Edward Latham

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2022

Stories (11)

11 Stories

689 karma pts

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“The Silver Spear” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #190

Izzy grasped her silver spear with both hands and barred her teeth at the sphinx. From behind the glass of the display case it yawned, crossed one of its large front paws over the other, and didn’t appear in the slightest bit bothered by the girl approaching it.“Speak now, demon,” Izzy growled, “or forever hold your peace.” She hoped she sounded threatening enough, she was sure she’d heard people say that in the movies.The sphinx deigned to look at her and gave one slow blink of its sandy-grey eyes. Its strange feline body and human face had...

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“Title 93% Loaded...” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #184

A blue, rectangular box popped up in the middle of Michael’s vision. He skimmed over the white text:Metaverse update patch 13.21- Improved A.I. for non-playable characters and personal assistants- New hairstyles and apparel available!- Bug fix to dance emoticons Download CancelHis eyes landed on the ‘cancel’ button...

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“The Disappeared” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #182

The plane between Ellie’s world and wherever she was now had a fuzzy quality. She could see past it, but immaterial grains buzzed across the surface, reminiscent of television static. A moment ago, she’d slid her hand through it, only to snap it back in shock when it didn’t reappear on the other side. She wriggled her fingers to make sure they still worked.The people directly on the other side of the plane were oblivious to it, so in that sense it reminded her of a two-way mirror. Those people also happened to be her parents. She could see h...

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“Astronauts Have Christmas Too” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #178

The gingerbread man floated in the middle of the room. Flight Engineer Nate pushed off the floor and glided expertly towards it; he opened his mouth and bit off its head in one quick snap of his jaw. A cheer erupted from the group of astronauts in the Harmony module of the International Space Station.The Christmas delivery had arrived last week and the walls were lined with snakes of green and gold tinsel. Protruding diagonally from one corner of the ceiling was a garish fake tree, full of baubles and sparkle. “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”...

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“The Rabbits of Burrow Mound” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #176

The blade felt lightly balanced as he held it firmly in his mouth. It had a sweet, airy taste to it. Kip saw the haunches of his opponent tense. He leaped to the left just as the flying ball of fur came towards him and flicked his blade out to the side. ‘Got you!’ grinned Kip as he spat out the piece of grass and rolled to a halt. One of his ears flopped over his eyes and then flipped back up, alert. ‘Two-nil, I win this time!’ A rabbit with mischievous eyes and large brown paws looked back at him. He was sitting on his rear-end and...

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“The Legacy of Dr. Theodore Marten” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #175

I am the best paranormal investigator in the world. You might call me a ghost hunter, but that would only reveal your own ignorance as to the subtlety of my work.My job requires a unique blend of skills that very few possess: an incredible amount of cunning and creativity, an unexpected volume of physical prowess, and a great degree of empathy.You see, exorcising a ghost is easy; the most common priest could do it. Catching a ghost on the other hand, now that, is a real talent, and of course, it’s one in which I have a one hundred percent su...

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“Canky Tops” by Edward Latham

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #174

Anyone who’s walked down the alleyway off Fifth Avenue will remember it. And they’ll tell you to take any other road.For a start the street is suffocatingly narrow. The old, grey buildings look like they are trying to either squeeze the life out of you, or fall on top of you. Then, there’s the cobblestone path that has so many cracks, trips and loose bricks, it surely wants to break your ankle. But worst of all is the smell. First, you’re assaulted by the sharp, pungent odour of nail polish remover, which might not be too bad if it wasn’t fo...

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“Over to You” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #172

Come close fellow writer. I have truths to tell and there are questions you must answer. If we aren’t honest with each other now, we might not get another chance. We have until midnight and the clock is ticking.First, I must ask you why you’re here. Why does your painstaking heart pour onto the page? Why do your fingers tap, tap, tap on keys that click and clack? What’s in it for you?This question needs consideration and I’ve sprung it upon you, so I’ll start by telling you my secret.It’s the love of language. Letters with no meaning of thei...

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“The Long Way Home” by Edward Latham

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #171

Dear Holly,Here goes nothing. I ate my pasta with a spoon tonight. It reminded me of you, and how you’d stubbornly say it was the best and only way. It’s one year to the day since I saw your gorgeous face. I miss the rebellious amber strands that refused to tuck behind your ears. I miss the little cleft between your eyebrows, worn by time. I miss the tiny mole behind your left ear that you’d scratch until sometimes it bled. I have to be honest, I haven’t been able to let you go in the way you asked.It’s partly Jim’s fault, if he hadn’t been ...

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“It was a Graveyard Smash” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #169

“Brilliant!” I cried, looking down at my son gleefully. “This has got to be the best lightning generator I’ve ever seen!”The most beautiful bolt leapt across the sky like a startled deer, before splitting into a cascade of electric tributaries. It silhouetted the daunting manor on the horizon in a way that could only have been perfected by one man. Well, monster.“Dracula has really nailed it this year! You wait until we get inside Ludwig, this party is gonna blow your brains out! He’s invited every single monster in Transylvania!”My son grin...

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“Familiar Strangers” by Edward Latham

Submitted to Contest #168

Home. It’s that place where you release the breath you didn’t even realise you were holding. The place where you sleep as deep as you did when you were ten years younger. The place where you let go of your future worries and relax into the present.For Harry Tufton home was the 18:05 train from London Bridge to Brighton. The journey was just over an hour and occasionally, when the world weighed too heavy, he would fall fast asleep. His stop was the last, so no worries there. More often though, he would sit, appearing to stare out the win...

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Author bio

Long-time lover of fantasy, horror, crime fiction, and historical fiction just beginning the journey into the daunting and thrilling world of creative writing. Looking to develop my skills with short stories and maybe one day venture into a novel! Any advice or tips will be gratefully received and would be awesome to chat with other writers out there.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #174

Canky Tops – read story

Contest #171

The Long Way Home – read story