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Rebecca Lewis

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2023

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61 Followers
60 Following

150 Stories

1551 karma pts

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Meaning Emerges

Jenny noticed it first in small, forgettable moments. She was standing in line at a grocery store, watching the cashier scan items with mechanical rhythm. Beep. Slide. Beep. Slide. The woman ahead of her laughed at something on her phone, a sudden, warm sound that seemed to ripple outward. Jenny tried to mirror it. She lifted the corners of her mouth, let out a short breath. It felt correct. It sounded correct. But it didn’t feel like anything. That was new. At home, Jenny stood in front of the bathroom mirror longer than usual. She examine...

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What It Cost to Keep Going

He got the call at 3:17 in the morning. For a second, he just stared at the phone, letting it buzz against the nightstand. No one called at that hour unless something had gone wrong. Or finally gone right. He answered on the fourth ring. “Is this Mikael Soderlindh?” His throat felt dry. “Yeah.” A pause. Papers shifting. Then- “I’m calling to inform you that your proposal has been approved. Full funding. It’s yours.” Silence. He had imagined this moment for fifteen years. Long nights, missed birthdays, empty apartments, cold dinners eaten ove...

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Learning to Stay

Adelle had always believed the town siren was meant for her. It sounded every day at 6:00 p.m. sharp. A long, low wail that rolled over rooftops, slid down alleyways, and settled into the bones of anyone who heard it. Most people barely noticed anymore. It was just the old factory signal, a relic from when shifts mattered and whistles told workers when to go home. But Adelle noticed. She first heard it when she was nine. Sitting on her front steps, swinging her legs, she felt it more than heard it. The air seemed to pause. Then came the soun...

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Let's See Who Notices You

No one in the village remembered when the stone first appeared. It sat at the edge of the old road, half-buried, as though it had grown there rather than fallen. Travelers passed it without much thought. Children climbed on it, then forgot it. Seasons moved around it — snow softening, rain polishing, summer heat baking it until it felt warm as skin. Only Deborah paid attention. She noticed how the stone never quite looked the same twice. Some mornings it seemed smooth and pale, almost silver. Other days it darkened, rough and pitted, like it...

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I'm Still Here

Voicemail – 8:12 AM Hey, it’s me. I know it’s early. I just… I found your note on the fridge. “Gone for a bit.” That’s not really your style. Call me back when you get this. Text Message – 8:47 AM You- What does “a bit” mean? Email – 9:03 AM Subject- Did you leave on purpose? I’m trying not to assume anything dramatic, but you took the good coffee beans. That feels intentional. Also, your plant is still here. You never forget the plant. Please just tell me where you are. Missed Call – 9:25 AM Text Message – 9:26 AM You- Okay, now I’m...

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The Light in 3B

The bus pulled away before she had time to change her mind. For a moment, she stood there with her bag hanging from one shoulder, watching the red taillights disappear around the corner. The street was quieter than she expected. No traffic. Just the soft hum of a vending machine outside the closed convenience store and the rustle of wind pushing dry leaves along the sidewalk. So this was it. She checked the paper in her hand again even though she had already memorized the address. Same numbers. Same street name. The building was right in fro...

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The Other Walker

The road stretches forward without a horizon. No turns, no towns — just a thin ribbon of pavement cutting through a quiet world. Sometimes, when Nick looks far enough ahead, he has the strange feeling that someone might already be standing there. Waiting. He always blinks and the thought disappears. Nick started walking days ago. Or maybe weeks. Time stopped meaning much after the first few sunsets. The sky changes, the weather shifts, yet the road never does. At first he tried to find the end. He counted miles, marked rocks, searched for la...

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The Ripple

Anna learned she could teleport the same way most people learn they’re good at cooking or math. By accident, and a little too late. She was sixteen, standing in the kitchen arguing with her mother about something small. Curfew, probably. Her mother said, “Go to your room,” and Anna did. Instantly. One second she was in the kitchen. The next she was sitting on her bed upstairs with no memory of walking there. At first she thought she’d blacked out. It felt like skipping a second of time. But the more it happened, the stranger it became. She’d...

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Tracks in the Morning Snow

The first snow of the year arrived before sunrise. It fell slowly at first, thin flakes drifting through the gray morning air, settling on rooftops, power lines, and the empty street that ran through the small town. By the time the sun pushed a pale light over the horizon, the ground had begun to disappear beneath a quiet white layer. A single house near the end of the street showed signs of life. A faint yellow glow filled one window, softened by frost forming along the glass. Inside, an elderly man moved carefully through the kitchen, wrap...

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Ten Minutes Before Midnight

At 11:50 p.m., the house was finally quiet. Barbara stood at the kitchen sink, watching the last of the rain slide down the window. The clock above the fridge ticked louder than usual, like it had something important to say. Ten minutes until midnight. She wrapped her hands around a mug that had long gone cold. It had been twenty years since she’d left this house. Twenty years since the night everything changed. Footsteps creaked behind her. “You’re still awake?” her brother Stephen asked, rubbing his eyes. “Couldn’t sleep.” He glanced at th...

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The Wrong Year

The plan was simple. Meet at the bus stop at 9:00 p.m. Take the last bus out of town. Get off three stops later near the old train yard. Walk to the storage shed behind the tracks. Open the door with the key Jamie had “borrowed” from her uncle. Inside the shed would be the time capsule their school buried twenty years ago. Their old principal had finally admitted where it was. They weren’t supposed to open it until next year, but nobody in town really cared anymore. At least that’s what Brian thought. He checked his phone. 8:58. The bus stop...

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The Choice

Rain slid down the windows of the last train out of the city. Inside the carriage, most of the lights were dim. A few passengers slept with their heads against the glass. Others stared at their phones, faces glowing pale in the quiet. Lisa sat near the back with a small suitcase tucked between her boots. The train rocked gently as it moved through the dark countryside. Every few minutes the wheels screeched against the rails, then settled back into their steady rhythm. She checked the time on her phone. 11:47 p.m. Still two hours to go. Acro...

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The Last Night

The suitcase sits open on the bed, its zipper teeth glinting under the lamp. It isn’t big. Just big enough for a weeklong trip, maybe two if you pack carefully. Tonight it has to hold an entire life. Amanda stands in the doorway for a long time before she steps closer. The room still looks normal. Books on the shelf. A mug on the desk with three pens inside. Shoes kicked under the chair like she’ll wear them tomorrow. But tomorrow she won’t be here. She starts with clothes because they’re easiest. Two pairs of jeans. Three shirts. A sweater ...

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The Return Address

Stephen knew something was wrong the moment the coffee cup shattered. The sound cracked through the quiet kitchen like a gunshot. Ceramic burst across the tile. Coffee splashed outward, spreading through the tiny cracks in the floor like branching rivers. "Seriously?” he muttered. He grabbed a towel and crouched down. The cup must have slipped. His grip had felt off all morning. It was one of those days. Then the doorbell rang. Stephen straightened slowly, wiping his hands. For a second he just stood there staring at the front door. A strang...

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Ashes at 3:16

Every year on the same day, the fog rolled in before dawn. It crept over the harbor, quiet and thick, swallowing the piers, the gulls, the crooked lantern posts. By the time the church bell rang six times, the town of Calder’s Point was already half gone inside it. And by then, Tim Lewis already knew. He always knew. The first time it happened, he thought it was a nightmare. The second time, a coincidence. By the tenth time, he stopped counting the loops and started counting the hours. Seven hours. That’s how long he had before the fire. Tim...

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