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Maureen Buchanan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2025

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19 Stories

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The Long Night I Will Never Forget

Weekly Contest #371

The Long Night I Will Never Forget. I drove my car into the 24/7 gas station after a long journey along a quiet country road. It was about 10pm and I was the only person at the gas station. The lights pierced the darkness with a radiance that reflected my mood and while driving for long hours with a few short breaks had left me feeling very deflated, the thoughts of the ultimate destination at my sister’s home lit up my persona and defeated the darkness. Tomorrow we would be having a family celebration and I would connect with family members...

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When I Packed Up My Home, My Life Changed

Weekly Contest #369

When I Packed Up My Home My Life Changed.  (The story contains verbal emotional abuse)After dealing with debilitating trauma during the night, I had to start the challenging process of packing up all my possessions and arranging to have them taken to a local storage unit. Luckily, I didn’t have many things to put into storage, as I had downsized when I moved into this small unit two years ago. As I packed everything into boxes, I thought of the past that had led to my life falling apart. It had started with the separation from Michael,...

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A Life Changing Decision

Weekly Contest #366

A Life-Changing Decision.Early one morning, Julie sat in her locked bedroom in the small unit she shared with Mary, her flatmate. She needed some privacy, and while Mary always knocked on the door before entering, Julie wanted to ensure she didn’t have to respond to the knock. She knew that Mary would understand that the locked door meant alone time for Julie, and she would allow this to happen without hesitation. When sharing a home, it is important for both residents to respect each other’s me-time, and this had always been the case since ...

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Struggling in the Rain

Weekly Contest #363

Struggling in the Rain.Yesterday, Amy was standing in the rain waiting for a taxi to take her home. She had left her umbrella at home because the sun was shining in a cloud-less sky and she didn't know a storm was on the way. She was wet and shivering and she struggled in the rain until the taxi stopped in front of her and she was able to climb in and experience some relief. After half an hour she was able to go into her apartment, have a hot shower and a comforting meal. This challenging experience had ended but there was another more serio...

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Something I Couldn't Have

Weekly Contest #362

Something I Shouldn’t Have.I was busy working in the kitchen, preparing a meal for my guests, who were due to arrive at my unit in an hours time. I had decided to prepare a pasta bake with noodles, chicken, vegetables and a delicious Italian sauce. I would have to prepare something else for my lunch because the pasta I was using wasn’t gluten free and I had just found out that I had Celiac Disease. This meant I had to eat Gluten free food which would cause health issues, and I would have to miss out on the meal I was putting a lot of time an...

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I Escaped from the Darkness

Weekly Contest #361

I Escaped From the Darkness.When I woke up on Saturday morning, I looked out of the window. The sun was shining brightly in a blue sky and all of the dark clouds had disappeared. We had experienced bleak weather with storms and heavy rain for a week. It was a relief to see the return of the light, and I started my day feeling very positive. The bright atmosphere reflected the positive lifestyle change that had taken place yesterday when I had received the first good news in a long time.My life had been put on hold after my ex- partner was ch...

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The Dream That Changed My Life.

Weekly Contest #360

The Dream That Changed My Life. I was walking through the forest surrounded by tall trees and I felt I belonged to the beautiful location. There were koala bears in the trees and birds flying around and chirping loudly. When I looked up I could see the blue sky and the white clouds sailing past. Then, suddenly my unforgettable experience was interrupted by another visitor to the forest. He was walking behind me and I stopped to let him go past me on the narrow track and we started talking. I found out that walking through the forest was part...

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When Private Stakes Collide

When Private Stakes Collide. The Condon family had just lost Harold, Joan’s husband and Debbie and Brian’s father. He had suffered from lung cancer due to smoking for several years. Brian suggested that they have a Wake in Joan’s home before the funeral. This would give their family and friends the chance to say goodbye and support each other at this difficult time. Joan agreed with her son’s suggestion, and they started the preparations for the Wake. They invited five close family members and ten friends to the Wake and everyone accepted th...

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The Ultimate Result of Continual Control.

Weekly Contest #354

The Ultimate Result of Continual Control. Jodie shared a unit with Helen, her daughter who had just celebrated her seventeenth birthday with a group of friends at the local club. Helen had enrolled at TAFE in a Certificate 1V hairdressing course which would qualify her to apply for work in a local salon. She had always been interested in hair styles and beauty therapy, and the career would provide satisfaction, creativity and independence. She would be able to rent a unit and save money to buy a car. Her life would dramatically change from ...

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A New Life with Bright Colours.

Weekly Contest #352

A New Life With Bright Colours.I woke up early and looked out at the black night sky and I knew instantly that it reflected my life. I was living in a small cluttered unit on the outskirts of a busy city. I could hear the sound of the traffic and a loud siren as a police car sped past. When I looked out my window all I could see were the surrounding houses and units. Occasionally the neighbours were playing loud music or having loud arguments. I had been given this emergency accommodation when I became homeless after I was evicted from my fo...

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Letters in the Post

Weekly Contest #341

Letters in the Post.Dear Sue. Thank you for the scenic post card you sent me from Italy. It was good to hear you had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful cultural country. I am sorry that this letter will bring back some painful memories. I know that you went through a very challenging time in an abusive relationship which you tried to move away from with an AVO that didn’t work. The stalking and control continued.Last week I received a text from Mum on my work phone. She told me that John is in Palliative Care in the Austin Hospital in Newber...

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From a Dog's Perspective

Weekly Contest #340

From a Dog’s Perspective.Hello, I’m the writer and before I wrote this story I spoke to Sue. She told me she had started nursing in a local hospital. She loved her job, caring for patients and their families and friends and she said she would never return to the waitressing job she had done for a number of years. Sue had started her nursing training when she left school but she had left nursing when she moved to another area and accepted a job in a restaurant. Sue then started talking about her pet dog, Pepper. She enjoyed being with him and...

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Being So Close and Yet So Far

Weekly Contest #337

I have often been so close yet so far. When I was 10 years old, I played in a soccer team with other girls. We reached the grand final in the last year I played in the team. The score was three all and we were playing extra time to determine which team would win the tournament and get the winner’s trophy. I kicked the ball towards the goal posts and sadly the goalkeeper caught the ball to stop me getting the goal. I didn’t get a goal, and the other team went on to score and win the game. When I was in Year 6 at school, I did an assessment an...

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Figuratively Speaking Going in Opposite Directions.

Weekly Contest #336

One of my friends moved in with me to share the living costs. She had fallen behind with her rent, and her landlord had threatened to evict her. This decision would help both of us as the cost of living was rising and it was difficult to keep on top of living expenses. I had no idea we would figuratively be going in opposite directions. Like a hike, when one hiker goes north and the other goes south with no phones, this inevitably led to an increasing gap between us with no interactions. We both had to turn around and change our direction be...

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Sue's Hot and Spicy Week

Weekly Contest #333

Sue’s Hot and Spicy Week.One sunny morning, Sue was sitting at her dining table in her quiet unit, eating her breakfast. Sue was on a week’s holiday from work and she was wondering what she would do to enjoy the break. She watched Pepper, her pet cat running around the room and climbing up the frame. After 10 minutes Pepper lay down on her cat bed and fell asleep, and Sue looked at him fondly. He had been her companion for a number of years and helped her recover from a very difficult time in her life after suffering abuse at the hands of an...

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