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Suzanne Marsh

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2025

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108 Stories

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The Follower

The Follower Jack Madison strode slowly down Avenue des Champs-Élysées, his Fedora pulled down to hide his face. His time was running out; he intuitively knew that he was being followed. Several groups wanted him dead: the Nazis, the French Resistance, and MI6. He ducked into an alley, then into a taverne. He ordered a beer. And as he sat quietly in a booth, he quickly made a “V,” then slid his hand over it to hide it. A slender dark-haired girl approached his booth: “Are you looking for company?” he replied, “Yes, and you will be lovely co...

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The Vanishing Corpse

The Vanishing Corpse “Hurry up, Ned! Grab the strongbox and let’s git outta here!” Ned did not want any witnesses; he shot both the stagecoach driver and the guard. They quickly emptied the strongbox of the gold. They rode off in separate directions so a posse couldn’t track them. Ned, on his bay stallion, galloped toward Fate, Texas. The stagecoach driver crawled toward the guard; the man was dead. A Texas Ranger came upon the stagecoach driver. He lay in the dirt, propped up against the wagon wheel. “What happened, Jake?” “Matt, I been dr...

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The Dream House that Almost Was

The Dream House that Almost Was “That beautiful old converted brownstone is really ours!” The brownstone was on the corner of Fifty-First Street in Brooklyn, New York. My husband and I wanted the brownstone badly. It was close to the subway, and the price was right. We moved in the last week of October; the autumn leaves crunched under our feet in the long backyard as we pushed and pulled the washer and dryer into the basement. The only thing our dream home lacked was a front yard; there was no grass, just cement. The bedroom gave us an exe...

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A Bump in the Night

“A Bump in the Night “Did you hear that?” I turned on the light: “Hear what? Go back to sleep.” The Shamrock Hotel was haunted, or so the brochure indicated. Margo, my friend, a fellow ghost enthusiast, glared at me: “I heard something go bump; maybe it is the ghost of John Applebee. It was our first visit to Ireland; it was beautiful with lush greenery and stories about leprechauns and banshees. We took a pony cart ride later in the morning to Dublin. Our guide, a superstitious, wizened-faced old Irishman, Patrick McDougal. We toured a ston...

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The Doppelganger Who Came to Dinner

The Doppelganger Who Came to Dinner The attorney, for my grandmother, Martha Mayhew, smiled at me as he read: “To Althea Mayhew I leave Mayhew Manor, with the provision she remain there for at least two years.” I sat there staring at the attorney as if he had two heads: “I have a good job here in New York City; I am not sure I want to give that up in favor of an old plantation house that has no indoor plumbing.” The attorney quietly said: “Althea, at least go to Georgia, fix it up, then sell it. It is your inheritance; use it wisely.” I than...

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The Secret of Sion

The Secret if Sion “Sister Simone, bring Antoinette Saint Clair to me immediately!” The urgency in the prioress’s request sent her scurrying. The prioress held the ancient cross of Saint Clair in her hand. She had no idea who the messenger was or where he came from. Who was Antoinette Saint Clair? Why was she brought here to the priory for protection? These thoughts raced through the prioress’ mind. Sister Simone hurried Antoinette along: “Please hurry; the prioress is most distressed. Antoinette had no idea why the prioress wanted to talk ...

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The Case of the Missing Cat

The Case of the Missing Cat “Mommy, I can’t find Missy”, my youngest daughter wailed. “I’ll look for her later, Maggie, but right now I have to get ready for the Halloween party. I have chores out in the barn. I also had to saddle my horse, Cody. I walked into the barn, began feeding calves, then the horse, when I heard a strange noise. I didn't think much of it; the old wooden barn creaked and moaned, wind blowing through the slats of the barn. It was almost five o’clock; darkness came at four-thirty as the wind began to howl. I heard the ...

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The Secret in the Panel

The Secret in the Panel “Mary, take my necklace quickly, give it to Elizabeth. Hurry before they take me from this chamber to the scaffold. Please keep Elizabeth safe until she comes of age.” Anne removed the necklace, her hands shaking. Mary stared at the necklace Anne placed in her hand; it was a thing of beauty. White pearls, a gold “B” with three teardrop pearls. “Mary, please do not let it fall into Henry’s hands, whatever you do. The knock on the door was a bang: “Your Majesty, it is time.” Mary quickly slipped the necklace into a poc...

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The Haunting of Bryce Hobart

The Haunting of Bryce Hobart “Let me get this straight, you want me to spend a night at the old Allegheny Lunatic Asylum? That place is haunted!” Bryce Hobart glared at his brother Mitch: “Bryce, I will be there with you. I want to photograph and document a haunting.” Bryce knew very little about the old stone buildings, other than stories he and Mitch had heard as children. Chilling, scary tales of patients locked up behind bars, ice baths, electric shock, and lobotomies, and worse. Bryce was positive he did not want to go there. But Mitch ...

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Who Murdered General George Patton?

Who murdered General George Patton? “Did you see this morning’s paper, Tom? The Russians are threatening to bomb Washington, D.C.; intelligence says there are ten Russian submarines in the Atlantic. They are headed toward the East Coast with nuclear-tipped missiles.” Tom Reed turned toward Peter Manning: “What can we do? We are scientists, not military people.” Peter took a deep breath: “Tom, I am going to use the time machine we built. There was one general who was decisive and willing to stop the Russians in their tracks before they could ...

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The Story of the Signet Ring

The Story of the Signet Ring “I wonder where this ring came from; it was my dad’s; no, it is too small for his pinkie.” I turned toward where my husband sat; he was recovering from a broken ankle and not much help in preparing my dad’s house for sale! My husband looked at the small golden signet ring with the weird design on it; then returned it: “Hold onto it, you never know what or why it was in that box. I looked down, as I held onto the cedar box with the American flag across the top. I returned the ring to the box, and continued going t...

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Fun With Music

Fun With Music The elderly man waved a wand around as he spoke: “Weave music.” The wand sparkled in reply to his command. There was a presence that pulled me toward the little shop on the cobbled street. I entered the small shop; there, an elderly white-haired man dressed in a purple robe was dancing around the room, twirling a wand; it was indeed a strange sight. There was a small bell above the doorway that tinkled merrily as he smiled: “Come in, oh do come in.” I stepped over the threshold and into his shop. I was seeking a piece of shee...

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The Road to No Return

The Road to No Return Luke Martin saw smoke rising from the log cabin, the sweet smell of death on the wind. He rode toward the smoke, his horse at a full lope. He pulled up short, climbed off his horse; he heard someone crying. “The cry became a wail; he listened carefully; the sounds came from behind the bush. Huddled there was a young woman. In between sobs she began: “Thank you for rescuing me. The Comanche killed my ma and pa. We have a tunnel; ma made sure I went down into the tunnel and hid. She covered up the trapdoor with a rug whil...

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The Yankee and the Southern Belle

The Yankee and the Southern Belle Annabella Purdy glared balefully at Captain Mark James as he glared back at her. She was close to tears; she hid the vials of quinine in her garters; no gentleman would look there. The quinine was destined for the Confederate hospital down the road from the Purdy Plantation. She acted strangely; Mark ordered Mammy to strip her down to her shimmy. Her eyes widened; the dismay she felt at being caught was enough to make her cry. However, he had no idea how protective her Mammy was: “I dun tol you captain, I ai...

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The Great Esccape

The Great Escape Cows are escape artists, every one of them. Cows have been the bane of my existence over the years. Cows were not on my radar; I am a city kid born and raised. My adventures with cows started when I purchased a farm. I had no idea how complicated my life would become in the matter of two years. I purchased a bull calf; I called him Tornado. I remember when he was de-horned by a neighbor. What a sight that was. I was already questioning my sanity for allowing that to happen. Tornado was a very forgiving bull. I began to buil...

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