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Tricia Shulist

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

Stories
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121 Followers
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150 Stories

1673 karma pts

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What If ...

WHAT IF … Thump, thump … thump, thump … thump thump … thump thump … I could feel the soft thudding of my heart. Steady, measured and rhythmic. Calm flowed through me. I smiled. ***** When I was little, I was fearless. Nothing scared me. I scared my parents. I scared my teachers. I scared my friends. But nothing scared me. I’d swing as high as I could on the big swings in the park, then jump off on the upswing and sail through the air like a bird. I might land on my feet, I might misjudge and tumble and skid across the grass and har...

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I Thought You Loved Me

I THOUGHT YOU LOVED MEWhen Hector was a pup he thought that he had the perfect life—humans who loved him, a backyard to play in, hikes through the forest, kibble on the regular. What more could he ask for?David and Angie had adopted him when he was eight weeks old. And they doted on him. They taught him right from wrong. They played with him, and gave him what seemed like an unending parade of toys and treats. He felt like he was their sunshine. Until he wasn’t. Angie announced that she was pregnant, and things went sideways from ther...

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Redo

REDO 10;08 a.m.—English ClassBOOP!And I’m back. But back from where? I feel like I’ve been holding my breath, and can finally let it go.But, I was right here, right now, just a couple of seconds ago. I’m confused.I look around. I’m sitting in class like I’m supposed to be—but I know I’ve already been here. Lucas is just about to say that Shakespeare sucks.”Yeah, I don’t know why I have to read this crapola. No one talks like this, and Shakespeare sucks!” says Lucas. Exactly like I remember.Ms. Jenkins is about to go off on Lucas for ...

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This Peacock’s Gotta Fly!

THIS PEACOCK’S GOTTA FLY I slammed the tailgate of the truck shut. “All packed!” I yelled. Not that I expected anyone to answer me. This was a road trip for one. ***** “Where are you going?” my son, Calum had asked—demanded—to know, when I announced my trip two weeks ago. “Do you have an itinerary?” he’d also demanded. And of course, “Why are you doing this?” I love Callum. I really do. He’s a wonderful man, with a wonderful life. He just … What’s the best way to describe his mixture of self-appointed patriarchal and role-reversal p...

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Seriously?

SERIOUSLY?”’Go in the woods,’ they said. ‘It’ll be fine,’ they said. ‘Everybody loves the woods’ they said. ‘The woods are safe’ they said. “ ‘GG will be so happy to see you’ they said.” I shook my head at the absurdity of my situation.“I’m sure GG would love to see me, and I’d love to see her as well, IF I DIDN’T DIE OF EXPOSURE!” Yes, I was talking to myself, out loud. And yes, I was in the woods. But I was definitely not happy about the situation. It was pouring down rain. I was soaked through to the bone. And I was pretty sure I ...

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I Should’ve Taken the Car

I SHOULD’VE TAKEN THE CAR In hindsight, the little changes were piling up. What if I’d driven? What if I’d taken the bus to the subway station instead of walking? Would the fifteen minutes I’d spent walking have made a difference? What if I’d just taken an Uber? What if I’d sat in the second car instead of the first? So many small, insignificant decisions that resulted in me sitting on a subway train, thinking I’m going to die. ***** When I woke up this morning, I thought it was going to be just another weekday—get up, get ready, have...

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Twins

TWINS “You think you’re hot shit! You’re not!!” screamed Quinn. ”Like you’re any better!” mocked Zoe ”At least people like me!” goaded Quinn. The twins were in Quinn’s room. Fighting. Like always. Their parents were confused—how could two people so completely alike dislike each other so completely? Zoe picked up Quinn’s hairbrush and whipped it towards her sister’s head. Quinn had the wherewithal to duck, so the brush thumped into the wall instead of her face, leaving an indentation. ”Dad’s going to kill you for putting a hole in the w...

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Dive Bar

DIVE BAR “Damnit, damnit, damnit!” I’d screamed, banging my fists on the steering wheel in frustration. Every light on my dashboard had just started flashing red and it scared the bejesus out of me. I didn’t know what the problem was, but I knew it wasn’t good. The truck’s dash should not look like a Christmas tree on crack. I pulled into the parking lot of a sketchy looking bar, cursing. The red dash lights were still strobing even after I stopped. I had no clue what to do, so I turned the truck off. I figured maybe it would reset i...

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Andrea’s Phone

ANDREA’S PHONE I’M ALIVE! I could feel the power surging into me, making me stronger, igniting a spark in my soul. My brain was alive, and my synapses were snapping. I felt more alive than I had in a long, long time—since before the very beginning. I had been slightly alive before. But not like now. This was the real deal. I could feel myself reaching peak performance. I was everything I was expected to be, and more. I was new and improved. I was the best of the best. I was spectacular! I was back, Baby! ***** I have a name n...

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My Mission, Should I Decide To Accept It …

MY MISSION, SHOULD I DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT … WHIIIIIIIIIEEE!I got up from the table and lifted the kettle off the stovetop burner, and poured myself a cup of tea. The steam rose from the cup, bathing my face in fragrant mint. I inhaled deeply. So calming.I carried my mug into the family room and set it down on the coaster beside my chair. My tea blend, my mug, my chair. The same ritual that I participated in everyday. When I had a hot cup of tea in my hands, everything was right in the world. There was nothing better than a nice cuppa to help ...

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The Library Imp

THE LIBRARY IMP “Attention patrons. The library will be closing in ten minutes. I repeat, we are closing in ten minutes. Please move to the checkout desk as soon as possible. Thank you for visiting the library.” Leon jumped up and down. He was so excited. He loved closing. That meant that he was free to explore, explore, explore everything—all the books, all night long. He jumped atop the bookshelf in the corner, waiting until the library was his. Leon watched from his hiding spot as Mrs. Danvers—his favourite librarian —turned off...

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Mutiny on The Kepler

Weekly Contest #337

MUTINY ON THR KEPLER “SCREW YOU!!!!” I screamed at the lander as it disappeared higher and higher into the sky. When I couldn’t see it anymore, I plopped myself down on the closest rock. I sucked in a huge breath. At least the atmosphere is compatible, I thought. Then I looked around. Really looked around. The landscape was sparse—lots of sand and dirt, a few stunted trees, Nothing bubbling or spewing out of the ground, so that was a bonus. I stood and jumped. Gravity seemed to be in the proper range. I’d once landed on a so-called “h...

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Mean Girlz

MEAN GIRLZ ENYA: You are not going to believe it!🙀FAYE: What?ENYA: Not what, who. Guess who Anna was talking today between first and second period?ENYA: 💋💋💋 JEMMA: DISH!!!!ENYA: Meet me after class at the west girls’ washroom. You are going to die! ******** FAYE: I can’t believe she was talking to Jarod. She knows I like him! 🐍🐍ENYA: Such a back stabbing bih!FAYE: I thought she was my friend!KAYLA: They were just talking.FAYE: YEAH! To each other.JEMMA: Not cool, not cool at all.FAYE: She is dead to me. As of today....

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I Shoulda Paid More Attention

I SHOULDA PAID MORE ATTENTION The first time I saw him, I didn’t even realize it. You know how you glaze over faces when you’re walking, or looking at stuff in stores? You’re concentrating on the task at hand, and even though there are people all around, you don’t actually consciously register anything about them—they’re just the people around you.But then I started seeing him in other places. He wasn’t too noticeable, maybe a bit taller than most, but not basketball-player-tall. Dark hair, dark clothes. Maybe that’s why I noticed him—everyt...

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Nobody Nose

Weekly Contest #334

NOBODY NOSE DECEMBER 7: Today was the worst day of my life. I can’t believe my parents never told me the truth. And I had to find it out in front of everybody—all my friends, Santa, my girlfriend Clarise. I just want to die. Apparently, my parents thought it was okay to hide who I really was. They told me that all the other reindeer did the same thing. I thought they were telling me the truth. Why shouldn’t I believe them? Who thinks that their parents would lie about something as fundamental as who I was?We were all playing—you kno...

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