Dan Coglianese

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2022

Stories (15)

15 Stories

421 karma pts

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“What Comes Around” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #266

Monday, 9:15am. Simone slumped into her cubicle chair with a sigh. Closing her eyes as she lowered her head, Simone rubbed her temples with her fingers.            Five minutes later, she stood behind two others in the break room waiting for the Keurig machine. There was only one, and there was no way she was going to settle for whatever slop was in the glass pot sitting on a round warming tin straight out of the 1980s.            It...

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“Quid Pro Quo: An Allegory” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #188

Priscilla ignored her friends, Stacie, Charlotte, and Maya as they sat outside the most popular Starbucks in Mechant Lake. It was on the corner of Tullamoor and Elm, where the most foot traffic on a bright Saturday in June would pass.           Scrolling through her most recent Tik Tok video uploads, Priscilla sighed in exasperation.           Stacie rolled her eyes and said, “Ok, I’ll bite. What’s wrong, darling?”

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“Felinious” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #187

Ben took the same path to and from work every day. From the door to his trailer, he walked on the loose gravel parking lot to the bike path through Mechant Lake Forest Preserve. The path was a four mile loop, but Ben only used a mile long stretch along the east side. Once he got as far south on the path as he could, he trudged through some wild grass and low shrubs for about fifty feet until he emerged on the back lot...

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“Hourglass” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #186

The morning of his son’s 18th birthday, Bradley Gore stood outside the bedroom door with equal parts trepidation and pride. In the fleeting moments of his son’s childhood, he thought about the majestic home he had built, both figuratively and literally, around his son. Built for protection. Nestled safely inside a gated community, Bradley took every precaution to prepare for this day. The door ...

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“An Irresistible Offer” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #185

Unit B212. That’s where they sent us. My mother sent me because I’m 19 years old and “have the energy”. My cousin Naomi is here for the same reason. Although she’s 20. Her mom and my mom are sisters, and apparently they have the same ideas about youth, our unlimited energy, and naiveté when it comes to free physical labor.            Our great-grandmother passed away at age 95 last week. This storage unit was ...

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“And Then...” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #185

These mornings elicited as much excitement and anxiety for Sasha as they did for Santos. Before breakfast, he checked his emails and saw he had one from Josie Caplan, one of the editors at the Blackberry Night Lit.            As they sat at the kitchen table, a gentle breeze blew in from the window next to Santos’ writing desk. The best window in their tiny apartment. It was the first morning they were able to ...

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“Morphology of a Dyad” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #184

On a cold Saturday night in February, Mike and Beth invited two couples over to spend the “night of darkness” with. In their new house for less than a year, they were worried about what was going to happen during the planned blackout. Inviting Brent and his girlfriend Indya was a way to have someone in the know. Brent worked at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, IL. The other couple, Marcus and his wife Julya had been the closest friends to the other four in the six years since they all graduated from University of Illinois.&nb...

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“The Light Dies if I Close My Eyes” by Dan Coglianese

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #184

Dear Reedsy community: my fellow writers and readers, You’re all in on it, aren’t you? The truth is, you’re all pretending, right? Believe me, if just one of you said you knew me, I might believe it. Do you know me? Frankly, this is the last place I still exist. I fear that soon this will be gone too. Wait, let me guess: You have no idea what I’m talking about? You thin...

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“One Step at a Time” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #181

Like a sunflower grazing his cheek, Isabel woke Will up with a whisper.            “Time to get up, darling.”            The scent of lavender and lilies flooded his senses, even before opening his eyes. Despite his reluctance to get out of bed, he smiled at his wife’s Spanish accent. The way she said “darling” always got him. And she knew it.            Smiling, Will said, “Mmm, I love that you...

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“Play the Card as She Lies” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #180

You never hit on seventeen. Everybody knows that. Unless you’re me.            For most people, the fun is in guessing right and beating the dealer. I know every card in the deck before she’s shown. I call the cards “she” because I can read them before they fall, and they never lie.            I discovered my unusual talent at age 5. My 1st grade teacher held up flash cards with pictures of ...

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“A Man of His Word” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #179

David sat in his silver Chevy Cruze in front of his best friend’s apartment building. As he scrolled through Kindle on his tablet, TJ approached the passenger side door. It was just past 10am on New Years Eve. TJ slid into the passenger seat with a groan. Shivering from the frigid air, he rubbed his hands together and said, “Where are we starting? Alcohol or decorations?” “Change of plans.” “Huh?...

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“Secret Santa: A Change of Plans” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #178

Being invisible means nobody will notice when I’m gone. My absence will not pose a difference in anyone’s vision, because they didn’t see me in the first place. And since my dad passed away last summer, I have been invisible to everyone. I wasn’t planning on departing this mortal coil with any fanfare. Just a couple bottles of wine and a bottle of sleeping pills on Christmas day.                       I’ve worke...

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“Buyer's Remorse” by Dan Coglianese

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #176

A good magician never reveals their secrets. But, today as I lie in my deathbed, I am prepared to tell you mine.             As a child, I took things more literally than most. My mother once asked me if the man in the moon stole a shoe I lost at a friend’s house. I peered at the full moon that night, searching for this unknown “man”. Never found him. When I was five years old, I heard my uncle tell my mother tha...

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“Frank” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #175

During my four years at college, I was in a fraternity. Delta Chi. Best group of goofballs I’ve ever known. We didn’t just party and watch sports. We actually had a somewhat positive impact on the community. There were committees made up of a few guys who oversaw whatever focus that particular committee had. Mine was Philanthropy. When I ran the Philanthropy committee, I got in touch with the community public l...

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“Ms. Gruber” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #173

Every Christmas Eve, my wife Tiffany, our kids, and I go to my parents’ house. They still live in my childhood home in Mechant Lake, Il. We live in Bloomington now, so it’s a good two hour drive in the best weather.                       A couple of hours after we arrived, and just before dinner, the doorbell rang. My mother stood up and said, “Oh, that must be Joe!”            I went to the door with her ...

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Author bio

I'm an unpublished writer, but I absolutely love writing stories that catch you by surprise, delight you, and maybe even scare you a little (or a lot). I've written one novel, and am working on a 2nd now. Hope to find an agent soon.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #184
The Light Dies if I Close My Eyes – read story
Contest #176
Buyer's Remorse – read story