Daniel Ward

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2023

Stories (6)

6 Stories

93 karma pts

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“The Attic Box” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #269

Back in the corner, next to the busted bird cage and a bag of old shoes, sat a dusty Heineken’s box scrawled with “To Save” in black marker.Five moves to five attics, the box remained unopened, a testament to its uselessness and importance. It was time to recall why I saved it. I’m still new to Buddhism. Some of it seems sketchy, but a lot of it resonates as I take stock of my life and try to make sense of why I’m here. Buddhism teaches us that renunciation is a prerequisite to enlightenment, and I’m on a mission to renounce a lot of stuff. ...

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“One hot summer” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #262

So every year my family has the same vacation.Dad loads the car up with all the fishing stuff, including enough rods and landing nets to supply a couple more people if we wanted to. But we don’t ask anyone else to come. His focus is on fish, not friendship.Mom brings a stack of Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen magazines. Mikey has his toy Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with their horses. I call them his cowboy dolls, but Mom and Dad say boys don’t play with dolls, so they can’t be dolls.Once Dad fills the trunk of that ’63 Galaxie with fishing s...

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“Sid the Stooper” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #256

Sidney Short was a guy constantly looking for the big payoff.Higher education, marriage to the girl next door, a house in the suburbs, a corporate career. All chump change.Sid knew he was destined for the best or nothing. He collected rags-to-riches anecdotes the way someone else collects baseball cards. Plenty of evidence showed that hard work wasn't the way to get the big bucks, the fame, the girl he wanted.When he was growing up, Sid’s home life was all or nothing, with nothing being the norm. His father left soon after his younger sister...

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“Time Travel” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #234

“Do you believe in time travel?” Marty cradled his wake-up cup of coffee across from her at the kitchen counter. Forty-five years together had fused them into a sounding board as familiar and as comfortable as their own consciences. Louise was comfortable and familiar as well in her silk robe and loosely tied hair, half undone and trailing across slim shoulders. Her features had aged, but her soul remained that of the girl he fell in love with. “Time travel. You mean like a time machine?” “No. More subtle. I don’t normally remember dreams. ...

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“The Green Flash” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #230

The Green Flash By Dan Ward The rooster must have eaten a chili this morning. He sat on Carl’s unscreened window sill and crowed like he owned the morning. At the first flicker of morning light, the beautiful but totally moronic bird crammed his noise into Carl’s unwelcoming ears like an old guy on a Harley. “Asshole,” Carl muttered, cracking an eye. It was Monday, the day after Rita’s cleaning day. Three days a week, Maria cleaned his house, which was three rooms in a concrete shell on the edge of the sandy bay known as Boca de T...

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“Blizzard Beach” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #227

“It’s not the heat; it’s the humanity.” Gus mixed wit with his margaritas. “Back home, this time of year, people turn colder than a witch’s tit. It’s bad enough that the Artic wind will make your teeth hurt. Your breath forms icicles on your mustache and you get brain freeze without even sucking down a Slurpee. Even with insulated boots and gloves, your toes and fingers go numb. Lots of folks there forget to have fun when it gets cold.” The waiter came by, gesturing at his empty glass. “Uno mas,” Gus said, shifting on his stool at the beachs...

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Author bio

I was a journalist for 23 years, but rarely had a chance to write fiction. Now I'm retired and started writing memoirs to leave my grandchildren. Along the way, I rediscovered my love of fiction, and have been encouraged in two writing groups. I've written several short stories in the past couple years.