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Susan Catucci

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2022

Stories (69)

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138 Followers

87 Following

69 Stories

2599 karma pts

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DON'T LOOK DOWN

Submitted to Contest #181

I first learned of the avalanche upon my return from the two-hour hike it takes to reach the nearest forest from our house in Khumba. I had left early that morning for firewood.  The basket strapped to my back was packed with as many branches and leaves as it could hold, and the length of the wood doubled my height, requiring of me both strength and balance. I had grown stronger this past year and could now manage close to double the weight I had carried the year before. The Sherpa are a proud people and I knew this ...

24 likes

STOP ROCKIN' THE DICE

Submitted to Contest #180

** WARNING: Story contains alcohol abuse and profanity. *** * *Ralston Casperelli rolled heavily, flounced really, onto his side with a groan, becoming even more entangled in his sweaty sheets. Within seconds it was clear that was a mistake.  The room not only began to spin, it ping-ponged around in his head as if searching for a way out. He rolled back to his hot spot, becoming dislodged from what sheet cover he’d barely managed the first time. Now he was completely without cover but neither cared nor dared do a thi...

16 likes

THE MIDAS TOUCH

Submitted to Contest #179

I came to the big apple with a plan, and a man. The plan was solid; the man, not so much. His sister warned me he couldn’t handle freedom. Without someone to constantly rein him in, he would self-destruct. She said it just seemed to be the way he was wired. Stan’s phobias and insecurities would kick in and he’d sabotage just about everything good he had going in his life.But I was headstrong and just self-centered enough to think I would be enough of a tether for him. The world was ours, was how I saw it. Well, now a...

30 likes

Timing is Everything

Submitted to Contest #178

55 year-old Carolyn: Why won’t people just leave me alone! I enjoy my own company. I have everything I need. And what I don’t have, I can live without. I’ve had a long line of losers teach me how. What makes people think they know me, and what I need, better than I do? I don’t need anybody; I don’t want anybody.  It’s been years since I willingly answered my door. Leave your business outside and maybe I’ll get to it. I doubt you have anything I can use anyway.  I had to have the doorbell un...

13 likes

THE CHRISTMAS POEM

Submitted to Contest #178

Every year for as long as I can remember, my family had a tradition of taking the year before and writing a poem about what we'd treasured most. Then, following the gift giving and prior to Christmas breakfast, we’d sip chocolate and take turns reciting what we had written.  But what I will forever remember, going forward, is the year that family tradition came to a screeching halt, all because of me. Well, I’ll just tell it and you be the judge.First, let me say I had no idea that not all families partook in this exercis...

17 likes

THE MIND IS A LONELY HUNTER

Submitted to Contest #177

*** WARNING: Mild profanity. ***My body totally betrayed me when I was under anesthesia to have my tonsils removed. What I mean by that is, just because my heart stopped beating for like, what, twenty minutes or something, for that small span of time my brain just lacked a little bit of oxygen, nothing really to write home about. What’s the big deal? Then, all of a sudden, I’m like evicted, tossed out, given the bum’s rush. Jeesh. That’s gratitude for you. After all I’d done to keep fit and ready. Healthy e...

14 likes

BIRD BRAIN

Submitted to Contest #176

***WARNING: This story is meant for adult children. Profanity where necessary.* * *Hello. My name is Peppy. I’m a parrot. I’m gray, and I’m also an African Grey. I have soooo many words that I can say. Vocabulary. I am a pretty bird and I eat corn. I’m so smart. I’m not just a pretty beak.  I sing pretty songs. 'Cain't nobody teeell me no-thin'. I'm gonna take my horse down to Old Town Road. I'm gonna riiiiiide 'til I cain't no mo'.  See? So, not just a pretty bird. I...

14 likes

BELIEVE

Submitted to Contest #176

I was there when the attack occurred. I saw everything, though it took a passage of time before I could acknowledge the magic in what happened and what was to follow.Will had just gotten out of his car and was walking toward the front door with his keys out. He looked utterly exhausted. It was the end of another long day of counseling. Will Dyer, my husband, was a psychologist in a busy mental health clinic and, with the holidays coming up, was working overtime nearly every night due to the annual onslaught of depressed a...

25 likes

THE LAST DITCH PITCH

Submitted to Contest #175

WARNING: Foul language - where appropriate.* * *Let me begin by thanking you all for coming out. (Not that you'd have anything better to do in this God forsaken shit hole in the middle of nowhere.)Thank you for calling on us, Mayor! We are at your service!  (So, can we please just get on with it? I have a dentist appointment I’d rather make than be here.)At the ready and always glad to help! (Yeah, help make you look good for the next election. What a rube.)What is it we can do for you, Mayor? (I forgo...

18 likes

THE DAY THE RABBIT DIED

Submitted to Contest #174

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 that 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 Rick and Robby have had many more years of Easter baskets than I will. It’s not fair to just cut off Easter baskets and then I get gypped because Dad thinks we’re too old. I’m...

24 likes

THE DELIVERY

Submitted to Contest #173

WARNING: Story contains detailed description of a birth.* * *Samuel Camden glared at the telephone. I don’t want you ringin’ no more ‘less you got somethin’ good to tell me, he thought. He then began exploring the few remaining options he had available. The forecast that predicted blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures had proven accurate. Where the meteorologists had gotten it wrong, unfortunately, was the duration of the storm. Nature, once again, had shown just how unreliable it can be. The cold front was slow-m...

17 likes

THE BALLOON BOY

Submitted to Contest #172

Jasper Engstrom frowned as he placed his phone back in the charging station. He crossed the living room to the large front picture window and gazed out at the private road that ran in front of their house. It was a beautiful Autumn day. The trees were in peak form, alive with vibrant splashes of orange, red and yellow. The leaves hadn’t begun to actually fall, so the brilliant green of the well-tended Engstrom lawn completed the perfectly seasonal setting.  Jasper was looking but he wasn’t seeing what was in fro...

14 likes

MARSHMALLOW SKIES

Submitted to Contest #171

Melody skipped down the pebbled pathway, stopping occasionally to collect a flower that caught her eye, anything she thought her mama would like. She was in the most beautiful botanical garden she’d ever seen. The colorful perfumed surroundings made her nose tickle in the most delightful way, and the hum of the busy bees buzzing about made her feel as though she were visiting in a fairy tale. It was all so perfect. She wore a white lace dress with a pink sash and a ribbon to match that was braided in her hair. The sh...

17 likes

A LITTLE TRIP

Shortlisted for Contest #170 ⭐️

The lady with the bright blue hat looked on as her speckled cat was swatting at the firefly as it went trapesing by. She then spied a spider whose bottom half was wider, with a hangman's noose beside her, attempt to end it all. Her puppy wouldn't have it, but as he tried to grab it, a caterpillar stabbed it so it could watch her fall. The lady thought it tragic, the speckled cat cried, Magic! The puppy pawed a maggot to forget about it all.The parachute won't open, the elephant had spoken, the latch inside was broken, the monkey did it all. ...

23 likes

I WANT YOU

Submitted to Contest #169

WARNING: Disturbing content for sensitive readers.* * *“Well, hello, kitty. Are you looking for a forever home? I’m looking for a forever friend.  Would you like to come home with me?”It was Elizabeth’s 10th birthday and she was thrilled that her present this year was to pick out her own pet. Her mother, Rose, had helped her go through a list of possibilities, from puppies and birds to fish and kittens.  It was fun to explore the pros and cons of each and excitedly go over them while indulging in candles an...

11 likes

Author bio

I have been reading and writing and loving both all my life. I recently had a children's book published and reedsy prompts is a wonderful way for me to practice and stretch my imagination.

One of my personal favorite stories somehow has been listed separately and I don't want to lose track of it. It's entitled A Rat's Life, I wrote for the prompt to write about a character living through a major historical event, whether they know it or not. It was Contest #163 Leo Tolstoy and is categorized as creative nonfiction, drama, fantasy. I'm sorta proud of it. :)
For ease of application, here's a link to A Rat's Life:

https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/eselcu/

3 shortlisted stories ⭐️

Contest #196

PRETTY LOOKIN' PEOPLE – read story

Contest #186

READ THAT BACK – read story

Contest #170

A LITTLE TRIP – read story