Delbert Griffith

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2021

Stories (76)

76 Stories

4460 karma pts

?

“Gabriel's Horn” by Delbert Griffith

Gabriel's horn (also called Torricelli's trumpet) is a particular geometric figure that has infinite surface area but finite volume. The term ‘Gabriel’s Horn’ refer...

32 comments 32
Read story

“A Reasonable Facsimile of Life” by Delbert Griffith

Deidra looked at the long line in her checkout lane and sighed. If she had the chance, and a reasonable expectation of avoiding detection, she would kill at least fifteen of them. Especially the old lady she was checking out; the old bat had twenty-five tinned fruitcakes with twenty-five coupons. This one should die horribly, she thought. Slowly as well. “That’s one, dearie. Two…three…no, four. T...

29 comments 29
Read story

“The Substance of Things Hoped For” by Delbert Griffith

Jolik Corona had seven kills under his belt before he turned fourteen. By the time he was thirty, he had reached triple digits in this area and was a legend on the Temporal Anomaly Force. Still, ninety-seven percent of the population died quietly. Despite their best efforts, the TAF hadn’t found a way to go back in time to stop the scourge of the NCC-1701 virus. No one could find the exact origin of the virus, fo...

28 comments 28
Read story

“Seneca has a Date” by Delbert Griffith

He who spares the wicked injures the good. Seneca – ancient Roman philosopher JUNE 13, 2011 Seneca stared out of the window of the train, calculating how fast the train was moving. It was an easy calculation to make since the telephone poles were exactly 88 feet apart. This mental activit...

14 comments 14
Read story

“Last Exit to Eden” by Delbert Griffith

Jordan always took the long way home after he did his weekly shopping in Hico. It was soothing. Until today, that is. Today he was abducted by three men. Jordan spotted the first man, about three miles off of the main highway. He was standing in the middle of the road with his right hand up. Jordan stopped. He had to, otherwise, he would be running over the man. Jordan got out of his pickup and two other men appea...

5 comments 5
Read story

“The Rules of Arithmetic” by Delbert Griffith

Sometimes you just have to leave the dead bodies behind and move on. That’s the logical thing to do. The smart thing to do. So we’re in another city. San Antonio. There is always a need for math professors at universities. For some reason. Probably the pay. And it isn’t a glamorous profession. The rules of math are nice, though. You get a sense that something is dependable in math. Solid. The rules o...

48 comments 48 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Well-Fed Barbarians” by Delbert Griffith

The clinking of the silverware and the wine being poured were the only sounds to be heard at the dinner table. The lights were bright and harsh, casting dark, sharp shadows across the dining room. What the light could not reveal, however, was that the couple would be trying to kill each other that night, and that both would have bullet holes in their heads in the end. ************** ...

13 comments 13
Read story

“Lovers and other Liars” by Delbert Griffith

I’ve got a plan.” Marcus looked at his friend with a mixture of intrigue and doubt. He had known Rendon for his entire life and had been his best friend since middle school. Marcus took another sip of beer and laughed at Marcus with mild amusement. Rendon always had some cock-eyed plan, and they never worked. They did, however, provide Marcus with a lot of entertainment. “And I’m ready to help you out, budd...

14 comments 14
Read story

“Gunpowder Cologne” by Delbert Griffith

The flash of the nearby lightning lasted for only a fraction of a second, yet the images that Piper and Decker saw were temporarily frozen behind their retinas. Blinding white and oppressive black were the only colors to be seen, each finding its rightful place according to the properties assigned to them by the laws of physics. Thunder cracked, sending a shiver through the countryside, and then tailing off to a pleasant...

20 comments 20
Read story

“The Depth of the Rubicon” by Delbert Griffith

The red and blue lights of the police cars clashed with the orange and black decorations that festooned the neighborhood. Halloween night. A body in the bathtub. A hysterical housekeeper. Sergeant Higgs sighed and walked inside the home, up the stairs, and in to the bathroom. “Who would have thought the lady to have had so much blood in her?” “What?” Higgs asked irritably. He bent down by the bathtub and l...

26 comments 26
Read story

“Mechanical Hearts” by Delbert Griffith

I met Seneca’s shadow before I met Seneca. It seems a strange thing to say but that’s how I remember it. We were both going to the local 24-hour grocery store at 3:38 A.M. on a Tuesday morning. Tuesdays, by their very nature, are unromantic, but that’s where the romance began. A girl with no legs captured my cupid-immune heart.**************“Yo! Buddy! Move aside for the mobile people!”Anson had seen a shadow creep up behind him as he waited for the “WALK” sign to activate at the stree...

35 comments 35
Read story

“37 Dollars, A Broken Watch, and a Desert Heart” by Delbert Griffith

A broken watch, Jacob thought with a fair amount of bitterness. He took another bite of rattlesnake meat and stared into the fire, wondering how the hell all this happened. This is how it happened. ************** He looked in horror at the still hands on his watch – thirteen minutes too late. Sprinting through the streets of El Paso, dodging pedestrians, and jumping over curbs...

10 comments 10
Read story

“The Animal Kingdom” by Delbert Griffith

Beth stared out of the train window, watching the afternoon shadows grow longer with each passing mile. It would be dark soon, but she liked the dark. Beth did her best work when the sun had gone to sleep. Tonight, Beth cut loose. The Sunset Limited served alcohol, and Beth did her best to seriously deplete their supply of tequila and hot tea. A weird combination, granted, but Beth was a big believer in s...

8 comments 8
Read story

“The Chicken, the Egg, and the Two-Dollar Haircut” by Delbert Griffith

Ky crouched down behind a rocky outcrop while a hail of bullets peppered the nearby vicinity. The three men above him were intent on doing him in by overdosing him on some hot lead, but Ky was a rare breed. He was strong, courageous, and a dead-eye shot. With amazing swiftness, Ky let loose a barrage of shots that immediately felled two of the bad men. The other one took off, jumping on his horse and...

8 comments 8
Read story

“The Girl with the Rainbow Tears” by Delbert Griffith

Everyone is happy when I take my meds. Except me. The meds are for “my condition,” as my parents and siblings describe my particular brand of schizophrenia. They’re all afraid to say the word. It’s a bitch to spell too. ************** “So, you are color blind,” the old man said. He nodded but he wouldn’t look Fargo in the eye. The boy seemed a little strange....

5 comments 5
Read story

Author bio

Will be away for a bit, doing NaNoWriMo. Like Arnold, I'll be back. Cheers!

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