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Howard Halsall

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020

Stories (134)
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1113 Followers
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134 Stories

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White Out

I wake up to an icy gust that makes me shudder and Harry’s voice calls from the open door.   "We can't wait for fine weather, so keep the place warm. We'll return in ten days.”   Stay and chop wood or hunt for food in the white out.   Just my luck. I drew the short straw last night.   Harry and Jimbo get to venture out.   “There’s ammo on the table,” said Jimbo. “If the pack ice comes down with a bear and it checks out the hut, shoot it.”    I know...

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Left on the Shelf

Submitted to Contest #285

I always knew I was something special. I mean, not to boast, but I’ve been the cornerstone of communication in Dowson, Jessop and Pertwee’s chambers for over a decade. Contracts, memos, love letters hastily scribbled on company letterhead—I’ve seen it all. So, you can imagine my outrage when I was removed from the senior partner’s office and frog-marched into what I can only describe as a graveyard for office equipment. The culprits? Two cleaners. Ruffians, really. The kind of men who smell like last week’s cheese and onion sandwiches. ...

71 likes 84 comments 84
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A Story to be Told

Submitted to Contest #284

Christmas morning arrived, as it always did, with Claire buzzing about like a snow-dusted sparrow while I nursed a coffee and grumbled under my breath about the cost of everything. Our house was a swirl of tinsel and twinkling fairy lights, the air carried the scent of roasting turkey and citrus notes of mulled wine. And yet, all I could think about was the sanctity of Boxing Day football fixtures—a glimmer of normalcy amid the forced cheer.   At eight o’clock I got a call from my sister, Victoria.   “Roy,” she ...

47 likes 49 comments 49
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Drowning Inside

Submitted to Contest #280

What time do you call this, Maggie? I know. I’m sorry. The traffic— Don’t give me that. You’re never late.  I had things to do. Things? Like what? Jimmy, don’t start. What’s with the sunglasses? They’re just sunglasses. Take them off. Jimmy, please. Take. Them. Off. Fine. What the hell happened? It’s nothing. Damn it, who gave you the shiner? Jimmy, leave it alone. Was it Neal? No. Terry, then. Jimmy— It was, wasn’t it? Fine. Yes. It was Terry. That son of a— Why?Jenkins! Keep your voice down.  You don’t know about my problems, Sir...

61 likes 65 comments 65
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Last Man Standing

Submitted to Contest #279

When I woke up, the world was dead.Somewhere in the darkness, a sound rippled - soft at first, like distant rain. Within seconds the gentle whooshes grew louder until a chaotic thrumming enveloped the room.I lay still, my eyes shut, trying to make sense of it. The unworldly noise had a hypnotic pulse. It grew and shifted, rising and falling like an oncoming blizzard. Wings. Hundreds of them, beating the air in frantic, uneven rhythms. I prised open my tender eyelids and squinted at the window. Outside, an avalanche of fleeting silhouett...

44 likes 40 comments 40
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Entertaining Arthur

Submitted to Contest #276

Yesterday’s Christmas family gathering felt like a year ago as I waited for Arthur in a soggy meadow, wrapped in my new woolly hat and scarf. My father once described Arthur as an eighty-year-old jazz fan whose eventful life read like a boys-own adventure book of twentieth century history. He had a lifetime’s worth of exploits and wasn’t shy about recounting untold anecdotes. I admit Arthur was amusing, it’s just that I questioned everything when I was thirteen-years-old. I thought his stories were far-fetched and made the mistake of sa...

51 likes 32 comments 32
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The Thunder Beast

Submitted to Contest #274

The afternoon had been bright and cloudless as we trudged on horseback across the featureless moorland, hauling rough-hewn pine logs in our wake. However, by the time we arrived at the raised earthworks, the sun had dipped below the rock-strewn embankment and a diaphanous mist appeared as if offering moral support. After settling our horses, a pitiless breeze caught the prairie’s desiccated buffalo grass and it trembled in the darkness. I rubbed my hands together to revitalise numb fingers and edged closer to our flickering campfire. Th...

56 likes 30 comments 30
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The Unravelling

Submitted to Contest #273

I wasn’t surprised when they told me Danny had vanished from sight at the retreat. It felt inevitable ever since he embraced meditation to escape his everyday existence. Sure, life can be tough, but I felt forsaken, jettisoned like cargo from a sinking vessel. Christie had spotted the signs and suggested we kept diaries during my pregnancy. Trust me, darling, she’d said, knitting her brow. Journaling will keep you both sane. As a mother of four, Christie said it had saved her marriage time and time again. * * *I discovered Danny’s diary...

41 likes 15 comments 15
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The Guinea Pigs

Submitted to Contest #271

Doctor Travers ticked all the boxes on my consent form and peering over his glasses assured me an arm transplant was standard practice. I perform ten a day, he said, handing me the paperwork. They’re a piece of cake. Really? For sure, he said, indicating where to sign. It’s just brain surgery that gives me a headache. Stella the anaesthetist rolled her eyes, sighed and asked if I’d any allergies. None, I replied, scanning the small print. That’s just perfect, she said, clearing her throat. Would you prefer gas and air, or the full works? Wha...

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A Winter’s Tale

Suzie and Mark weren’t the first middle-aged couple to escape a gruelling lifestyle in London and seek tranquillity in rural France. They’d always dreamt of transforming a derelict property into a perfect home and achieved their ambitious goal in six years. Now, with time to relax in a little piece of heaven, their deepest concerns resurfaced to hold them hostage.* * *Suzie’s spine stiffened the moment we heard the purposeful, Rat-a-Tat-Tat! on the kitchen door.    “It’s the Woodentops,” she said, through clench...

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Vital Signs

Submitted to Contest #260

Leicester was the first city in Britain to go into lockdown due to its high infection rate, and the social restrictions remained for eleven months. However, despite the growing number of bodies waiting to be interred, the authorities relaxed the strict rules at Christmastime to allow family gatherings. After three days of merrymaking, the city’s population returned to a state of suspended animation and awaited a miracle.* * *There was a nip in the air and a dusting of hoarfrost on the asphalt outside the Newbury and Cookson Funeral Home. Yes...

50 likes 43 comments 43
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Starr Hills

I’m exhausted, struggling across this carpet like a geriatric tortoise. It was Alice who chose it, of course. She always had an eye for quality fabric. It’s pure wool and was a bargain at the time with a lifetime’s guarantee. It’s outlasted her lifetime that’s for sure, and it’ll still be in good nick after I pop my clogs. I shouldn’t joke about that at my age, especially after today’s debacle.* * *It's such a daft thing to have done. I should have left well alone. Daphne says to me every time she comes, ‘You’re not to dust, Arthur. That's w...

23 likes 16 comments 16
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His Big Break

Shortlisted for Contest #257 ⭐️

I couldn’t bear waiting at home all week, but I didn’t want to miss the call. They told me they were interested so the phone might ring at any time. Maybe they weren’t concerned about my availability or they were playing hard to get? I’ve had important roles before, of course. No sign of a romantic lead, but that could happen. Whatever part I’m playing, even if it’s a walk-on, I own it and make my mark. I’m a serious person and can’t help getting involved. But it’s funny, you know, because I never get the serious roles. Everyone remembe...

67 likes 66 comments 66
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Always Next Season

Submitted to Contest #256

The first televised FA Cup Final occurred in 1938 and it was a lacklustre affair. After 29 minutes of extra-time with no goals, BBC commentator Thomas Woodrooffe said, “if there’s a goal now, I’ll eat my hat.” Thousands were already on their way towards the exits, when Preston’s inside-right was brought down and the referee pointed towards the penalty spot. Wembley stadium was silent when George Mutch set the ball in place with aplomb and retreated a few steps. He raised his head, picked his mark and darting forward, hoofed the ball, which t...

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Expendable Losses

Nurse Talbot swiped her ID card through the access reader, opening the doors to the surgical centre. She greeted Ward Fifteen’s weary night staff, finishing their shift and trundled her meds trolley down the taupe-painted corridor to Thomas Travers’ recovery room. Biting her lip, she raised a clenched fist and rapped a jaunty rata-tat-tat with her knuckles.    “Come!” Tom grunted in response. “Don’t be shy, nurse.”   “How are we today, Tom?” she said, unlocking the trolley’s metal door as he fumbled for his...

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