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Melony Beard

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2021

Stories (34)

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169 Followers

8 Following

34 Stories

1402 karma pts

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The Hag of Black Hollow

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #327

They call me the Hag of Black Hollow.A name whispered like a curse, spat into the dirt by trembling mouths. The villagers make the sign of the cross when my shadow crosses theirs. They say I drink blood from silver cups and weave curses from children’s hair. Let them believe it.It keeps them safe from the truth. I was not always what they think I am. Once, long ago, I lived in the village too. I had a garden full of foxglove and marigold, and a husband who sang to me while he worked the fields. We had a child, a daughter with curls as black ...

25 likes

Halfway Home

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #325

The white door floated above her head. The walls shifted from side to side. It was dark, not too dark to see, but too dark to see clearly. Something felt wrong. The air was heavy, like she was breathing through cloth. Voices stirred in the distance, weak and trembling. “Mom, please.” Lily tried to turn toward the sound, but her body felt sluggish and uncooperative. Her head ached. Her throat burned. “Oh, Daniel,” she whispered, or thought she did. “Where are you?” “Mom, I love you.” Daniel. Her oldest. The one who never showed emotion. The o...

35 likes

Sea Magic

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #324

The morning the fog rolled in, Jenny May was already awake. She sat cross-legged on the old wooden pier, legs dangling just above the bay’s dark surface. Viper, her sleek black corn snake, was coiled beside her, flicking his tongue at the mist as if trying to taste it.The air was thick with sea salt and secrets.“This fog isn’t normal,” Jenny murmured as she thought of the words of her mentor. “Clara said there’d be signs when the tide changed. I just didn’t think it meant this kind of change.”Viper hissed softly, which Jenny May decided to t...

19 likes

Jenny May's Magical Mess

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #323

The morning had started the same as always—muggy, bright, and heavy with the smell of honeysuckle sneaking through her window. Her spellbook lay open on her desk, pages curling from last night’s humidity. On the cover, the embossed title shimmered faintly: Beginner’s Charms for the Young Witch. She wasn’t supposed to have it yet. Clara, the coffee shop owner—and the only witch in town Jenny May knew—had warned her not to take it home. “Magic isn’t a toy, child,” Clara had said, wiping her hands on her apron. “You practice when I’m there, not...

24 likes

Breaking the Charm

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #322

“Trust your mentor,” the old witch had said. Amara wished she could—but the charm in her hands pulsed with a secret rhythm, as if it had a heartbeat of its own. The study smelled of parchment and molten wax, a scent that once felt comforting but now pressed against her chest. Candlelight flickered across the spines of ancient spellbooks, throwing shadows that seemed to twitch when she wasn’t looking. Amara arranged the final ingredients on Mistress Elowen’s polished oak table, fingers trembling despite careful control. This was her first re...

13 likes

When Time Stood Still

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #234

Not long ago, in the Land of Fairy Tales, Hayward Pig lived in a brick house with his older brothers, Stickerton and Brickerton.One day Hayward walked through the North Woods searching for firewood. Little did he know anyone else was around but Sly Fox hid behind a tree and watched Hayward's every move. Hayword studied the trees and tried to decide which one was the best. Some were too small, and some were too large, but right in the center of North Woods stood one perfect tree. With a smile, Hayward raised his axe to chop it down."Put the a...

11 likes

Long Chapters, Short Story

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #186

The days felt long. The end of the first chapter of her life began at the ripe age of seventeen. She met a boy. She knew this was it because she could see her future in his eighteen year old eyes. However after joining the Army, they sent him far away. She couldn't go. She prayed, she begged and she cried thousands of tears. She pleaded with God to bring him safely back to her. She impatiently waited for each passionate love letter to arrive in the mail. She kept each letter and pored over each word countless times. The days were torturously...

61 likes

What's in a Name?

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #179

New Year's Eve had arrived. The day we scroll social media to find a gazillion posts of soon to be broken promises, outright lies and ploys for attention. Thats right, it's the whole new year, new me thing. I don't hate New Year's Eve, but you have to admit, it's likely the best day of the year to post certain things on Facebook especially in the marketplace, such as all the exercise equipment, self help books and organization supplies you purchased last year. Personally, I don't own any of those things. I do, however, have something I need ...

40 likes

Anything You Can Imagine

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #176

"I know a magical place where you can see anything you imagine," Jenny stated matter of factly swinging her fire red pony tails from side to side.  "Hmph..." Cason the freckled face boy standing beside her in front of Jack D's Bayside Restaurant replied, "You do have a wild imagination just like everyone says." Cason, outdone with the annoying red haired, pig tailed girl, flipped around and began walking down the sidewalk.  "Where ya going?" Jenny ran to catch up and bounced beside him.  "As far away from you as possib...

30 likes

A Gift from Above

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #173

The strangest thing wasn’t the fact that the phone rang at midnight, but the strangest thing was that I had disconnected the home phone service a few weeks ago. The very last thing I expected on this Friday night was my disconnected house phone to ring. I jumped at the unexpected sound of the ringing phone which hung on the wall in the room next door. I know that at least briefly I must have wondered who in the world had gotten through on this line, but once the following events began to take place, I completely forgot anything that happe...

41 likes

King Hunch

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #172

A short, jolly fellow named King Hunch ruled Aurora Island. The citizens of the island trusted King Hunch even though he often had changing perceptions of how to rule the land. He often had dreams which led him to make important decisions or sometimes, he just had a hunch of how things should be done. King Hunch was from a lengthy line of family members gifted with a believed discernment and insight, so no one questioned him. Well, not until the day, a little boy was born, named Philomath, better known as Phil.Phil was born on March 2nd, oth...

20 likes

The Land of Fairytales: The Tooth Fairy Gets Lost

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #171

THE LAND OF FAIRYTALES THE TOOTH FAIRY GETS LOST Easton stood on a rooftop and peered at what looked like a million little lights. He scratched his head. How had he landed at the wrong house again? Father would be so disappointed in him. Easton felt like a failure. He leaned back against the chimney and studied the map Father had given him during training. Jack’s first lost tooth was due at Pearl’s Refinery by sunrise, or the magic power needed to keep the Land of Fairytales alive would disappear. This was Easton’s first assignment as a...

26 likes

The Land Of Fairytales: The Gingerbread Ghost

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #170

The Land of Fairytales The Gingerbread Ghost Not so long ago, the Gingerbread Man lived alone, in a gingerbread house on the edge of Sugar Forest. His tiny home, decorated in white icing, was splattered with gumdrops, chocolate pieces and sprinkles. Green icing lined the windows, candy canes decorated the porch and marshmallows covered the roof like snow. One morning, when Gingerbread Man awoke, he glanced around his tiny home of confections and felt quite useless. Everyone in the Land of Fairytales had a special assignment. At least, ...

34 likes

Sly Fox Likes Duck Stew

Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #170

Not long ago, in the Land of Fairytales, lived Mother duck with her seven ducklings. They lived in a pond surrounded by green grass and wildflowers, near Fable Field, where Loki, the unicorn, lived. One morning, when Loki strolled by the pond, one little duckling looked very sad as he waded alone near the bank. "What's wrong, my little duckling friend?" Loki asked. "I want to run away from home," the little duckling answered. “The Land of Fairytales is the best home I’ve ever had. Why do you want to run away?” Loki asked. “My s...

16 likes

No Such Thing As Normal

Melony Beard

The train was small with an engine, one box car, one passenger car and the all famous little red caboose. The antique train had been placed in the city park as an artifact. A reminder of times gone by. A fence surrounded the train to help protect it from vandalism. Shelly's class was one of the first to visit the train on a field trip. She sat in the very last seat of the passenger car and stared out the window to the playground not far away where at least two dozen children ran and played in the warm May sunshine. She felt special. Her ...

10 likes