Delbert Griffith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021

Stories (55)

55 Stories

2885 karma pts

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“Sister Sister, Rat Bastards, and Fierce Ice” by Delbert Griffith

I’ll just say it. I’m free. Fourteen months of eating food with sketchy provenance and enduring the company of unwonderful people has left me devoid of any fond feelings for Huntsville state prison. Also, I can now pee without an audience. It’s the little things that matter. Don’t take that the wrong way, buddy. I have thirty-seven dollars to my name, so getting a hooker was out of the question. A decent chicken-f...

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“The Bullet that Esther Stopped” by Delbert Griffith

II shot papa square in the heart but he didn’t die. That damn bible he carried with him saved his life. I was considerable lucky that papa had his axe at hand, and that he kept it sharp. I picked it up. It was a heavy thing, so I swung with all my might and put it right through his head. Seein’ his brains made me throw up. I moved away so it wouldn’t get on papa. That would be disrespectful.Papa was a big man. I couldn’t bury him like that, so I started choppin’ off his arms and legs ...

164 comments 164 WINNER 🏆

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“Eden in the Rearview Mirror” by Delbert Griffith

Jarod plopped the bag of food down on the desk and likewise plopped himself in a chair. The afternoon sun had creeped in through the windows, showing off angular shapes and making the shadows appear denser, solid. Sounds from outside the room were muted. No one, it seemed, wanted to further fracture a day that had already been horribly shattered. “Thanks, bro,” Fenny opened the bag and poured the contents out. Two...

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“A Little Story before I Die” by Delbert Griffith

March 21, 1923Dr. Camp felt it. The years crushed down on him, leaving him with the unbearable loneliness that comes from losing one’s lifelong companions and the physical pain that an adventurous life gave him. The nurses would give him morphine, but never enough to eradicate the physical pain, never enough to ignore the loneliness.Truth be told, the good doctor was ready to die. Yet…yet he wouldn’t. Not yet. He had one more tale to write, one more story that had to be penned before ...

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“Please Hold While I Kill a Bad Man” by Delbert Griffith

“Hi, dear! Are you busy?” “Yes, mom. I’m in a meeting.” “Ok. Call you back later?” “Sure.” ************** I love my mom, but she is absolutely driving me crazy. ************** The back room of the brothel was a study in unhygienic habits. A thick coating of dust rested on top of sticky-looking grime. Beth counted n...

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“How to Kill Someone after You're Dead” by Delbert Griffith

I didn’t know my murderer, and he didn’t know me. Carl Bronson was his name. He killed me with a 2021 Ford Mustang. The man was drunk and ran a red light, going at a speed not meant for city streets. The impact was terrific. I felt intense pain and I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. All I could do was groan w...

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“A Different Type of Air” by Delbert Griffith

It happened practically overnight. The Disaster, mother called it. Apocalypse, father said. My brother called it Ruination, but he always was a drama queen. And me? I didn’t call it anything until seven years later. Now I call it Salvation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amy was not a person who woke up with anything approaching grace. She felt that alarm clocks were her personal en...

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“The Girl Who Played the Giuoco Pianissimo” by Delbert Griffith

February 3, 2021 I will die in this house and no one will be here to see it. The thought comforts me. **************************** “You smoke too much,” Ash said, eyeing the full ashtrays in the living area. He plopped himself down on the sofa and waited for Portia to finish what she was doing. Portia took off her headphones and leaned ba...

73 comments 73 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Love, and other Deadly Sins” by Delbert Griffith

Someone invented romantic love. Probably a woman. I hope she contracted syphilis and was drawn and quartered for her sins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Well, it’s ugly and depressing and oppressive,” Talia said, touching a countertop and then wiping the dust from her fingers. “It has some good qualities, dear.” Layla drifted through the...

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“A Passing Acquaintance with Grace” by Delbert Griffith

My good deed got two people killed. And it all started with a dame. Ain’t that always the way?****************************“You did the right thing, Booker. Can’t blame yourself for what happened,” Stella told me. I had just knocked back a fistful of gin and tonics and was feeling the effects of a lot of booze on an empty stomach.“You bein’ right don’t make it any easier to take, Stell. Raymond and Ophelia Murtaugh are still on slabs downtown. Just as sure as eggs is eggs, that rat bastard Kenn...

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“The Lightness of Heavy Objects” by Delbert Griffith

“If it weren’t for cilantro, I’d be completely happy,” Lenny said.The other members of the HOOD (Helping Others Overcome Depression) therapy group stared at Lenny. Some had looks of amazement on their faces, some nodded knowingly. Dr. Angstrom cleared his throat and popped an Altoids into his mouth.“That’s some bullshit, Lenny. Nothin’ wrong with cilantro,” Rudy stated.“Shut up, Rudy.” Belinda glared at Rudy after she spoke. She didn’t like Rudy; he was a pudgy, sweaty splodge of a man who always arrived at the HOOD m...

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“A Dollar for God” by Delbert Griffith

Rance Jenkins arrived in Muleshoe, Texas around 1:00 P.M. He was hoping to kill a man before the sun hit the horizon.Sweat and tobacco juice stained his dusty clothes, his blue eyes narrowed and searching. He spotted a pump handle by the horse trough and immediately took himself there. With a little effort, Rance had clear, cold water gushing out, splattering the dry street. He doused his head under the water before slaking his thirst. The July heat had settled in and was going to stick around for the duration of the summer....

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“The Texture of Love” by Delbert Griffith

The Texture of Love3:37 A.M.ur sexy11:57 A.M.Reno. WTF?3:22 P.M.Wantd to cum ovr4 sum lola luv

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“The Ineffable Silence of Blood” by Delbert Griffith

In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted Fn , form a sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start the sequence from 1 and 1 or sometimes (as did Fibonacci) from 1 and...

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“Fortunately, They Suck at Quick Service” by Delbert Griffith

Detective Jordan (GQ) Williams gazed at the body on the floor. Two shots to the chest. Quick, clean, efficient. He turned to his partner and asked, “Wanna help me out here?” Detective Harry Barnes did not want to help him out. He was sitting in a chair with a drooping frame and seemingly in pain. His strong and rugged physique looked frail, bent over with bowed head. “You hung over?” ...

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Author bio

Happily monogamous, moderately healthy, assuredly old. Bank account normally resides in the high single digits, but I am rich with a handful of Reedsy friends. My favorite word is 'hinterlands' and I am philosophically opposed to the term 'soul mate.' I don't ever agree to disagree; I just disagree. On with the bread and circuses!

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #196

The Bullet that Esther Stopped – read story

Shortlisted 3 stories ⭐️

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