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Susan Catucci

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

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141 Followers
87 Following

69 Stories

2603 karma pts

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Balloon Boy

Weekly Contest #330

This is the stuff life is made of. Hello, Heartache. Jasper set his phone down and crossed the living room to a large picture window. The maple trees in the yard were at their autumnal peak, vibrant reds, oranges and golds. The rich green carpet of the Engstrom’s well-tended lawn completed the picture-perfect exterior of the day.Jasper’s mind was elsewhere. He was grappling with how to best manage the call he’d just received from his daughter.“Jasper? Who were you talking to?”Cindy Engstrom entered the living room, wiping her hands with a di...

8 likes 3 comments 3
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R.A.T.S.

Weekly Contest #329

It was, as they say, a dark and stormy night. A full moon always marked the first night of preschool at the Regional Academy of Terror and the Supernatural. Despite relentless cloud cover, this year’s moon stood sentry as lightning rumbled throughout the evening sky. This was traditionally a time of raised spirits, and the anthem howl of resident werewolves was fitting welcome as families made their way up Ghoul Hill.The school grounds boasted a monstrous haunted oak where vampire children could hang for nightly naps. Fledgling ghosts and go...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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The Girl that Wandered

Weekly Contest #327

Susie lagged behind her parents and wished to be invisible. What she suspected had begun the night before was in full force this morning. She’d first noticed when her parents had given lukewarm kisses before bed. She’d become concerned when she saw nothing pass between them during the rest of the evening, no words, not even a look. The hotel room was tight quarters and Susie couldn’t escape the discord if she tried.“Susie, catch up!” Her mother gestured with a stern hand.They were touring a national park, the second in under a week, and Susi...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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Baby Be Mine

Weekly Contest #326

Our first child was well past Beverly’s due date. My paternal instincts had been on high alert for so long, I could run through “the plan” we had to get to the hospital in my sleep. Did I say sleep? I meant when I’m up at all hours warming milk and grilling cheese and pickle sandwiches.Not to brag, but I even learned I had a gift for massage. At one point, mid-Shiatsu, I swear I heard my wife sigh that she forgave me for everything, whatever that might mean. At another, I’m convinced she forgave me for anything I may ever do. I thought this ...

8 likes 5 comments 5
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Her Remains

Weekly Contest #325

Hey. Your phone is buzzing.“I’m asleep.”Wake up, Isla. It might be important.“No. Go away.”You should answer it.“You’re not there.”Nice try. You answered me, right? So answer the phone.“You . . . are . . . not . . . there.”C’mon. Remember that game we played on our wedding night?“What? Wait . . . what?”Here we are at the Honeymoon Arcade. Look at that, your arm’s a toy-claw and you’re going after the biggest prize . . .“Oh my . . . stop!”Find the phone, pick up the phone and answer the phone.“I know you’re not real. You’re not there.”Oh? And...

19 likes 7 comments 7
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Love Among the Spoils

Weekly Contest #280

Caution***References to sexual behavior**** * * * *Chester! I am so sorry! How long have you been waiting!Hey, Becca!  Relax, catch your breath. You’re well within limits.There was a major accident on I-91 that GPS failed to warn me about in time.  I think it’s time to retire the bossy old windbag, typical government contraption. Anyway, so it would have been inadvertent and unforeseen, right, my being late?Breathe, Becca.I try but I can’t get used to how much of my life is determined by things utterly...

7 likes 5 comments 5
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We Are All Mad Here

Weekly Contest #279

**WARNING: Touches on themes of abuse and mental illness**“And so she sat on, with closed eyes, and half-believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had only to open them again, and all would change to dull reality.”*   *   *   *“911, what’s your emergency?”“Hi, I’m calling from Dodgson’s Beach. A group of us came to catch some morning waves. There’s a lady locked in a car out here, looks like she’s asleep with this sick grin on her face.”“Did you try waking her up?”“Doesn’t feel...

8 likes 8 comments 8
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FAMILY OF MAN FEUD

Weekly Contest #278

**WARNING: Religious themes**Angel and Devil Messengers had spread word throughout Heaven and Hell of an upcoming event that had been designed to determine, once and for all, the fate of the world.People on Planet Earth had been left to their own devices for long enough. The present polarization of life forms had proved disastrous. God and Satan had observed from their respective vantages and reached the same conclusion. Mortals simply could not figure things out on their own and it was time for drastic measures before Planet Earth...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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The Day the Rabbit Died

Weekly Contest #276

Mom and Dad:I have been thinking about what you said and I want to present my argument to you in writing so I don’t miss any of the points I think are really important. I know I’m only 12 but I believe what I’m arguing is right and I hope you see that.I am the youngest in this family and I’ve only had 12 years of Easter baskets. That means that Rob and Scott will have more years of Easter baskets than I will. It’s not fair to just cut off Easter baskets and I get gypped because Dad thinks we’re too old. I’m not. No one asked me what I though...

14 likes 6 comments 6
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FRANKIE'S WILD RIDE

Weekly Contest #220

Francine ran up the porch steps, then tried stomping her Keds hard enough to make an impression.  She learned quickly that sneaker soles had no impression-making ability whatsoever, especially on old, worn out carpet made a zillion years ago. It seemed the only thing Francine had accomplished was to release clouds of dormant dust from another era. Francine covered her nose and moved to the window seat a little quicker.She heard voices coming from the driveway just outside the big bay window. Francine concentrated on ...

10 likes 5 comments 5
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THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING A SOUL

Weekly Contest #218

***Potentially Disturbing Themes Involving Mental Illness***In the pitch black of time and space, I think I know three things.  I am in a stranger’s car.  I don’t know where I am going. I can barely breathe but I dare not move. The moldy blanket that covers me ensures my breathing will be shallow because I’m afraid I’ll gag if I take in its dank, suffocating stench. I might make some sound. The last time I did, he threatened to hurt us. So, I focus my efforts and attention on keeping the kitten nestled...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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RAT TRAPS AND BAD EGGS

Weekly Contest #212

*** Adult situations, Mature language **** * *To Whom it May Concern:There comes a time in everyone’s life when they need to take a step back and ask themselves, am I living my best life? Am I seeing life as it really is, or am I seeing it as I wish it to be? Let me ask, are you the trusting type? When you buy eggs at the market, do you place the carton of eggs in your shopping cart without checking them first for cracks? For the price you’re paying for those eggs, would you run the risk of purchasing a bad one? Just...

16 likes 12 comments 12
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CHICKEN LITTLE WAS RIGHT

Weekly Contest #210

Navigation Coordinates J2000 Right Ascension to Saturn (Per the International Celestial Reference System)On board Spacecraft Module ZK8*11, two of Planet Exo’s top engineers sat together in the Goldilocks Lounge going over the day’s findings.EKK-&#@ and SPEC-%^+ studied a year’s worth of data points spread before them reflected in graphs and pie-charts. The table surface doubled as a computer screen. The two had their internal telepathy enabled so they could communicate without speaking. This had the advantage of blocking ...

17 likes 23 comments 23
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BACK SEAT DRIVER

Weekly Contest #209

“End of Line for longtime fugitive Darrell Benjamin.”“Extradited from Canadian border, accused killer to face multiple charges.”Media outlets throughout the country ran similar headlines.And then:“Winter blizzard grounds multiple airports; record number flights cancelled across American Midwest.” * * * Rookie Police Officer Hap Davis sat behind the wheel of a partially thawed patrol vehicle. He had the heat turned up as high as it would go. He’d spent the better part of the morning scraping ice, brushing snow and cl...

12 likes 12 comments 12
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A DRAWN OUT AFFAIR

Weekly Contest #208

*** Content Warning: Sexual/Adult situations **** * *It was the shank of the evening. A majority of the neighborhood had called it a day. The moon, nearly full, cast a warm glow over the small, sleepy town. On a manicured lawn sat an old Victorian home with wrap-around porch.  A tattered black ribbon adorned the front door. The artist who lived there had spent as little time as possible in the main house since the funeral.  He preferred to be in the studio nestled in the woods behind the home.A single ...

17 likes 15 comments 15
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