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Sarah Martyn

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021

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56 Followers
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27 Stories

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The Memory in the Magic Bars

Weekly Contest #333

Sarina Turner pushed open the heavy fellowship-hall door with her elbow, balancing a wide glass tray lined with foil. A wave of warm, cinnamon-tinged air hit her immediately; the Oklahoma winter could stay outside for all she cared. Inside, clusters of women milled around the decorated tables, laughing loudly in the way only women who hadn’t seen each other since last Sunday could. “Evenin’, Sarina!” called Mrs. Calhoun, who was arranging snowman mugs filled with peppermint-dipped spoons. “Oh, you brought somethin’? You doll.” “Magic bars,” ...

20 likes 4 comments 4
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Jimmy’s Food Got Cold

Weekly Contest #309

Jenny popped up in bed, almost as if in a panic. She had just woken suddenly from a vivid dream by her phone’s alarm. It took a very long few seconds to realize she was awake and that it’s morning on a day off from work. The dream she had made her glad for that. Sometimes she dreams of things she’d hate to wake from, but this dream - though mostly forgotten now - involved huge waves, shadowy figures over the same body of water, and general feelings of dread. She had to get out of bed and not accidentally slip into a similar dream by falling ...

12 likes 4 comments 4
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Losing and Finding Her Voice

Weekly Contest #304

Finally, I get to showcase my original song! Well… it’s at an open mic next week at Latte Da, and between spoken words and cover songs, I’ll perform my original. And sure, most people will mostly just be thinking about their act, not appreciating my performance as deeply as they could, but it’s a start! Truly, I’d rather perform in front of people sipping coffee, half-listening to me as they gossip with friends, than to still be making coffee, dreaming of music all hours of the day. Everyone starts somewhere. “I just asked how your day was…”...

8 likes 3 comments 3
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I'll Love You More Tomorrow

Weekly Contest #294

The following letters are based on actual events in my own life. The letters themselves are made up but are based on true feelings and conversations. Dates are also modified. November 12, 2024 My hubs, it’s been about a month since you deployed. Honestly, it mostly has just sucked. But those first couple of weeks weren’t so bad because I truly thought I may have gotten pregnant right before you left… you know how we’ve wanted that so badly. I figured… what the hell, if I get pregnant right before my husband deploys, at least I’ll know I got ...

18 likes 8 comments 8
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Going Home or Going Away?

Weekly Contest #293

I’m not claustrophobic, per se, but the tightness of economy seats in an airplane makes me feel uneasy. However, whenever I have to fly (at least on shorter trips, under about 3 hours), something works to pass the time and distract me from the air-specific claustrophobia: striking up a conversation. I’m not dumb, though. If someone has headphones on, or an eye covering and a pillow situated for a nap, I will manage with whatever I can watch or listen to on my phone if the connection works decently. But if someone has their eyes open and seem...

20 likes 10 comments 10
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Tuesday, 2001

Weekly Contest #279

TW: mentions of suicidal thoughts and actions, and historical retellings of a traumatic nature. 5:59 a.m. I wake up on a regular Tuesday to grab a subpar bagel and black coffee as the sun is rising. I won’t drive out of the way for the good stuff, though I want to. I’m too tired usually for that. Tuesday is almost worse than Monday. It just feels so far from the weekend, and it usually has no special events or purpose behind it…just the grind. My current grind is corporate. I won’t be here forever, but for now it pays the bills. The offices ...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Confessions of Desiring to be a Mother

Weekly Contest #273

3/14/2020 / Dumb virusI’m mere weeks away from marrying Kyle and our wedding might be in jeopardy because Kyle’s under a travel ban until May… it may inhibit our ability to have our April wedding. I’m still holding out hope. A virus I cared so little about has the potential to ruin our plans. 3/19/20 / Shaky groundI resigned at Central earlier than planned. Financially for Central, it’s right. For me, scary. Especially with the wedding in question still. I’ll marry Kyle without a wedding yet. I’ll move tonight but I don’t know if that’s what...

10 likes 7 comments 7
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Gourmet Mac & Cheese from Super Spy Mom

Weekly Contest #267

Her favorite game was her sneaky solo act of listening to mom on the phone. Her name is Molly (the girl’s name, not her mom. Molly didn’t know her mom has a name other than Mom, Mommy, or Mama). Molly would sit around the corner in the hall as she’d peak at her mom on the phone. Her first goal was to hear her mom clearly as she spoke. Her second goal was to imagine who she’s speaking to (A superhero? A villain? Some spy for a secret organization?). Her least important goal was to not get caught, though she’d sometimes step on a creaky floorb...

16 likes 5 comments 5
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Mandated Vacation

Weekly Contest #259

Consent. Cooperation. Compliance. Coercion. Force. The F word. It’s the odd one out, the hard line (and you can’t talk about it).They say, “we’re here for you” but they really mean “you’ll lose your livelihood if you don’t obey.”It’s the heaviness we carry lately with fake smiles and dwindling bank accounts as we go to work, dreading a conversation that isn’t supposed to happen but still might. Over a year ago, many were sick and even dying from this new disease. Now, less are dying but it’s more viral. It’s how diseases typically work: over...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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I Didn't Choose This and I'm Better For It

Weekly Contest #255

TW: divorce, affair, mental health “You wouldn’t even care if I died!” I shouted to my husband. Should I even call him that? He was at the other woman’s house, just outside of it with me in the parking lot. He barely looked at me as I shouted like a maniac to my betraying husband. He sat in his car. All he said was “I have to go to work,” which only made me feel as though he wouldn’t care if I died. I felt like the crazy person people would call the cops on, but if only they knew how I was hurting. ***~A few weeks earlier~ The whirlwind I wa...

13 likes 8 comments 8
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Navigating Grief at My Window

Weekly Contest #227

***TW: REALISTIC ELEMENTS OF GRIEF*** It's the first snowfall of the season, but it's been cold all year.  Normally, the first snowfall is a special, quiet day with my love. This year, this snowfall feels more like bitter closure than a sweet tradition.  You'd think that eight months without him would mean there's less of a sting, but it seems about the same. Usually, I hear of people hitting one year and they've at least been through all the firsts - the first birthday without them, the first summer without them, the first s...

13 likes 10 comments 10
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Passing Ships in Parallel Lives

Weekly Contest #224

When you get married, you have this naive expectation that you’ll just cuddle a lot, see each other in constant quality time, and have ideal work schedules that never conflict with meals and date nights. Not so much. Maybe at first, but not for long. It’s brief and sporadic at best. It’s not naive in the way that in marriage (as you share a home and combine lives) you will inevitably rub shoulders and keep company more often, but you forget that adulting and real life interrupt those moments more often the older you get. *** “Hon...

14 likes 6 comments 6
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Baked into Memory

Weekly Contest #220

“You ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's today, sweetie?” “Yeah mommy!” ___________________________________________ Hannah has been going to Grandma and Grandpa’s at least twice a month every month she has been alive these last 5 years. The only exceptions were when Hannah got a pretty nasty stomach flu last year, and when Grandpa had major surgery a couple years ago and needed to recover in peace for a few weeks. These are her mom’s parents. Her dad’s parents are great too, but they live so many states away so she only sees them ma...

22 likes 13 comments 13
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Two-Faced and the Betrayed

Weekly Contest #213

***TW: mentions of divorce and an affair*** “This is a tale of two marriages, and I want you to figure out which one is real.” “Okay, I’ll listen and see if I can.” “Now, I know you’re my therapist, Diana, but you’ve become like a friend to me over the last year. I simply ask that you treat me more as a friend today.” “I can do that, Jonie.” “Well… let’s rewind a bit.” We met in high school, but we weren’t exactly sweethearts until college. In fact, I was someone else’s sweetheart from eighth grade until senior year, and not off ...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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From Caterpilly to Butterflight

Weekly Contest #206

From Caterpilly to Butterflight Metathesiophobia: The fear of change. “God sure did make you a caterpillar, but don’t you think He created you to also become a butterfly?” Those were the words that little Caterpilly echoed in her mind over and over again as she sat at breakfast with Momma, Daddy, and her little brother Zip. Her Grandma Flutter said those words to her not just once, but a few times, months ago. Her grandma always seemed to know what to say, but Caterpilly almost never liked hearing it right then.  The first time ...

18 likes 10 comments 10
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