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Renee Yancey

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2023

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76 Stories

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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 wh...

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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...

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Mystery

‘My darling, my Mystery, I’m sorry. They thought it best. I pray one day you will understand. I was barely past being a child myself when you were born. I didn't know what else to do. It seemed the only way. The woman you will know as mom, she made the decision. I could have argued but I’ve never won an argument with her. Besides that, it seemed she was right. I loved you. I love you. Still, I couldn't take care of you. I gave you life and your name. I insisted on that. She wanted your middle name to be your first. You were my little Myst...

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Hannah

Her laughter echoes around the room. After two early miscarriages, she has reached the second trimester in her fifth pregnancy. With two live children and two in heaven, she looks forward to actually giving birth to this one. Every day she holds him or her safely in her womb is a gift. Every appointment that shows the growth of her uterus, the amazing sounds of the baby's heartbeat, brings hope. This is especially true as she moves from 12 to 13 weeks. The most dangerous time is over. She feels free to get out the tiny clothes her sons hav...

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The River

It flows slowly. He sits on the side of the bank, his feet resting in the cool water. There is no hurry. He has nowhere else to be. There is no time clock that he needs to follow. No schedule he needs to keep. He is retired. Those type of worries are no longer his. The river runs lazily through the back of his property. He has spent time here. A few hours fishing with his children and now his grandchildren but those times were few and fair between. Life was busy. Bills have to be paid. The children had their activities. His wife had her nee...

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A Phone Call from Heaven

“Hello?” “Hello, will you accept a call from your mom?” “Ah, sure.” “Honey, I miss you so much.” “Mom! Is it really you? How? You are…” “Dead. Yes, I am. My earthly body is anyway. Here in heaven, I shall live forever.” “Wait! You are calling from heaven?” “Yes. I know you are worried about what you did, the decision you made. You needn’t. It was right.” “You mean…” “Turning off the machines. It was just my body there. I was already here.” “Oh that, thank you. I thought… I wasn't sure…” “I know. Being here, I see all God allows m...

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Beware!

“Beware.” It isn't a normal thing for a stranger in an elevator to say. She moves as far away as possible in the small space. The other woman doesn't look crazy but one never knows. “Excuse me?” She clings to her purse, her back against the corner of the elevator. “You must be careful. You mustn’t trust him.” “Trust who?” Why is she even entertaining this? She glances at the top of the elevator to see they are still three floors away from the ground floor. “The man who will soon ask for your hand. You love him, yes? I understand that but...

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Stray Dogs Don't Get Baths

“You are blessed,” my mistress says to me, “stray dogs don't get baths. No one cares enough for them.” I don't feel blessed as I am carried to the water place. I knew as soon as she picked up the water carrying away cloth that this horrible bath thing was going to happen. Now she pours the water over me, getting me wet and taking away the natural scent I have been working on for a week now. She is my mistress, my world so I won't bite her. Never! Anyone who tries to harm her will feel my teeth, never her though, no matter who many baths I ...

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A Stolen Book

She frowns as she searches, once again for it. It should be right here among the mystery books. She knows no one has purchased it. This particular book, were it to be bought, the sheriff would have to be notified. No ordinary book was this for it told the story of a killer. Ten years ago around the time she opened her little book store, a young boy was found raped and strangled behind the boiling alley. In this small town such things didn't happen. The last murder had been almost thirty years prior, a domestic violence situation that got o...

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Dark into Light

It was endless. The dark is as oppressive as the feelings going through her. She never expected this, no, not like this. A horrible slow death from cancer, yes. Time to say goodbye. But never this. A sudden stroke that took her mom away from her as quickly as the phone call that had informed her. The ICU waiting room is full of relatives who wait as anxiously as she does. Above them all is the ever present TV, even in death watch, you can't escape it. Tuned to one of the many shopping channels, its forced cheer is a stark contrast to the v...

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Yard Sale

It was just something to do on a Saturday morning. The sun is shining, not too hot, the wind is blowing just enough to keep the sweat off. A perfect day to wander through yards looking through other people's junk in search of treasure. She didn't expect to find anything. Not really. Maybe a new to her coffee mug, a pretty picture to hang in her new apartment. That is the reason she is taking her precious Saturday to go yard saleing. Having recently moved out of her parents house after graduating from college, she has the bare bones of a hom...

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Nightmares

July 1st It happened again. I was back in high school. Goodness, that would be enough! But no, my subconscious offered more. Thanks for that. I was wandering around, moving through room to room, searching. Completely lost. Absolutely horrible. Yeah, I woke up gasping for breath. Took more than a minute to understand that I was not in high school, not lost and was, in fact, at home, in bed, almost forty years past high school age. July 2nd Seriously! I am not watching anything to even deal with high school yet, once again, I had another ni...

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Lost ( from hell)

It took me a few seconds to realize I was utterly and completely lost. My eyes scan the street, searching for anything that looks familiar. My heart starts to pound when I realize that not a thing does. A sick feeling draws my stomach up into a tight ball. I feel sweat cover my brow despite the cool evening air. I have been just walking, trying to work out the situation with him. Whether we stay together, if I can trust him after what he did. Walking helps to settle my mind but now I have walked too far. The issue of his cheating falls way ...

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What you Know

“Write what you know?” She studies us, her wide eyed and eager students, “Old advice and advice only for new writers, like yourselves. Think about it, if you continue to write only what you know as you develop skills, you will quickly run out of ideas. But now… for this first assignment, I what you to write what you know.” Even though I am working on a nursing degree, this creative writing class is my favorite of the semester. Maybe it should have been a sign. At the time I thought it was just a way to relax after the more intense classes. ...

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Just a Story

“It isn't my fault,” her laughter has an hysterical bent to it, “it was just a story that had to be told. How was I too know it would do all this?” Her hands fist on the table causing the handcuffs to rattle. Her eyes look past the grey walls and the officers sitting in a semicircle on the other side of her. “I think you better start at the beginning.” The lead detective says. Her unfocused eyes blink a few times in rapid succession before turning to him. “The beginning? That is easy. It started with the story idea. It woke me up at midnig...

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