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Susan Catucci

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

Stories (69)
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137 Followers
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69 Stories

2596 karma pts

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PREPARE TO BE AMAZED

Submitted to Contest #207

Petre Vandomeir gazed out a cheap hotel window overlooking street lights and illuminated gas station signs, customary nightlights in a small town. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Poe.”Poe had been busy cleaning his face with rabbit paws, circular motions, swiping one long ear at a time, licking, preening, thorough; old habits that die hard.Petre turned a padded chair to face the window.“Poe, come.”The whiter-than-snow bunny stopped mid-stroke and flounced, the way rabbits do, over to Petre's chair, then nestled into the cradle of Petre’...

8 likes 6 comments 6
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FEAR ITSELF

Submitted to Contest #206

“Where do you think you’re going?”“Uh, the library.”“You’re supposed to stay here and watch me.”“Camden, don’t you have homework?”“Don’t you?”“Um, library?”“You’re not that kind of . . .”“Okay, okay. Camden, if I tell you, you can’t breathe a word to anyone!”“Allie, you can trust me. I never told anybody about you and, who was that guy . . .”“All right, all right. Well, this is an even bigger deal than that.”“I’m all ears.”* * *Just my luck, my little brother has big ears; I can’t get away with much having him around...

22 likes 15 comments 15
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IN FULL REGALIA

Submitted to Contest #205

Levi knew more about what he wasn’t than what he was. He felt like a rogue puzzle piece.  He was not athletic, he was not exceptionally funny or bright, he wasn’t interested in smoking weed, nor was he gleeful enough for glee club, and so on. A natural offshoot to being a one-of-a-kind kid is isolation, exclusion, one-ism, enjoying your own company comfort-thinking, learning how to harness introspection so that you become your own think tank and you do quite well with it. Of course, you’re the only one who knows anything ...

9 likes 8 comments 8
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MEDESTO HAD TO DIE

Submitted to Contest #204

“Wake up, Christo. We’re about to land.”Christobal stirred, though his eyelids barely moved.“Love, you’re exhausted. I hope this trip there will be time for you to rest.”“We will see, Jovana.” Christobal yawned and stretched.“Little Havana. Do you know how long it’s been?”“Almost to the minute, Cielo.”“Thirty years, Christo.”Jovana’s voice drifted, along with her thoughts. Her husband took her hand and brought her back.“Let us see how Little Havana has grown.” Christobal and Jovana were soon escorted out of thei...

23 likes 12 comments 12
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THE EDGE

Submitted to Contest #203

“Please don’t die.”Freddie’s eyes were open but could not see. Her pupils were dilated to the extent that the greenish-gold color they once were had now all but disappeared.   “Come back. Please come back.”Freddie’s face turned slightly to the sound of Michael’s voice. Her lips quivered. Michael lowered his head.“What is it?” he whispered, “I’m here.”* * *“Mike, we're over here!”Michael Woodman, a fourth generation Phi Beta Kappa, was filling his party goblet from the house keg.  He'd be...

21 likes 20 comments 20
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IF OSTRICHES COULD FLY

Submitted to Contest #202

** WARNING: Violence, drugs, language, abuse. *** * *Howie ignored an urge to turn and look back in the direction of the only place he’d known for the entirety of his 14 years. Broken Hill would soon be left far behind. After adjusting the duffle on his back, he lowered the cattleman hat over his eyes. Relentless dust and shimmering heat rose from the hot floor that carpeted the Australian back country.  “Bet Hell’s no worse than what we got here, eh Dad?” he’d said earlier. That was right before his dad had giv...

20 likes 14 comments 14
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THOSE CRAZY K-KIDS

Submitted to Contest #201

The stadium lights had all been extinguished, save a handful left on for the benefit of the cleanup crew.  They were expected to arrive soon to begin the painstaking work of restoring the open field to its original condition prior to the evening’s concert.Just hours ago, the arena had held tens of thousands of K-Pop crazed fans, thrashing and moving as if one giant being, pulsating to the heavy electronic beat, screaming and clamoring to get as near their idols as possible.The only remnants of the frenzy that had been alive and kic...

21 likes 20 comments 20
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TWO SAUCERS OF STRYCHNINE

Submitted to Contest #200

**WARNING: A tad profane, though in keeping with the times. *** * *The telephone was ringing off the hook in Louella Parson’s penthouse suite. If a ringtone could fit the caller, this one would spit nails.“Hellooo,” trilled Louella.“Don’t hello me, you backstabbing little ingrate.”“Why, is this the Queen of Hollywood Gossip? Oh no, I forgot. That’s me." “I have a bone to pick with you.”“That’s hardly news, Hedda. You’ve gnawed on more bones than all the beasts at the San Diego Zoo.”“And don’t you forget it, Louella.”...

15 likes 22 comments 22
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SING ME A LOVE SONG

Submitted to Contest #199

I have something no one else has.  I hear music. All. The. Time. The experts call it Auditory Hallucination but, for me, it’s an internal soundtrack. It’s part of me, a living, breathing organism that is compelled to comment on everything by way of song. Everything.It began happening as I was first learning to talk. At the same time my infantile brain was putting the pieces together to connect sounds to syllables to objects, there were some additional cells working overtime to acquire an inventory that woul...

19 likes 19 comments 19
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SUCH IS DEATH

Submitted to Contest #198

Andrei dreaded the thought of preschool.“Why can’t I be like Grandpapa? Grandpapa never went to school. And he’s always talking about the old days and what a great time it was to be dead.”“They didn’t have preschool when your Grandpapa was a pup. You’re fortunate to be dead at a time when there’s education available.”“No, I’m not."“Andrei, things have changed since Grandpapa’s time. Your father and I want only what’s best for you and we know the Institute of Terror and the Supernatural is it.”“But I won’t know anybody.”“T...

15 likes 36 comments 36
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GAMES THE GODS PLAY

Submitted to Contest #197

**Warning: silly religious humor, irreverent, but turns out well*** * *Satan sat back in his chair surveying his chips. “What are we playing for this round?”“Benjamin Jones is thinking about asking Katherine Pembrook to marry him. If I win, he goes forward with the proposal and they live happily ever after.  White-picket fence, two kids, dog, the works.”“And if I win, it’ll rain on their wedding day and they’ll be divorced in under a year. Trailer Park, triplets, iguana.”“Done.”It was God’s turn as dealer. In or...

28 likes 21 comments 21
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ARE THERE VIDEO GAMES IN HEAVEN?

Submitted to Contest #197

*** WARNING: Disturbing imagery, language, mental illness **** * *Jeremy Small, age 13Monday, 8:54 p.m.Ugh. Tomorrow’s Tuesday. Tuesday’s such a nothing day. It’s like being the second child, or somewhere in the middle; not the first or the last. It’s not as weird as Wednesday though. I really don’t get Wednesday being hump day. They couldn’t come up with something better than hump day? All I can think of is Rocco, our French bulldog, on dad’s leg when he answers the phone and Rocco feels slighted. But Tuesday has no...

14 likes 12 comments 12
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PRETTY LOOKIN' PEOPLE

Shortlisted for Contest #196 ⭐️

PART 1: PRETTY LOOKIN’ PEOPLEBonnie stood staring into her closet. She was still wearing the worn slip she’d slept in.  Since she’d broken her arm a few days earlier, dressing herself had become a challenge. She was quickly running out of garments she could fit over the plaster cast and washing her clothes was almost impossible with one functioning arm. Elsie, a nearby friend who lived alone, had offered to pick her up and have her come and stay for a spell, until Bonnie could manage to do more on her own.Bonnie...

35 likes 36 comments 36
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WHAT'S DUNG IS DUNG

Submitted to Contest #195

As the portal opens, a figure takes a tentative step inside. He looks around, eyes enlarged and exclamation points popping around his large pink head. On a desktop sits Tinkerbell, glowing, the receptionist, so identified by the name plate she sits upon, cross-legged, filing her fairy nails.He spies Tinkerbell and quickly puts to the task of checking in. Once that’s accomplished, he looks for a vacant seat.“Mi-mi-mind if I sit here?”“Help yourself.”“Have you be-be-been wa-wa-waiting long?”“Equivalent of half an episode, I...

15 likes 19 comments 19
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GET BACK, JACK

Submitted to Contest #194

**WARNING** Comedic religious themes, mild cursing.* * *Jack wanted out. He wagered he’d been in Purgatory longer than he’d been alive, hadn’t really gotten much out of either experience, and felt ready just to move on.Purgatory, for Jack, consisted of AA meetings, sensitivity training, and weekly counseling sessions. All this was deemed necessary because Jack, when alive, had displayed little regard for women, even less for the rest of mankind, and possessed an unbridled passion for food and drink. He’d died fat, drunk and al...

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