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Michelle Oliver

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2022

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515 Followers
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85 Stories

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Labour's Lost Love- a drunken tragedy in three acts

Weekly Contest #257

CW: Shakespearean bawdiness!****Act 1 ****——Scene 1——(Enter Lord FARRINGTON and Sir MONTRAY, two young lords of lofty houses, both in a drunken, rambunctious state of dishevelment and good humour.)FARRINGTONThis night have I been greatly entertained with such delightful hospitality delivered with such grace and charm and wit… (Farrington stumbles drunkenly.)MONTRAYGood faith, dear Farrington, we have been charmed, Such hospitality knoweth no bounds, Nor bonds nor aught whi...

20 likes 7 comments 7
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The Swing of Things

The rhythmic screech of metal on metal pierces the night, echoing in the dark like demon screams coming for your soul. Instead of fleeing, I march toward the sound, unafraid, yet anxious still. I’m either a brave lad, or I’m stupid. Maybe both.Maria sits, toes dragging in the dirt, scuffing a groove deeper and deeper into the dirt, as she swings back and forth absently on the ancient playground equipment, setting my teeth on edge with every ear piercing motion. I take the seat next to her and join her, gently swaying, my swing groaning in a ...

14 likes 14 comments 14
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Not A Bad Man

Weekly Contest #252

“Oh, for the love of…” Selina muttered the curse under her breath, biting off the profanity at the end with gritted teeth, aware of the little ears flapping on the other side of the bathroom door.“Mama!” the snot-faced, adorable terror that controlled her life hollered loudly enough that the neighbours would likely call 911.“Mama needs to pee. Give me a minute.” Ha! As if a two-year-old understood the concept of time or personal space. From the moment he toddled his first steps—actually, from the moment he could crawl—Jasper had followed Sel...

31 likes 21 comments 21
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What’s Going On?

Weekly Contest #249

What if life offered second chances? If you could press rewind, or stop, or start from a certain point again, just like watching a YouTube clip. Would you take the redo? Would your life be different? Press play.▶️ The train grinds to a halt midway between stations and you look out of the window onto a freeway that better resembles a car park. It is as if the entire world has been forced to a stand-still. Swirling around you in the cramped carriage, there are chaotic bubbles of conversation peppered with exclamations of dismay, and your heart...

39 likes 30 comments 30
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A Silent Night at Last

Weekly Contest #245

Knock, knockHello, are you awake? May I come in?Yes, sorry, shhh…I know. I’ll speak quietly. I promise I won’t wake the baby. He’s a tiny thing, isn’t he?I, um, well, I traveled a long way to be here. I’m glad I didn’t miss it. The star, you know. It gave it away. Been watching that star now for weeks, since it appeared in the east. Well, OK, Melchior has. He hogs the telescope, but you know it’s so bright now we don’t need to use a telescope anymore, so I’ve been watching it every night.Oh, here, this is for you. I know, I know, it’s not mu...

26 likes 22 comments 22
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Allondial and Remu (remastered)

Weekly Contest #245

To hear the stories told by old women over the fire, one would believe the world to be inhabited by ghouls and hobgoblins. This is not true. The world is full of magic for sure, but the magic has been here longer than the old women, longer than humankind and longer indeed than memory can express.In the beginning of time, Allondial was born. Her first breath was a gasp that awakened humankind from the eternal sleep of non-existence. Her smile was gentle as she gazed upon all creation as it woke, and humankind smiled back. Enthralled...

27 likes 16 comments 16
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#Sweet Sophie

Weekly Contest #244

“For God’s sake, Sophie, what were you thinking?” T.J yelled, his voice hysterical and high pitched.“I wasn’t thinking anything,” Sophie Beckett replied, her enormous blue eyes welling with emotion. “I was eating an ice-cream!”“Look! Just look at this,” T.J turned his phone screen towards her. “Does this look like someone eating ice cream?”The image was grainy and zoomed in close, but it was unmistakably Sophie, her eyes closed, long lashes curving against her cheekbones, in an expression of forbidden bliss as she licked the melting ice-crea...

28 likes 34 comments 34
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The Jemloran Premises

Weekly Contest #243

Taken from the personal log of Rahkan Cerirak-Biologist.Galactic Date: 90032.44.37Current Planetary Cycle 8.46.86The Jemloran Premises are wrong and I need to prove it.Premise number 1-The intelligent species that once populated this planet have long gone extinct.The remnants of their technology can be found at many different archaeological sites. Once a star begins to expand, it disrupts the rotation of all its planetary objects, pulling each planet’s more massively loaded side towards the star’s gravitational centr...

26 likes 24 comments 24
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The Roomba

Weekly Contest #239

FACEBOOK MARKETPLACEROOMBA 600iDetails:Condition -Used like newDescription:Slightly used, comes with all accessories and two chargers. Price negotiable. Need gone ASAP.****Christine kicked off her heels as soon as she walked through the door. The French baguette peeking out of the brown paper bag in her hands wobbled precariously as Sir Lancelot wove his way beneath her feet while she attempted to place the groceries on the bench.Lancelot was a Persian crossed with a rag-doll, and the combination equated to hair—lots of it. Christine sc...

34 likes 32 comments 32
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Weather or Not

Weekly Contest #239

Shay hummed along to the radio as she drove home from her late-night shift, happy to be heading into a three-day weekend. It had been a long week, exhausting and energy sapping, but TGIF! She had a hot date tonight with a bottle of Pinot Grigno and a hot, steamy Netflix series that she was planning on bingeing. It was the sum total of her dating life at the moment, and although her mother bemoaned her daughter’s single status, Shay had no energy left for the male of the species.The Weather Girls wailed from the speakers a...

28 likes 22 comments 22
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Butterfly Memory

Shortlisted for Contest #237 ⭐️

Leonard paused at the door, taking a deep, steadying breath. His hand holding the bouquet of daisies trembled, causing the delicate white and blue petals to flutter like butterflies. He knocked and waited. A gentleman always waited to be invited in, but no invitation was forthcoming, so he cracked open the door a little to peer in. Maybe she was sleeping.Martha was sitting in her chair staring out the window, looking beyond the walled garden, examining an image that was visible only inside her head.“May I come in?” Leonard asked softly, not ...

72 likes 88 comments 88
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Shooting the Breeze

“You can’t run forever,” said a metallic voice, and I froze, senses alert. My eyes darted to the entry points in the crowded bar. Front door—two Etruscan warriors, side door—a Nimb and a Fetlian. I’d take the Nimb and Fetlian over the Etruscans. They’re not as fast, nor as deadly accurate with their weapons.A clawed hand grasped my shoulder, and I fought the urge to shrug it off. Better to act as nonchalant as possible.“Hey, Kal. Did Grondo give you the night off, or have you slipped you...

15 likes 16 comments 16
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At Hampton Court Palace

Weekly Contest #235

The brush strokes are indeed amazing capturing my attention and halting my progress down the hallway. The portrait is huge, truly an impressive feat of artistry. A regal gaze stares out of the canvas and I am captured by the familiar face and stance, who would not recognise Henry VIII? His fleshy features surround those piercing eyes. He’s not a nice man. Powerful, proud, arrogant, yes, but not nice, yet the portrait fascinates me.With deep reluctance I move on from the painting to admire the next one. Our tour guide has drawn his ...

25 likes 24 comments 24
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Dreams of Seventeen

Weekly Contest #234

When Seventeen slipped and fell through the ice, Mumma was nearly hysterical. She begged the elders to send out a rescue team to save the girl, because Seventeen was the only other female of breeding age left in our clan. Mumma had been eagerly awaiting the reprieve from child bearing next year when Seventeen became Eighteen, and therefore old enough to procreate. Life had been hard on Mumma. Breeding every year for the last two decades had nearly broken her, but she, like the rest of us, knew her obligation to the c...

30 likes 28 comments 28
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Going Rogue

Weekly Contest #233

Light harvesting is a dangerous occupation. You have to be fit, fast, and completely fearless—some might even say insane. I never had a choice; it’s all I’ve known.Out here in the Shadow Rim, a place of eternal twilight, you either survive, or you don’t. It’s cold and dark, even during the daytime hours, so we have to farm light. That’s my role. I check the light farms and bring back energy cubes so that we can survive out here on the Rim. Danger lies in the light. When the Light Stalkers invaded our planet a few years ago, they quickly seiz...

24 likes 29 comments 29
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