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Tricia Shulist

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

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150 Stories

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Joy to the World

Weekly Contest #351

JOY TO THE WORLD “Come on, Janice! You can’t spend all your life moping around. It’s not healthy!’ Janice looked at her friend Joy and sighed. “Yes, Joy, I can spend all my time moping around. A good moping gives you perspective.” She let out a long, sad sigh. Joy crossed her arms, looking at her friend. They were in Janice’s bedroom. Janice was laying on her bed, in the fetal position, sniffling. A box of tissues was on the bedside table, a scattering of wet, used tissues surrounding it. The room was dark, the curtains pulled tight...

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The Lake House

Weekly Contest #350

THE LAKE HOUSE The family reunion happened every year. Why it was in April, no one knew for sure. It was one of those mysteries, one of those traditions that made no sense now, and the reason was lost to the winds of time. But that’s what happened every year, the third weekend of April—everyone got together at the lake house.. Maisie Maisie was soooooo excited. She loved going to parties. These family ones were fun! Mommy told her they would be visiting for the entire weekend. That meant a sleepover! Two nights! Yay! Maisie loved, loved sle...

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The Things We Do for Love

THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE Flavia knew they had to leave. It was getting cold, and there was no more heat. The same as there had been no lights, no refrigeration, and no WIFI because there had been no electricity since spring. It was as if the world had been hurtled back into the dark ages. Without electricity they were cut off from the rest of the world, and only heard about what was happening in the world from travellers, or from those odd people who had CB radios. Information was scant and travellers were very few and far between. T...

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Alone

ALONE I can’t believe they’re all dead. We were fine, then we weren’t. It happened so quickly. So very, very quickly. My life shouldn’t be able to fall apart that quickly. Everyone I know shouldn’t be dead. I shouldn’t be alone. I knew the world was getting dangerous—doomsday clock dangerous. Super powers sabre rattling, threatening mutually assured destruction. Threats of annihilation. Attempted assignations of global leaders. Governments were becoming more and more unhinged. People were frightened. Reports were spotty. There was ...

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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 ME When 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 the...

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Redo

REDO 10;08 a.m.—English Class BOOP! 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 Luc...

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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 par...

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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 its...

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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 now—A...

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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 he...

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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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