Daniel Kleba

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2020

Stories (17)

17 Stories

308 karma pts

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“Starstrider” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #245

-Transmission Incoming- Log: 2598 A.D. Skipper: Iris Lenox Coordinates: Orion System Blue I’m not sure where to begin. This is pretty huge. We’ve kept this stuff secret for years it feels weird to just broadcast it now. I’ll start with my story, I guess? They say it ‘humanizes’ me. Which is a very robotic way to put it, ironically enough. I don’t want to stare at a screen the whole time so I’m going to talk to Winston here. He’s my snake. Yes, we get to have pets. The onboard life support is top-notch, the military's best. Although the toile...

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“Oppression” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #243

“C’mon, Carson!”. Freddie’s voice blasted through the open shop door. “Th’ readin’s in ten minutes. Ring up th’ ole sod and meet me out back.”  Carson winced as he hastily wrapped an ornate tome on the counter. The ‘ole sod’ in question was staring daggers at him. “Your friend ought to be more respectful, boy.” The priest huffed. “You sell these books at the Church’s allowance and we can swiftly take that away.” He glared down his nose in distain, and Carson tried to shrink into the floorboards.  “I am so sorry, your grace.” Carson...

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“Futility” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #237

The Boy stood frozen in the produce section, staring across the store at the familiar blonde curls of The Girl currently investigating the deli meats. He crouched down behind the tall stack of honeydews and considered the definition of insanity. Was it applicable to relationships? People change, after all, so it really wasn’t that crazy to expect a different result. Maybe she’d changed? He most certainly had. Some would say for the worse but healing wasn’t a process that could be rushed. It takes years for most people to get over the death o...

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“At The End” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #233

At the end of all things sits a bar. It’s warm and inviting with a raging hearth and the perfect song floating above the conversation at the perfect volume. It exists in the space between everything and nothing. A space where Time is respected and not feared. Where Time can create instead of destroy. Because Time is what gives stories their power, and at this bar stories are the spirit of choice.  A story...

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“Self Portrait” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #225

Every day I paint a mask. The features shift and change with the tide of my own self-confidence but it’s always my face. The different masks of me, which I wear to avoid scaring my loved ones. I have a mask for strangers, a mask for friends, a mask for acquaintances, and one for family. I have masks for myself, depending on my mood, and sometimes they fight while I’m driving to work. These masks are not lies, merely a fr...

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“Ouroboros” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #223

The problem with planning your future is that eventually, it becomes the present. And you have to be prepared to live in that present when it comes. Walter was wallowing in that present, presently. Mountains of papers spread out before him in a wave of mediocrity. This year's students were particularly mundane. Months of terrible reports had ground his once meticulous grading system into a rudimentary three-step process...

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“Hollowmoor” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #222

Agatha waited for the large iron gates to open for a good five minutes before she remembered that she could just walk through them. A well-practiced ghost would know this but when one is freshly dead, the rules take some getting used to. She noted with curiosity that her heart was currently pounding in her very dead chest. The boys down at the pub would love that one. She could see Ernie now, slamming the table ...

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“Closure” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #220

“Are you hungry, John?” His mother’s voice was soft and comforting. John could picture her standing in his doorway holding a plate of food and a glass of water. She liked to make sandwiches, usually tuna salad, filled with more good intentions than flavor. “Not right now, I’m sleeping. I’ll eat it later.” He mumbled into his pillow, which was oddly hard and sharp. H...

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“The Watchers” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #219

I was taught that there’s a spark that happens when people meet face to face. A transference of energies, so to speak. We can feel it, apparently, although many people are not aware of it or acknowledge it. They say it’s why we see all drivers as idiots or get annoyed with large crowds. We become desensitized to the millions of stories all around us and generalize them down to one simple idea. The idea that the majorit...

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“Inevitable” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #218

From a very young age, John Calloway had been forced to combat the sensations of sleep paralysis. It was just one of a number of perils associated with premonition. In this case, he began his routine, as always, with trying to wiggle his toes. He could not really wiggle his toes but his brain still took the attempt as a signal to focus attention on his extremities. As his mind floated in an endless ocean of sta...

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“The Lizard Boy” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #217

In a very small house. In a very small village. On a very small hill. A very small boy found a very small lizard. He loved this lizard with all of his heart. He loved how it skittered about on his hand and up his arms. He loved how it flicked its tongue out and sat on his shoulder. The lizard did not tease the boy for his size or push him to the ground. It simply sat and listened as it chewed on whatever bug it had acqu...

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“Moving On” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #53

“Dinner is almost ready, come help set the table.” Derek’s Mom called up the stairs. “Okay, one sec,” Derek said. He still had about three more minutes before the yelling started. Plenty of time to finish the game. His fingers flew over the keyboard as gunshots and explosions echoed out from the monitor. A well-placed grenade blew an enemy into bloody chunks and a victory screen flashed across the monitor...

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“Salesmanship” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #48

“I am Timothy LaFontaine-Johnson and I am not a man to be taken lightly. I am a force of nature. There are men who enter into a room and make no noise. Quiet, weak, men who tremble at the thought of a conversation and run from danger. I am not a weak man. My bloodline is strong and my responsibilities are many. I will not fail those who depend on me. I will not shirk my duties. I will sell. I will win. I am Timothy LaFon...

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“Fraud” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #46

I step forward to accept the woman’s awkward hug. I feel the shame wash over me once again. The waves of doubt, fear, and embarrassment radiate off my body, so strongly I am absolutely sure everyone in the line can feel it. But I plaster a smile on my face and tell her how much her story inspires me. How thankful I am to be a part of her personal miracle. It’s all garbage. I’ve told hundreds of people the same tired line...

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“Honest Abe” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #44

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Budapest and as the 747 dropped like a brick through another blast of turbulence A.J. regretted ever leaving. He could see the bright lights of JFK Airport mocking him from the ground, the end was near, one way or another. The plane descended through the sky like an overfed seagull and the luggage compartment above him looked very untrustworthy. He clutched his backpack tight to his chest and stared into his knees, willing the pilot to at least make it quick. No messing around with hospital stays or life s...

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Author bio

Just starting out I liked writing in high school and I'm trying to come back to it now as an adult. Without the pressure of a grade of course.