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Molly Herod

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2026

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Library
26 Followers
49 Following

13 Stories

142 karma pts

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Ribbit

Weekly Contest #376

The library is patient. Unlike the kitchen, thriving on attention doesn’t suit the library. Although a place of storage, it’s certainly not the garage. Secrets are whispered from pages of books, but the library isn’t a place for intimacy like the bedroom. Libraries are elusive and independent, equally beckoning those eager for adventure and those who need a reprieve. This library, in this house, in this cozy neighborhood, within the geographical boundaries of Sioux City, is extraordinarily patient. For twenty five years, as room after room i...

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The Garden

Weekly Contest #369

Mrs. Hendricks said she would die on September 18th. On the date of her departure, she woke up at her usual time of 6:30 in the morning. She was nothing if not a creature of habit. At 7:00, Mrs. Hendricks opened the side gate into the garden. Not just any garden. A rose garden. And not just any rose garden. An enchanted rose garden. Not by chance but by design. Quite similar to her life, in that regard. Mrs. Hendricks has lived in this duplex for nearly half of a century. There’s never been a reason to leave. Over time, what started as a th...

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Move Forward

Catherine pauses. Listens. Starts reading again then freezes. Something is in her closet. Catherine has never liked her closet. There’s a door leading to the attic from within the closet. It has always spooked her. What if someone has been in the attic all day waiting for me to return home? Catherine pauses again. She doesn’t hear anything. Must be my imagination. Wait. There it is again. Someone, or something, is definitely in her closet. Catherine slips a bookmark into her current read, gently pulls back the quilt, and tiptoes to the ...

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Fortune Teller

Elise does not believe in her mother’s voodoo. But the people of Ellsworth adore the apothecary and that’s precisely where we find ourselves on this chilly, October morning, closer to Halloween than Labor Day. Mother and daughter prepare for the shop to open for the first customer who is already waiting outside in the drizzle. The pair work hand in hand, sorting herbs and arranging crystals. The store is a throw back to an earlier time. But which earlier time is the question. It’s hard to say. Mid-century lamps create bookends for a plush, V...

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Five Hours

Weekly Contest #359

If I don’t open my eyes, it’s not real. This is a game that Sarah plays, and loses, quite often. Magical thinking, hoping that it’s not another headache during the witching hour. Eyes still closed, she slowly sits up. The pain stabs her forehead as she peeps through her eyelids at her phone. It’s 2 in the morning. Sarah’s entire body revolts: Pounding head, stiff neck, and brain shrieking that it’s not time to get up. Headaches plagued Sarah since her teenage years. There is no rhyme or reason to them. They could occur after eating lunch o...

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Dearly Beloved

Versailles would have been the better choice, but Paris was fine. After all, Jack was born, and died, in Paris. And really, who can complain about being in Paris? Especially this time of year. The autumnal glow that bounces off century old stones and quaint shops is enchanting. Soft winds rustled the few remaining leaves on the trees. As beautiful as it was, there was a bit of sadness to Paris. Almost as if there was a nod to nostalgia and all the history that had taken place in this city. There’s worse places to go for a funeral. A small cr...

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Blame

Weekly Contest #354

911 Call Transcript DISPATCHER: 911, what is your emergency? PARKER: Um, I’m, I’m at my parent’s house and my mom is, my mom is… DISPATCHER: What’s the address of the emergency? PARKER: 9208 Woods Court in Asheville. My mom is dead! She’s dead! DISPATCHER: What’s your name? PARKER: Mike. Are the police on their way? DISPATCHER: Yes. Where is your mother? PARKER: The kitchen. I came over here and she’s dead. Where’s the ambulance? DISPATCHER: Mike, can you tell me if she’s breathing? PARKER: No! No! She’s dead. There’s blood, so muc...

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Eureka Springs

Helen was unhappy. An irritable unhappiness. The winding streets through her Ozark town annoyed her. The Victorian houses seemed to mock her. The friendliness of the people grated her nerves. Helen had made decisions that had brought her to this point. Diligently pondered and logical decisions that had been selected with the utmost care. This idyllic, predictable life that had once brought her prosperity and peace now taunted her with betrayal and bitterness. Helen had lived this quiet existence for a decade. This small town that had once e...

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Darkest Before Dawn

Weekly Contest #352

“Hey Bill, better wake up Tommy. My paper’s not here.” “Morning Pat, he’s out there, probably goofing around. Don’t worry, you’ll get your paper.” “Sounds good, thanks.” A few bites of toast, a sip of coffee and the phone rang again. Rose picked it up. She assured the neighbor, “He’s just running behind.” Drink some orange juice, salt and pepper the eggs and there was the phone again…and again. The third and fourth calls were answered by Bill. It was Sunday morning. People wanted their newspapers with their coffee. Panic was taking ho...

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Poplar Grove Lane

Weekly Contest #350

Poplar Grove Lane Oscar opened his eyes and leisurely stretched. He had the king bed to himself. Ivy liked to get up early. Oscar did not. The clanging pots and pans rang out from the kitchen. Preparing breakfast and shuffling the children out the door was Ivy’s ritual, not his. Oscar sauntered down the stairs, gave her a quick kiss and slipped out the door. The sidewalk hummed with the morning commute. Vibrant red and orange leaves ushered in October. Pumpkins appeared on porches and wreaths hung on doors. Poplar Grove Lane gentrified ove...

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South Dakota

It was never my intention to live in a ghost town. After ten years of a life that was utterly devoid of happiness, joy and any resemblance of a marriage, my husband went on a business trip to Washington, DC. When he left, our marriage was solid. That’s the truth. What we lacked in love, we overpowered with generosity. What stole our joy, we inundated with laughter. What we shed in tears, we made up for in loyalty. It’s entirely possible that had our lives continued as they were, we would have found what our marriage was lacking. Instead, a...

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The Glass Armonica

Weekly Contest #348

The Glass Armonica “The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonic or harmonica is a type of musical instrument that used a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction (instruments of this type are known as friction idiophones). It was invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin and produces sound similar to the glockenspiel.” [1] Richmond, Virginia, June 1820 Anne slipped the glass instrument into the bottom of he...

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Kentucky

Weekly Contest #347

Kentucky “Mussolini made the trains run on time.” Caroline thought of this quote often. In fact, she thought of it every day as she rode the light rail train in Dallas to and from work. And every time she thought of the quote, it provoked an irk within her soul. The line was factually incorrect and glorified a dictator. It was illogical that this quote was still in existence. Illogicality chipped away at Caroline’s thoughts. Precision, truth and determination were the ambitious canons that Caroline endeavored to achieve. Without firm goals...

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