Ben Mears

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (5)

5 Stories

107 karma pts

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“You Should Have Seen This Coming” by Ben Mears

Submitted to Contest #153

La Cuillère D'or was no stranger to couples. In fact, it welcomed them with open arms, a delighted handshake, a flourish of the violin, and two delicate flutes of champagne. After all, nothing makes a person feel more at home—and loosens their wallet—quite like a light buzz and a dreamy classical number. The authentic French dining experience was a highly sought-after commodity, especially for the romantically entangled, and nobody knew that better than the staff of La Cuillère D'or, or The Golden Spoon as their more phonetically challenged ...

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“The Man at Pier's End” by Ben Mears

Submitted to Contest #152

On nights like tonight, I find myself drifting among the stars. Even ten years on from my last visit to this corner of the sea, it still takes my breath away. Specks of light mark the dark canvas overhead like jewels in a divine tapestry. Bits of sand hug my toes as the tide rolls in and out again like sleep on a restless night. This place, more than any other, is full of cycles. Cycles of life, cycles of death, cycles of birth and rebirth. Much of what was here ten years ago is gone, replaced by something new. Even so, the brushing of the w...

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“The Ghost and the Machine” by Ben Mears

Submitted to Contest #150

“Human Designation ‘Kyoko Yasuda,’ stop where you are!” Three bots swung around the corner, their gunmetal gray chassis masked in shadow. They all spoke as one: “Put the Womb down now, or we will apply force!” Each one brandished a Type-3 Pulse Generator. I had never used a gun, but I’d heard that these ones caused a localized system shutdown to the target, cutting off everything but life support. Whether that came in the form of a projectile or something less visible, I wasn’t...

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“130 Days with Dad” by Ben Mears

Submitted to Contest #148

February 2nd: My son moved back home today. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him rolling down the driveway in the passenger seat of his roommate’s car. The thing was packed to bursting with cardboard boxes. Unfolded shirts and clothes hangers stuck through holes in them like cheese through a grater. I met Joseph as he got out of the car. His caramel-brown hair was tied up in a messy bun. That was new. We exchanged pleasantries, and he introduced me to Mark, who'd offered the use of his car while Joseph’s was getting some bodywork done. M...

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“Calypso Alone” by Ben Mears

Submitted to Contest #106

Why am I even here? The crisp summer wind dances across my face, its insensate yet delicate fingers dashing through my hair like so many horses in an overgrown field, their powerful legs cutting to and fro yet never breaking a strand. Much like the sea that stretches out to the red horizon before me, the gusts of air coil, crash, and tumble backwards and forwards, over and under, ever reaching yet never finding, ever grasping yet never holding. I take a deep breath through my mouth, the cool air filling my chest and slowing my anxious h...

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Author bio

Don't know if I can really call myself a "writer" yet, so I'll let you be the judge. Avid watcher of way too many YouTube videos about writing and an avid procrastinator when it comes to actually writing. College student who still hasn't gotten over my favorite childhood TV shows ending. Desperately trying and failing to come up with quirky facts about myself. Man, I hate introductions.