David Hampton

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (4)

4 Stories

87 karma pts

?

“Laid Low” by David Hampton

Submitted to Contest #140

 The sound was a low rumble; brief, monotone, then gone. Silence…dead silence. Then it erupted again; so close, resounding, almost overwhelming. Strange, the disturbance appeared to be timed with breathing. Silence…silence. Then a subsequent encore halted mid-rumble, the abrupt cessation timed perfectly with the evolution of consciousness. Shit, I’m snoring, Buster Swingle guessed correctly as his eyelids became functional. It was dark, darker than he had ever experienced dark. Where am I? Suddenly he understood perfectly the meanin...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Nautical Neophytes” by David Hampton

Submitted to Contest #138

It was summer of 1976 in Springfield, Missouri. Jeff and I were at the Village Inn Pancake House. It was nearly midnight on a Friday and we were knocking down breakfast, which had become a weekend tradition after knocking down several beers at the Alibi Lounge. During that era in Smalltown, USA the Inn was about the only place you could get breakfast at that time of night. I normally had bacon and eggs with biscuits and gravy. Jeff, on the other hand, would always...ALWAYS order pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on top. Plus, extr...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Nanochaos” by David Hampton

Submitted to Contest #137

Brilliant beyond measure, thought Clark Webb, yet dumb as a box of rocks. Double clichès seemed to please him as he grinned into his coffee cup. The focus of this observation was Melinda Kinsey, fellow scientist at Keil Laboratories. The plump woman with an Einstein-like coiffure was sitting directly across the conference table and chewing on a honey bun like a starved rabbit, oblivious to the chunk of sugar clinging to her upper lip. Those mustache hairs must be like velcro, he mused. “We’re done here folks,” announced...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Triggering Tina” by David Hampton

Submitted to Contest #136

The insistent buzzing failed to accomplish its purpose; however, the faint scream ANSWER THE DAMNED DOORBELL from a distant part of the house jettisoned Tina's impressive bulk from the low spot on the couch to the front door. She peeked through a dusty sidelight to discover her friend Martha on the front porch jabbing at a cracked button that no longer emitted light but made up for it in noise. Tina opened the door and Martha pushed through and deposited herself on a faded velour easy chair in the living room. "About time," she griped. As...

0 comments 0
Read story

Author bio

My career began in the broadcast industry at 15 as a radio personality where I worked for several years in multiple markets before becoming a marketing specialist with the national office of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. While there I created, co-scripted, co-produced and syndicated a prime-time television special called Profiles in Survival. The show was featured on network affiliates and eventually aired in over 130 markets nationally over a six-year span. Prominent personalities in the productions included Cliff Robertson, Darren McGavin, Tracy Nelson, Mike Conners, Susan Anton, Steve Allen, George Peppard and Richard Belzer along with several others. I also created and produced a national radio special called Country's Cancer Fight that originated from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. After leaving the ACS in 1996 I founded Hampton Production, LLC, a full-service advertising agency in Springfield, MO where I am hands-on involved with all creative, web development, radio/TV, video and graphic design production. I began writing for personal enjoyment a few years ago and have completed five feature length screenplays, a sixty-minute teleplay pilot, and published two children's books. The books, Vanny V (Vulture Culture Rebel) and Tobie are available on Amazon. I have also written several short stories (one award winning).