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Bruce Friedman

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (35)

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131 Followers

324 Following

35 Stories

1168 karma pts

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My Purple Gang Fiasco

Submitted to Contest #211

“Welcome to my cigar store,” I said as the stout, older man entered. “I’m glad you dropped in today. Not much business these days or customers to chat with. Cigar smoking is much less popular than in the old days. I just turned 80 and I’m looking to sell the shop but I’m not optimistic that I can find a suitable buyer. My store's been a landmark on the block for more than seventy years. But I’m rambling, just like the old man that I am. How can I help you?”“Well,” the customer responded. “I’m interested in trying one of your Cuban cigars. I ...

16 likes

My Life as an Alien in Mississippi

Submitted to Contest #210

Warning: racial epithets and violenceMy name is Brad Chao. I'm living in Chicago now but I spent my growing-up years in the Mississippi Delta. It’s now 2001 and I just turned 80 years and have been thinking lately about my early life down south. I never fit in there despite my goal of trying to be accepted. The worst thing that ever happened to me took place there when I was only a teenager. The events almost cost me my freedom and life. I ultimately had to flee for suspicion of murder with the sheriff on my tail. We Chinese were a handy tar...

19 likes

My Fraught Meeting with Der Fuhrer

Submitted to Contest #209

Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Andrei Vyshinsky. I started my career as a minor official in the Russian foreign affairs ministry. However, I was soon assigned as the aide-de-camp to Vyacheslav Molotov who served as the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1949. Over most of his career, I was by his side, assisting him with his political and governmental duties. His friendship gave me a distinct edge within the diplomatic corps of the Soviet Union. I eventually was assigned to the post of ...

11 likes

Turmoil for a Soldier in Gray

Submitted to Contest #208

Warning: racial stereotypesFirst of all, I need to tell you that I’m an avid collector of antiques and old documents. I live in Washington, DC, working for the federal government. However, and on one particular weekend, I was meandering through eastern Tennessee and hunting for antique stores in small towns to browse. On the outskirts of Jonesborough, I pulled into the dusty parking lot of a shop with a sign in the front—Winslow Antiques. Surely, I thought to myself, I might be able to root out some “treasures” here to add to my collection. ...

11 likes

My Life as a Currency Trader

Submitted to Contest #207

I was sitting on a bench in my favorite pocket park on East 59th street near my condo early one Sunday morning. Not doing much— just sitting there and lightly dozing. I had been up all-night fixing a glitch in the computer system that I use for currency trading. I needed some down time. I was actually the sole benefactor for this park but I had asked that my gift be anonymous. I use the same process for all of my other charitable donations, most of which have involved substantial sums of money. I like to stay out of thelimel...

15 likes

King Cotton (and Fear)

Submitted to Contest #206

Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, was sitting quietly in his office in the Custom House in Richmond. It was February, 1862, and he had taken the oath of office a year earlier in Montgomery. The capital had previously been located there but the decision had been made to move to Richmond the previous May. It was a vital city for the manufacture of weapons and other war supplies and also served as the terminus for five railroads. Richmond would thus have been defended to the last man so it was deemed to be a logical place fo...

14 likes

Another Normal Day

Submitted to Contest #205

I was just beginning to stir in my bed as beams of fresh morning sunlight streamed into the room. It was 7 o’clock and a fresh new day in June was dawning. I was happy and grateful to be alive and in good health despite some of the curve balls that Fate had thrown my way. One of which was that I suffer from chronic seasonal allergies so my windows were shut very tight and my air purifier was chugging away on the other side of the room. It’s wise to take certain precautions with your health to preserve it to its fullest. I swung my ...

14 likes

A Long Haul Trucker Gets a New Job Assignment

Submitted to Contest #151

Author's warning: adult languageGreetings to all of you and thanks for taking the time to listen to my story. I don’t get to talk to many people and am pleased to be having this conversation. I’m Nick, a long-distance trucker: a disappearing job and way of life. I drive my 18-wheeler coast-to-coast weekly with various kinds of cargo. My rig is actually my home – I don’t have a fixed address. Long-haul trucking is a weekly, boring journey across our highways, passing anonymously through truck stops and chain restaurants. Why do I do it? ...

12 likes

The Dynamics of Family Secrets

Submitted to Contest #150

One recent evening at home, I was pursuing one of my hobbies, genealogy. My family tree had grown over the years, aided by my genealogy app. These days, searching for relatives to add to the tree is much less difficult than in the past. While you are sleeping, the program’s algorithms seek out potential relatives based on the names and background of family already in the tree and makes suggestions for additions. However, sometimes the program may be overly helpful.The names of family members are shown in boxes organized by...

19 likes

The Case of the Disappearing Damsels

Submitted to Contest #149

Harry Krakow was reclining on his bed in the corner of his small, sparsely furnished efficiency in Hell’s Kitchen. In one corner was a hotplate sitting on an end table to heat up soup or canned beans. The room also contained a battered chest of drawers he had found on the street. A cracked mirror hung above it, secured by a single nail in the wall. The only window in the place looked out on an airshaft with trash collecting at the bottom.It was the summer of 1935 and Harry was feeling depressed and at loose ends. He was having trouble findin...

11 likes

What's That Noise Next Door?

Submitted to Contest #148

Note: Sexual innuendos and swearingI was sitting in the living room of my apartment on the upper east side of New York, twiddling my thumbs. It was Sunday so not much traffic on the streets below. I’m single, in my late 30’s, and work in fintech with the head office on Madison. The stock options I hold had soared in value recently, allowing me to afford my current digs – a three bedroom, two bath, condo on a high floor of the building and a doorman around the clock. I was sitting pretty, you might say. but markets can turn quickly. Anyw...

13 likes

Salesman of the Year

Submitted to Contest #147

Author's note: References to violence. Sexual innuendos.I was sitting at my desk at work, twiddling my thumbs. It was a time when New York seemed to have won the battle against COVID and the rules for working in the office had been relaxed somewhat so I came in a few days a week. To be truthful, I was getting bored and fed up at home. My wife had decided to change the family rules of who was responsible for what in terms of chores so the quality of my life there had seriously diminished. I had not previously viewed my office as a refuge but ...

15 likes

Prelude to a Catastrophe

Submitted to Contest #140

All of the chattering in the assembled group ceased as Fiona, the Queen, majestically entered the main chamber of the colony. The name of the colony, Westparkia, was derived from its location in the historical downtown park of the city. She strode proudly on all of her six legs to the podium in front and gracefully waved them to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.She was in her natural element and milking the situation for all of the adulation that it was worth. Her appearance was unusual, given that most of her time was normally reserved...

17 likes

Eventful Days in the Condo Spa

Submitted to Contest #137

My wife and I had finally succumbed to the idea of spending a couple of the winter months in Florida as “refugees” from the ice and snow of the Midwest. We rented a unit at the Surf and Sail condominium complex in Longboat Key just north of Sarasota.On the first afternoon of our extended visit, I headed for the spa next to the swimming pool for a thirty-minute soak in the warm, bubbling water. My goal was to relax and wile away the time in the sun.Florida is called “God’s waiting room” for good reason. The spa’s daily visitors consisted of a...

9 likes

A Seance Goes Off the Rails

Submitted to Contest #136

Warning: crime and gore.Lex Parker paced in front of the small frame house, mounting his courage to continue with the plan. A sign was attached to the mail box: Madame LaFarge; Guide to the Unknown; 1301 Poplar. He had double-checked the address to assure himself that he was at the right place.“This has got to work,” he muttered. “It’s my last chance to get back to a normal life. I owe more than fifty thousand from gambling debts and these bums are threatening to kill me if I don’t make good on it. I hope that Arthur LaFarge, a guy I met in ...

9 likes