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Renee Yancey

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2023

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27 Followers
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74 Stories

405 karma pts

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The Rest Room

She is happy to see the sign rising out of the gloom of the winter sunset. ‘Rest stop one mile ahead.’ Looking behind her where her solemn children sit, she tries to put a smile in her voice. “We have a bathroom coming up. They will probably have some snack machines too.”Carri, her oldest at five says. “Mommy can we afford it?”It tears her heart out, that question. She shouldn't be worried about that. Her child should be worried about how to dress her doll, not finances.“We can.” It is a partial truth. It depends on how expensive t...

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The Gift

“What?” Bethany shakes her head, her strawberry blonde hair moves against her face, “what kind of joke is this?”“No joke ma’am.” The man who stands in front of her smiles, revealing unusually straight teeth, shiny white.“Oh,” her aqua blue eyes show her amusement, “it is some sort of television show. Hidden cameras?”They stand in the park where she has been taking her lunch break. The sound of the children playing in the playground fills the silence before he answers.“I assure you madam that isn't the case.” In her defense, his bearing ...

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Monsters

Safety. The room should always mean that. A child's room should be a place of security, peace, and safety. For as long as she can remember that wasn't the case. From two until twelve it wasn't so. Her door didn't have a lock. He could and did enter whenever he pleased. Hiding under the covers didn't keep the monster away. He wasn't in the closet or under the bed. No, he comes walking through the door, sits on the side of the bed. She pressed to the wall, as far away from him as she could get. It didn't matter. She always tried though. There ...

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That Summer

She met the love of her life, the one who would love her forever, the summer she turned 21. He was a small, squalling baby boy, blue in color. Her son. Her grandma sneered that she was, “a baby having a baby.” Her own mom was supportive. As for the father, “don't be telling no one that is my kid,” was his reaction. None of their reactions mattered to her. She has dreamed of becoming a mother for as long as she could remember. To create someone who would love her unconditionally and that she could love the same, was all she wanted A son is...

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Mama's Table

It is old and scarred, full of chips and scratches. Everyone tells a story. The family gathers around it a month after they buried mama. Her children, their spouses, her precious grandchildren, even a few great-grands. Her eldest daughter sits at the head of the table with her son and daughter -in- law to her right. Her brother and his sons and daughters are on the left. The grandchildren and a few of their children are scattered around and between them. The youngest, a baby of two months, carries her great-gran’s name. It is the last baby ...

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Even If

‘Even if,’ she tells herself,’ no matter what, I won't go back.’ It would be easiest. She knows that too. The devil you know, you know. The thought brings a giggle. It isn't joyful but reflects her stress. Her baby looks up from his carrier. “It is okay Micah. Mommy is fine.” The baby frowns but doesn't cry. A good thing as she doesn't want him disturbing the other passengers. They are on a Greyhound, heading… ‘A good question. Anywhere that isn't near him.’ she thinks as she looks at the window. All she sees is the highway they are trave...

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April 31st

Today is April 31st. Exactly a month ago, the world changed. There was no warning. You would think the end of the world would come with a warning. Okay, the world hasn't actually ended. The sun still rose and set. The wind still blew. The grass still grew. It just can't be cut using anything electric. Not that HOA violations were a concern. At all. Basic survival has replaced arguments on X and updating insta. There wasn't even a noise. Just the kind of quiet that comes when every TV, radio, computer, phone, tablet, stove, coffee pot, ever...

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To Be a Writer

Dear diary, It is all I have ever wanted, to make money doing this. You know, it is what I have been on here complaining about, after all. All I have to say is be careful what you wish for. I pictured my life differently. Curled up on a comfy seat, a notebook or tablet in hand, a cup of coffee beside me, writing. Hah. Yes, that is what my life used to be like, mainly. Sending third drafts to any publisher that would take them. Again and again.Praying that one would publish me. Then one day it happened! Oh, you recall that amazing day. I be...

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April Weather

The air is still and heavy. To still. Almost thick. Not that they feel it. They are all inside, the parents visiting with a friend. The children lay on their bellies in front of the TV watching Sesame Street ™. Behind the adults, in the dining room, where they sit around the table, drinking coffee and playing cards, is a big picture window. Behind it is the back yard that stretches into a field. There are no weather bulletins on PBS, not then. Therefore no warnings. If the father hadn't happened to look up when he did, it would have ended in...

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Seeing God

I saw God today. Oh, I know how crazy I sound. Believe me. You will ask with your eyes rolling, no doubt, what He looks like. What He sounds like. Expecting the standard answers. Old man, flowing beard. Right? You don't have to say anything. I know exactly what the expectations are. You also think that maybe I met someone who said they were God. Maybe we are both crazy. I am not. Proof it, maybe you are thinking. Too polite to say it so I will for you. Next you are thinking, she can't. No way can you prove a negative. I don't blame you. A...

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Burden

He hates the fact that he needs her. It isn't the way it is supposed to be. He is supposed to be caring for her. “It is okay, daddy.” She has told him time after time. She has to say that, he thinks. She can't say that he is a burden. A huff at that thought. He raised her well. Too well. “You are blessed to have your daughter.” The nurse who comes once a week says. The physical therapist who is also present that day adds, “I tell him that all the time.” He rolls his eyes at this. He believes he has said that maybe once. “Now Mr. Brown, wh...

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Love Again

It wasn't what she expected. It was a typical day, or so it seemed. She headed to the library. She needs some books the college library doesn't have. She is searching through the stacks in the history section. Her paper is about the history of Georgia. You would think the University ofGeorgia would have lots of books on that subject but alas, most only give the sanitized history. That isn't all she is interested in. Yes, she is a southern Belle, a Georgia peach, and all the rest but she isn't blind to the wrongs her state has done. Her f...

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Someone Stole the Moon

From the time she was a newborn, her mommy has taken her out to say goodnight to the moon. She held her up, almost as an offering. “Luna, it is night and the moon says hello as we say goodnight.” Her tiny eyes went from bleary blinks to wide eyed wonder. By the time she was six months, she was reaching out towards it. The little girl was raised to respect the nature that surrounds her. Her little family lives in the woods where, as she grows, she learns to crawl among the moss that covers the downed trees. She splashes in the creek that ru...

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Impasse

Weekly Contest #336

Impossible. They should be able to work this out. After all they have been through, this, this is the thing that they can't get past. They stare past each other from across the room. He stands, shoulders stiff, staring out the window. She sits, hands on her lap, lips between her teeth. Her eyes are too full of tears to focus on anything. She seems to be looking at the books on the coffee table. They are arranged perfectly. Everything is. The beige couch she is sitting on is free of stains. The white rug under it is as pristine as it was when...

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64 Days

She watches the snow fall while she can. The sun will be setting soon. It won't rise the next morning. In fact, it won't rise again for 64 days. It will be her first experience with the strange phenomenon. Last year, she lived in the Continental United States, in the tropical climate of Florida. Why is she here? You may ask. A fair question. She moved to Utqiagvik, Alaska specifically for the next 64 days. When reading about the queer two plus months twilight/ darkness, she knew she had to experience it, at least once. It is minutes until s...

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