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Chesley Richards

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021

Stories (7)

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9 Followers

0 Following

7 Stories

205 karma pts

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Bollinger Pub

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #186

“Langford, you ever heard of the Bollinger Pub?” “Yeah. I heard of it many years ago but thought it was closed.” “Well, I just met the strangest guy. He called me from across Broad street, near the Empire Building. Waved too. And then he shouted that he’d meet me with a gift at the Bollinger Pub on Tuesday, around 7.” “Do you know the guy?” “Nope. Never met him before. Somehow he knew my name.” “That's weird. But what about him. What's his name?” “Jackson? At least, that was what I thought he said. Seemed a bit snookered, but I am still...

18 likes

Turn Right

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #151

The Tax notice came in the morning mail marked "Urgent." The text was even more ominous. "Your tax liability has been recalculated based on recent unexpected municipal costs. You owe $2,345.34 in tax due three days after receiving this notice. Failure to pay this obligation will lead to condemnation and seizure of your property." The letter, signed by the Deputy Assistant Tax Commissioner Talbot Arnold, even suggested that if I didn't pay now, they would also look back at my records for the last ten years. According to the letter, any ques...

10 likes

The Algorithm

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #150

The algorithm was embedded in every piece of software that the Hacker wrote. The Hacker's software was ubiquitous, relatively small, and yet, critical hidden cogs in the global internet machine. He never bragged about his potential ability to disrupt global systems or the life of a single individual. No one knew where he was located, where he slept or played or ate. Or how much money or crypto, more likely, he had. He was as anonymous as possible in a social media, surveillance, crazy world. The algorithm was located elsewhere from his regul...

14 likes

The Dark

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #149

When the Dark came, the small, thriving farm town of Cemetery Ridge, way out in the flatlands with the best mushrooms around, could not understand what it meant. The town was a small collection of two-story old red brick buildings with a Main Street and charming houses all going back a few blocks. Two churches, one school with all the grades. An organic grocery store toward the edge of town. And a couple of places to get your hair cut. One for women, one for men. The mushrooms grew everywhere, all year round. Oysters and Shitake, Maitake and...

7 likes

Tellus Bart gets the Part

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #147

"Tellus, my dear, you are such a hero with the Director. You were so gracious in your audition, offering to step aside for your two proteges. It was a hard choice for the Director, you know. And casting younger actors in the lead really designed for you is such a risk for her, but she has a strong creative vision for what this picture can be. She just wanted me to let you know that she appreciates your understanding about the part and hopes you have no hard feelings,” Mitzi parroted the agreed-upon language in talking with Tellus Bart, tryin...

11 likes

Black Friday

Chesley Richards

Shortlisted for Contest #122 ⭐️

Peter Smith. That's my name. I live in a suburb, in a split-level 1960s ranch sandwiched between two McMansion infills. Both of the infills are new and have twice the square footage of my humble abode. And today, the day after Thanksgiving is my one day to sleep late. To relax when I am supposed to be working. But this year, the doorbell rings. Not a frantic ring, like something important. And there is no second or third ring from someone who is insistent, like Evelyn across the street bringing us half of an uneaten pecan pie from yeste...

31 likes

Chop, Chop goes Vidalia and the Chicken Robbing Gang

Chesley Richards

Submitted to Contest #109

She needed the money. To pay the electric bill and, maybe, take her three kids out for the occasional pizza. They had no money, you see. Vidalia was broke. That's why she did it. She didn't think that she would go viral with 103 million views, nearly lose their health insurance, or meet the owner of the largest fried chicken franchise in the world. But that's what happened. All because she took a secret job as an onion."Vidalia. What are you doing home at 2 o'clock in the afternoon?""Well, my first job fired me. Cause I was late again.""Girl...

11 likes