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Daniel R. Hayes

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2020

Stories (74)
Comments
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1009 Followers
992 Following

74 Stories

7362 karma pts

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Lost in Darkness

Submitted to Contest #203

(Content Warning: Mild Language and Violence.) Laura Watson awoke from a restless sleep and batted her eyes at the morning sun. She couldn’t see the beautiful beaming rays infiltrating her window, but the warmth cascading on her skin was undeniable. There was no doubt another morning had come her way. Laura didn’t have to worry about adapting to the world because she was born into a life of darkness. She sat up, placed her feet on the hardwood floor, and smiled. Soft whispers from her late mother reminded her that being blind had i...

48 likes 40 comments 40
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Pollyanna

(Content Warning: Graphic Violence, Language, Murder, and Mature Themes.) Time is a wonderful mistress. She can caress your aching bones and brighten your dark complexion with a weary smile. Then when you least expect it, the cold hard bitch can remove all hope and leave you with nothing. Ironic really, but that’s not what life is all about—it’s about changes. Roy Hastings knew all about change. Over the years, he had lost his wife to cancer, his son to a drunken driver, and his precious daughter to a violent madman who called hi...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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Maximum Pump

Submitted to Contest #201

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Violence, Crude Humor, Language.) Tom Lawry slowly wrapped his fingers around a cold black iron bar loaded with five-hundred pounds of solid steel plates and took a deep breath. His heart was pounding, but it wasn’t from the thousands of onlookers in the arena waiting for him to make an appearance. No, it was an overwhelming fear of failing and what that would mean to his illustrious bodybuilding career. In the solemn words of his late father—failure was something only losers did, and Tom Lawry was not ...

36 likes 25 comments 25
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Oh, Joyous Day!

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, Violence, Crude Humor, Language.) “Hey!” Alex barked, “be careful with that. You might break it.” Charlie twitched his eyes towards his friend and gingerly placed the pine tree down into the ground. It wasn’t full or bare like most trees kin to the season, but it was something, and that my friends, was better than nothing. It had taken them all day to dig the hole because the ground was half-frozen, and they had to take heed not to wake Charlie’s father who had passed out for the evening. Jack was an...

32 likes 15 comments 15
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Good Girl

(Content Warning: Graphic Violence, Blood, Language.) “Everything is changing.” Flora heard Mark’s sarcastic remark as she slid beneath the covers. After fifty-five years of marriage, she was used to his unique brand of derogatory, self-chastising humor. She could see him staring in the bathroom mirror combing through his wispy hair with a look of disdain plastered on his wrinkly face. She looked around the bedroom and took notice of the many pictures from their shared life filled with love and happiness but was reminded about...

26 likes 18 comments 18
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Text Me Your Love

Submitted to Contest #165

(Content Warning: Strong Language, Violence, Murder, Crude Humor.)Jake sat down at the kitchen table and admitted, “This is all my fault.”Sallie rolled her eyes and slammed a porcelain plate into the soapy suds. “You’re damn right it is!”“I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his voice an octave. “I wasn’t thinking right, and I couldn’t help myself.”“Oh, you were thinking alright,” Sallie roared, turning from the sink and pointing her soapy finger at him. “You were just using the brain between your legs, not the one in your skull!” Jake scrunch...

51 likes 31 comments 31
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Humorous-Man

Submitted to Contest #164

(Content Warning: Language, Violence, Blood, Murder, Crude humor.) “Where I come from, the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping, but this evil place is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Nonetheless, a hero must always look on the bright side of things. My mission is of the utmost importance!” The guardians of the black gates looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn’t know if the stranger before them was talking to himself or them directly. Anok merged his spear with Trella’s to form an “X,” effectively blockin...

43 likes 19 comments 19
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Something To Write About

Submitted to Contest #159

(Content Warning: Language, Suicide, Abuse.) The world is too small for every dream to come true. A pretty odd thing to say when you think about it, but that’s what Kevin’s dad, Earl, told his son growing up. It’s not hard to ruin a child’s youth, all it takes is a little nudge in the wrong direction, and Earl knew all the right places to push. A light slap to the face, a belt snap to the back, or maybe some thick bruises above the shirt line just to make sure no one noticed. The worst kind of abuse is invisible. Back then, th...

61 likes 70 comments 70
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Chasing Dreams!

Submitted to Contest #157

(Content Warning: Violence, Blood, Murder, Language.) The night came crawling in like a lost predator searching for its prey. The beast howled at the moon with blood-lust in its eyes, and for a moment, a quiet hush fell upon the lonely town of Oak Flats, West Virginia. The citizens were tame, but the animal was savagely wild and took what it wanted. In a back alleyway behind Devil’s Bar, the scruffy homeless man didn’t see the evil claws reaching out from the darkness until it was too late. The feral beast ripped limb from limb a...

26 likes 22 comments 22
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Off-Centered

(Content Warning: Violence, Murder, blood, Gore, language.) Anna adjusted her pink mini skirt and smoothed the wrinkles from her matching jacket. Her sun-streaked brown hair was combed just right, and her make-up assistant had just finished applying the last layer of brand-named cosmetics. She reached down, grabbed her bosom, and lifted them just right to show off enough cleavage to make anyone drool. Anna looked perfect and was ready for her live broadcast at the Brentwood construction site. The stage was set behind Anna with fla...

22 likes 18 comments 18
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There's Something Under Our Bed!

Submitted to Contest #155

(Content Warning: Violence, blood, Gore, Murder, Language, and Crude humor.) In Chesterfield, Oklahoma, Big Jimbo had just finished his shift at the puppy mill and was eager to get home. He put his yellow raincoat on and tucked his curly tail into the convenient waterproof pouch, which he greatly appreciated. Having a wet tail always puts a damper on your evening. Before leaving work, Big Jimbo pranced into the doggie room, cocked his leg on the urinal, and took a whiz. The sweet feeling of an empty bladder filled his senses with...

42 likes 20 comments 20
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The Right Chord

(Content Warning: Blood, Murder, Violence, and Language.)Alex slammed the enter button on his laptop and yelled, “Finished!”He had spent the past few months working on his client’s business portfolios at Investors-R-Us and was feeling the weight of the project. The pay was good, and the benefits were better, but the stress was painfully ignorant. The long hours were a necessity that every employee acknowledged even if they disagreed with them.You might think that working sixty days straight with no time off would drive a person insane, but A...

39 likes 42 comments 42
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Stuey

Submitted to Contest #143

On the outskirts of Diamond City, above Evergreen Campground, a bright light exploded in the glittery sky and fell to the surrounding wilderness. The white streak was unobserved, however, because most of the younger children were glued to various board games, and the older kids were huddled together sharing spooky after-dark fairy tales. Having completed a full day of outdoor activities, a little bit of fun was a welcomed reprieve for everyone at the camp. Over the years, Evergreen had experienced a rapid decline in visitors, and a final ...

43 likes 24 comments 24
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Where the Shepherd Dogs Lie

Submitted to Contest #134

(Content Warning: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language.) Lee Oswald awoke to the sound of a shrieking moan not more than ten yards from his bedroom window. Without contemplation, his feet hit the cold floor running, knowing that his cattle were in danger. Rushing through his cabin, Lee eyed his double-barrel shotgun hanging above his fireplace and grabbed it. The weapon was always loaded for occasions just like this, and for a brief moment, Lee was glad he had it. Wearing nothing but white long johns, he exploded outside, ready for combat....

40 likes 36 comments 36
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Thrive

Submitted to Contest #132

(Content Warning: Fantasy Violence, Brief Language.)“Are you there, God? It’s me…” Jake said, falling to his knees.The gargoyles attacked Sapphire City without warning and left nothing but utter destruction in their wake. No one knew where the stone creatures came from or why they attacked, but one thing was certain, they didn’t come from Heaven. How could they? Heaven is supposed to be a place of peaceful tranquility and harmony, right?At least that’s what Jake thought, staring at the wreckage around him. He saw broken pictures of happy mem...

38 likes 22 comments 22
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