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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2025
Submitted to Contest #316
Brian Davenport sat in a toilet cubicle staring intently at a small pocket mirror, yanking at the skin of his cheeks. He had been assured by his postmortal rehabilitation officer that his body would not deteriorate anymore after his diagnosis. This didn’t stop him from poking and prodding his skin or from constantly checking any reflective surfaces for signs of rot. His eyes looked a little cloudy today, although that may be due to his lack of sleep. He had been woken in the early hours by his usual nightmare, chatting with his coworkers whe...
Submitted to Contest #313
A stifling waft of hot air hit them as they entered the arcade. Immediately every sense was overwhelmed by strobing neon lights, Blaring, Looping jingles, electric whines and of course, the overall stickiness of the place. “Nathan, get us some drinks.” Mike ordered, already on his way to hog Streetfighter. Sam gave him an apologetic shrug before joining Mike at the machine. Nathan debated if he should just leave. It was loud, he wasn’t sure his friends wanted him there, but it beat the hell out of letting his anxiety spiral out of control. ...
Michael Paced the full length of his cell, the full length being a little more than five steps before facing the peeling stucco wall and turning. His cell mate Playboy as he called himself who’s actual name was Nolan rolled over and pulled his bedding over his head. He knew his constant pacing was annoying him, he had been here eight months and had already seen what a small annoyance could lead to. He had led much of his life trying to avoid confrontation with people, today he simply didn’t care. For the first time in his life, he had abando...
Howard Carrick stood over his kitchen counter dropping pills into his medication box. Pills to manage his arthritis, pills for his cholesterol, pills to manage the side effects of other pills. The sheer amount for a single week was baffling. When he dreamt about his retirement years his pictured feeding the ducks or going fishing with a pile of grandchildren, even if he had any he doubted they’d enjoy “sort grandad’s pills out” much. Connie, Howard’s wife swept into the kitchen, she flicked on the kettle and gave him a peck on his cheek. “T...
Submitted to Contest #311
A scruffy looking youth cycled furiously through the park, not bothering to hold the handlebars as he unwrapped a chocolate bar. He threw the packet into the duck pond before swerving, narrowly missing two ladies. Not even acknowledging his near collision he cut across the grass. The wrapper floated amongst the lily pads, its bright silver in stark contrast to the soft greens. “What’s your take on public whipping?” Cissie asked, watching the youth cycle away. “I’m all for it, although I’m not sure it would make much of a punishment for some ...
Submitted to Contest #310
“Do you really have to name the place after June?” Her mum asked, crossing her chest.“Yes, I do. I think she’d would have loved it.” Tina said.“It feels like a bad omen.”“How can my sister’s memory be a bad omen?” She shot back.“Because of me.” Her mother simply stated. A wave of guilt crashed over Tina; she decided to let it drop. The disappearance of her younger sister June had caused her mother to withdraw completely. She had spent years blaming herself. When it got too much Tina left for London, her mother had retired in the little costa...
Submitted to Contest #307
“Martin, you’re walking the same halls as ex-prime ministers!” “I know Mum, like I’ve said I’m grateful to be here. I’m just not them.”“I pay the tuition just like their parents! You’ve every right to be there.” “And six months ago, I was at a regular school. These kids, their families have known each other for generations. Most of them are probably related.” Mum grew quiet at that. I was trying to explain in my best I-don’t-want-to-piss-you-off-but that the gap between the students at my new school and me was far more than money. These kids...
Submitted to Contest #306
From: Elijah (elijahkirkham1@shelloil.com)..To: Henry (hardcorehenry@gmail.com)..Subject: Landed safely..Hello number 1 son, Just a quick one to say I landed on the platform ok. These chopper pilots are very temperamental so when they said the weather had calmed down enough to fly, I almost laughed! The flight was a rough one, nothing but turbulence we hovered above the helideck for fifteen minutes before we finally landed don’t know what that’s all about. Hope you’re not too worried about going back to school, I know your friends will have ...
Submitted to Contest #305
“Pigs.” Emilia shouted, her voice bouncing off the walls of the convention centre. “Pigs?” Tyler asked. The laptop balanced on his forearm wobbled as he one handedly typed an apology to yet another vendor his boss Emilia had insulted. His cheeks burned as he strode behind her, various spreadsheets and email confirmations all blurring into a stress inducing stew of responsibilities. A stew he simply couldn’t stomach. “Yeah, little squealy bastards running around the whole place. Kids will love it, petting them, end of the night we could rac...
Submitted to Contest #304
With one last snort the loyal beast’s legs went out from under it. The farmhand sparing the oxen along leapt, just as one ton of meat and muscle collapsed where he had been standing. Blood poured from its nose as it let out its final rasping breaths. “Pushed you too hard, didn’t I fella’.” Janeck said patting the skin between the animals two great horns. It was already mid-March and there was still another field that needing tilling. That sickly old beast had been their last hope, ill as it was it could still do the work of ten men. Ever si...
Submitted to Contest #303
Sheltering from the September down pour Jacob Callaghan cradled a cigarette between his fingers. Throughout his fifty years of monastic life, it had been his one and only vice. Young, trendy people stepped around him as they made their way out of the rain and into the gallery, eyeing him as he took another drag. He knew it was a dirty habit, but he had done it for so long now the stress of quitting would probably put too much strain on his heart. Thinking back too why he had started made him laugh, he was a new young teacher at a prestigiou...
Submitted to Contest #302
“What the hell is she wearing?” Paul thought to himself. For the past half hour, he had watched this woman only a few years older than him, walk barefoot up and down the stony beach. She wore a short sparkling dress along with a pair of matching high heeled shoes that dangled from her fingers by the straps.“Bandit!” She shouted.The outfit was not fit for this weather, being overcast and on the seashore. The wind threatened to knock her off balance and every step caused her to wince in pain. She stopped to wipe away some of the small stones s...
Submitted to Contest #301
Louis crept through the remains of the bombed-out church, that had once been St Lukes Anglican parish until the blitz of 1941. The dropped bombs caused huge fire damage that swept through the whole place causing the roof to cave in. For over sixty years it lay derelict until it was reopened to the public. Now it was a place of free expression. Poetry, movies and singing events were held in the shell of its sandstone nave. Today, despite it being a hot Thursday afternoon the place was empty except for one person, exactly as Louis knew it woul...
Contains themes of war. A fresh horse was what Matthias really needed, the one under him had borne his weight since daybreak breathing hard and less responsive to his pull, nevertheless the loyal beast galloped onward. Though he didn’t want to exhaust the animal he had departed Hinderton castle with a message of vital importance to deliver and the night was creeping up on him. The Sergeant had grumbled and slammed his fist over the yellowed parchment before abandoning his attempts to make the letters and instead relaying the message to Matth...
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