Delbert Griffith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021

Stories (71)

71 Stories

4234 karma pts

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“The Sugar Thief” by Delbert Griffith

Things I don’t like about Ina:1. She’s old.2. She smiles too much.3. She always tries to use coupons that have expired.4. She wears cheap, ugly clothes.5. She calls me “dearie.”Things I like about Ina:1. She’s a sugar thief. &...

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“Microscope, Telescope, Mirror” by Delbert Griffith

This wasn’t the sort of place one came to for fun, unless shooting up and dying a semi-slow death was one’s idea of a good time. Ellie peered at the addicts through the gloom of the abandoned hotel foyer, certain that every flight in this three-story ode to misery contained similar specimens.She moved slowly, cautiously, pistol still in her holster, wending her way through tweaking zombies, trying to ignore the stench of unwashed bodies and fetid standing water. Ellie was not to be dissuaded from her task, however. She was here to ...

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“The Rules for Crying” by Delbert Griffith

She walks through the room in silence, yet she’s never silent. There is a liveliness to her, a lightening of the room, a lifting of the spirit that stays long after she’s gone. Madison is almost perfect. Unfortunately, she has bad taste in men; she married me. She likes that joke less than I do but she smiles and kisses me anyway. “Why is there a bottle of champagne on the table?” I ask this me...

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“The Letter Whisperer” by Delbert Griffith

September 21, 2015 Martin Schuler read the letter. He then re-read the letter. Miriam waited patiently as the new dean of mathematics stared at the words on the paper. Schuler tossed the letter on his desk and toward Miriam. “What does this drivel mean?” Miriam picked up the letter and read it. A smile flitted across her fa...

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“The Miracle of the Damaged Jesus” by Delbert Griffith

Marilyn and Beatrice arrived at work early, as usual. Beatrice opened the door and held it open for Marilyn, as usual. The ladies took off their coats and put on their sweaters, as usual. They started re-stocking the books that had been checked in the evening before, as usual.The body of the head librarian lay in the Historical Fiction aisle, her lifeless eyes and bluish tint signifying that she was well and truly dead.Marilyn wiped her glasses, the grim expression on her face softened somewhat by the absence of eyewear. Whe...

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“Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters” by Delbert Griffith

Raise high the roofbeams, carpenters. Like Ares comes the bridegroom, Taller far than a tall man. ...

82 comments 82 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Millicent Boone Method for Ending a Bad Romance” by Delbert Griffith

Millicent sat across from the interviewer, relaxed and confident. A man pointed a finger at the interviewer. Five cameras softly whirred into action. “We’re here today with Millicent Boone, best-selling author of the self-help book, Ending a Bad Romance. In this book, Millicent takes us, step by step, through the process of getting out of a bad relationship. So, Millicent, can you expand on this a little ...

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“The Care and Feeding of Monsters” by Delbert Griffith

Viya Sol looked around the mansion with distaste. She didn’t like being here, and she certainly didn’t like what she had heard about the monster who used to live here. Not that she put much credence in the old tales that some of the more senior members of the Lollipop Guild talked about. Those wizened relics of the past had many tales to tell, all the stories outrageous and all the events sounding just a little to...

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“The Way of the Sensei” by Delbert Griffith

May 27I admit it; I’m being a voyeur. The delicious-looking man across the fence is shirtless, smoking a cigarette and sipping...

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“Gordita” by Delbert Griffith

You won’t find it on any map. When spoken of, it’s usually by old men drinking coffee at the local Dairy Queen. The town is part legend, part myth, a relic of the old west that left nothing behind to mark its existence save a lot of old bones and a half-buried, rotted sign displaying the town’s name. Not that anyone has lately seen these bones, or the sign; they are lost in the vast West Texas desert, bleached by...

83 comments 83 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“A Matter of Interpretation” by Delbert Griffith

Jarod Cochran was here to hang a man. And maybe to kill a few others who got in the way. The badge of a U.S. marshal came with responsibilities. Amarillo, Texas was growing at the end of the nineteenth century. Almost a thousand souls now lived in the area, carving out a life and a future from the semi-arid and seemingly empty land. Cattle ranches dominated the region; barbed wire and guns determined who owned whi...

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“Vampire Weekend” by Delbert Griffith

FRIDAY NIGHT “Wh – why are you doing this?” Jessie’s tear-stained eyes were red, her voice hoarse and weak. Beads of perspiration popped from her forehead, dripping down onto her torn jeans. Her wrists and ankles hurt from the restraints. The more she struggled, the more pain it caused. “True. I could simply slit your throat and be done ...

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“The Advantages of Decorum and Good Breeding” by Delbert Griffith

2002Marjory stared at the gargantuan painting, unimpressed. She stepped backwards over the dead body to inspect it from a greater distance. She was still unimpressed, even when Lillian told her that it was an original Rothko, worth upwards of seventy million dollars.“It looks like a very tall elementary school child did this,” Marjory said, shaking her h...

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“Falling Like Rain, Burning Like Fire” by Delbert Griffith

Malcolm looked around. Everything was in place. The interview could begin as soon as Jackson Keller finished wiping the residue of white powder from his nose. Malcolm Hall was excited, nervous, and a little star struck. Getting the reclusive author to agree to an interview was a major coup, one that could propel him to a bigger office and a better salary. “The son of a bitch offered me some coke – and a rid...

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“The Detritus of Utopia” by Delbert Griffith

“It’s official. Lesbians are filthy,” Tetchy Tommy said, shaking his head. He bent down and picked up an empty plastic cup, filled with cigarette butts and a slightly pink liquid substance. He shuddered at what that might be.“Wear some gloves, mate. Safety first,” Oliver said, surveying the massive amount of discarded Dixie cups, food wrappers, and gum that littered the arena.“Butterfly Boudoir. Wha kind uv name is that?” Tetchy Tommy scoffed.“A sexy name for a bunch of sexy women,” Oliver answered.“Bollocks. N...

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Author bio

Happily monogamous, moderately healthy, assuredly old. Proud to be a Texan, but not always proud of Texas. Math teacher, struggling writer, inveterate watcher of bad T.V. On with the bread and circuses!

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #196

The Bullet that Esther Stopped – read story

Shortlisted 5 stories ⭐️

Contest #208

Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters – read story

Contest #204

Gordita – read story

Contest #191

The Girl Who Played the Giuoco Pianissimo – read story

Contest #171

The Rules of Arithmetic – read story

Contest #165

It's Murder, Sir – read story