Ian Gonzales

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (12)

12 Stories

389 karma pts

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“Keep Listening” by Ian Gonzales

It’s the sounds I notice first.The beep of machines, the low hiss of air through ventilation ducts, the muffled thumps of footsteps nearby.It’s like I’m aware, but I’m not awake.It’s strange. I can feel a mattress under me, a needle sticking into my arm, the warm, dry air of wherever I am.But I don’t know where I am or how I got here. Suddenly worried, I try to open my eyes. They won’t open.    I t...

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“Human Error” by Ian Gonzales

It's when I see the look on her face that I realize the mistake I’ve made. Ten days of hiding it, and every minute it was like I’d stabbed her in the back, and she just hadn’t felt it yet. But when we wake up from the first sleep cycle, alone on a spaceship hurtling through the void between stars, I can’t take it any longer. So, I tell her. Only it isn’t really ten days later. It’s nea...

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“Watch the Falling Rain” by Ian Gonzales

When I first see the old man, he’s lying in bed, watching the falling rain. His room Shady Grove Elder Care Facility is small, the bed placed so it faces the room’s only window. Fat raindrops strike the glass in a rhythmic cadence, sliding down, leaving meandering trails that cast strange shadows across the gloomy space. The nurse puts a hand on my arm, stopping me in the doorway. “Just a warning,” she sa...

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“Passing On” by Ian Gonzales

“Most people just like to leave their kids money.”            The old man looks up at me, blinking rheumy eyes. “Don’t I know it,” he says. “My father left me a fortune, and look what I did with it.”            I arch an eyebrow. “The way I see it, you’ve done a lot of good with what you were given.” I certainly won’t object to his spending preferences.            “Oh, too little, too late.” He ...

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“The Most Important Power” by Ian Gonzales

      I sit behind my desk, pretending to busy myself with paperwork, while I wait for my students to finish filing into the classroom. It’s the usual eclectic mix, a complicated cross-section of young people, defying simple classification. Sure, there are a few with tells, like the big kid who even at fourteen has a burly physique and a likely future as a school jock, or the one who’s helping to program another kid’s sm...

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“Gone for Good” by Ian Gonzales

      Todd Harmon jumped down from the cab of his truck, landing on the pavement with a wince as his old knees protested the treatment. He straightened with another grimace of pain for his back, permanently griping after more than thirty years of sitting for hours each day. It was a situation as old as modern society, but somebody had to do the job he did, and the compensation for it had helped him to build a very nice life for himself and his family. He could have taken early retirement three years ago, but ...

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“For What Ails You” by Ian Gonzales

      “If we go in there, odds are it’s not gonna end well. You know that, right?”           It’s a voice in the back of my mind, a whisper that only I can hear. You’d think after all this time, I’d be used to it, but it still sends a chill down my spine. “Yeah, I know that. But that’s what you’re here for.”           I keep walking as I talk, heading down the night-shrouded street, the ...

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“Prior Obligations” by Ian Gonzales

      “I just wish I knew what this was about,” Maddy said, her arms folded tight across her chest, like she was trying to hold onto something. “I just wish you could explain it to me.”           Joseph glanced up at his wife, saw the worry on her face, and looked away quickly. “I’m sorry, love,” he said, turning back to the mirror and continuing to button his dress shirt. “It can’t be helped. There’s something I have to do.”  &nbs...

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“No Place Special” by Ian Gonzales

“Hey, Fish, what’s happening with those beans?” My head comes up at the sound of that voice, with its distinctive East London accent. “Underway, sir,” I reply, returning my attention to the task of mixing green beans with a can of something labeled cream of mushroom soup. Around me, laughter breaks out at my response. I can feel my ears burn; I’ve been on this ship a little over four months, long enough to discover that habits formed during four years’ service aboard military vesse...

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“Friends After Death” by Ian Gonzales

Standing at his kitchen counter, Mike ran through the checklist one last time. It was important that he got things right. A single mistake could ruin everything. His eyes scanned the contents of the cooler lying open in front of him. Chips and bean dip. Check. Pigs-in-a-blanket and hot wings. Check. Those stupid carrot and celery sticks his wife always insisted on sending with him. Check. Beer. Check. He gazed lovingly at the frosty cold bottles of dark glass. Then he spun around, opened the fridge and pulled out another six pack....

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“The Afterparty” by Ian Gonzales

      The mansion was immense, a construct of towers, turrets, and gables linked by mansard roofing, crowned by a railing of black iron. The walls were dotted with windows, a hodgepodge of arch, lattice, and porthole, from small circles to long, narrow rectangles. The exterior was liberally decorated with ornate scrollwork, trimming every edge and border. A sweep of broad steps led up to a large porch, its roof supported by tall columns. The whole place was a masterful study in Victorian architecture, somethi...

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“One Time Too Many” by Ian Gonzales

“It just happened again.” I look up from the delivery schedule I’m studying and glance at my coworker. “What?” Josh stares back at me, a frown wrinkling his brow. “I saw another cat. Another black one.” He gestures out through the windshield of the truck. “Scampered across the street right in front of me as I was coming back from the drop-off.” I glance in the indicated direction, but all I can see is the rain, sheeting down out of an overcast sky, coming down so hard that it nearly hides the building that line the s...

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Contest #17
No Place Special – read story