weekly Contest #375

The passenger car rattled with luggage as it moved, the passengers seated below jostling with it. The cast-iron stove warmed the passenger car, but she still felt the cold coming through the window beside her. She could see the wet leaves beyond the cobblestones of East Vale. She sensed something right away, as the train should have slowed before the first house came into view. Instead, it gathered speed. “Mom, is this our stop?” the little boy across the aisle said. His mother gave him his ticket. “What does it say?” “It says West Vale,” th...

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THE DISASTER

Weekly Contest #374

Their relationship began wonderfully. She thought he was cute and wanted me to meet him. He was her type. Quiet, not aggressive, but sports-minded. She had no idea that the boy she wanted to marry one day lacked ambition and was a mamma’s boy who liked to drink far too much for her liking. She liked to drink, too, but not as much as he did. But she was four years younger and still figuring things out in life, while he should have already figured those things out by now. His selfishness irritated her because he always bought beer and had mone...

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It's Probably Nothing

Jimmy had been missing for three days when Deidre and Vince found the cave. Jimmy was Deidre’s boyfriend and Vince’s first cousin. Twelve other children and teenagers had disappeared with him. The adults searched roads, houses, and abandoned buildings. Deidre and Vince searched for the Sandman. Jimmy had reached Deidre through dreams. He told her the children were hanging underground. He warned her not to touch the dust. Most importantly, he told her two things. Water hurt the Sandman. Moonlight revealed his trail. They had followed that tra...

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The Sandman; The Dust Trial

Weekly Contest #372

The night Jimmy vanished, Deidre awoke with sand in her mouth. It wasn't grit but something finer, like dust that had forgotten how to collect in the corners of children’s eyes. She sat upright, heart hammering, sheets twisted around her legs. Moonlight pressed against the window. The room smelled faintly of dust. She reached for her phone. No messages. No missed calls. She checked again. Jimmy always texted goodnight. Even when tired. Even when angry. Especially then. She opened their conversation. Nothing. Deidre crossed to the window. Sno...

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The Visitor? or Live In?

Weekly Contest #372

The first thing he moved was a coffee cup. At least, that was the first thing Martha noticed. She came home from work, kicked off her shoes beside the door and walked into the kitchen. The blue cup sat beside the sink. Martha stopped. She always washed her breakfast cup before leaving for work. It was part of her morning routine. Coffee, toast, shower, dress, wash the cup, check the stove, lock the door. She picked it up. Clean. Maybe she had washed it and left it there instead of putting it in the cupboard. She put it away. The next evening...

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Forty Seconds

Weekly Contest #370

Paris, 1793 — 4:17 p.m. Pierre jerked his head back when he saw Jacques standing among the condemned. There were twelve in the tumbril, and Pierre had already looked over most without thinking much about them. He had learned not to look too closely at the people he was expected to kill. He checked whether they could walk without assistance and whether any might fight when brought to the guillotine. Then his eyes landed on Jacques. Jacques stared back, his face revealing nothing. Pierre looked away as the tumbril continued along the cobblesto...

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The Wing With Her Name

Weekly Contest #369

STORY CONTAINS SUBJECT OF DEATH AND MOURNING. Ann and Mary had not always been close. Growing up, the two girls couldn't seem to get along. Their brother, Rick, had been closer to Ann because they went to the same parties and shared some of the same friends, while Mary had her own circle and interests. Somehow, as the years passed, the two sisters who couldn't get along grew into women who became the best of friends. They shared make-up secrets, discussed their health, and believed in doing good rather than doing harm. Both women loved anim...

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The Message on the Postcard

Weekly Contest #368

Amanda hadn’t planned to stop at the shop by the lake, where gulls squabbled over chip ends, and the air smelled of damp cedar and petrol. She had opened her bedroom windows that morning to let October in, but by noon her hands were sore from knitting, and the empty house had begun to bother her. She took the car out and followed the county road toward Lake Erie. She drove near the beach, parked, and kicked off her shoes. A flyer flapped in the dune grass: Wonder Cards. Unusual postcards. Something for everyone. The shop stood across the roa...

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There’s No Going Back Now

Weekly Contest #367

Stephanie lifted one skate from the ice and began her spin. Glenn watched from the edge of the pond, her red scarf flashing each time she turned. Their friends clapped when she came out of it cleanly. She bowed, laughing, and pushed into another circle. The crack sounded like a branch breaking. Everyone stopped. Stephanie looked down. A dark line raced between her skates. Before Glenn could call her name, the ice gave way, and she dropped through. He reached the hole first. Her hands struck the underside of the ice several feet away, pale sh...

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THE SHAPE OF SILENCE

Weekly Contest #365

Her parents were proud of the daughter who worked beside them without complaint. She never chased after young men. Never spoke of dreams beyond Macaw's city limits. Never asked for a life different from the one she'd been given. To them, the grocery store wasn't simply a business. It was the family. It had fed three generations. It would feed the next. Luna had heard those words so often that she stopped questioning, "Why should I believe you?" and believed them. Each morning began before sunrise. She unlocked the front door while the villag...

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Bev's Confession

Weekly Contest #364

Lieutenant Beverly O'Hare retired with every honour the department could bestow upon her. Her officers gave her a standing ovation. The chief presented her with a plaque honouring thirty-eight years in Homicide. That night, Detectives Duff and Cruise treated their mentor to a fancy dinner. They celebrated her career. They shared funny stories about troublesome cases and vowed their friendship would remain strong even after she retired. It hadn't. They continued to meet every other Wednesday for two years. One week, they met at a favourite di...

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