J.M. Maxim

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (3)

3 Stories

74 karma pts

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“The Hope of a Last Breath” by J.M. Maxim

Submitted to Contest #240

When she felt the wind on her face, Sarah hoped this would be the last last breath she would pay for. It’s not that the breeze felt artificial; it was appropriately warm and deceptively gentle, like a quick, puffing exhale from a puppy making room to continue its staggered sniffing. It tasted the way it was supposed to, like salt and warm sand and seaweed. It quietly matched the dead silence of the exposed ocean shelf before her. The ocean had retreated quickly, draining away, rolling and mounting at the horizon, no doubt gathering into the...

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“Just A Pinch” by J.M. Maxim

Submitted to Contest #239

“OK people, you know the drill. Bigger the risk, bigger the reward.” Big Paul pushed his thin, greasy hair back off one side of his sweaty forehead. The air shimmered as he waved a pudgy hand towards the huge whiteboard on the back wall of the kitchen. Names, dates and the promised payment filled in. Sheila watched in awe, as every column and row appeared with text. Since starting as a sous chef three years ago, she had never seen a single week where the pledge board at Light Fantastic, the hottest restaurant on the north shore, wasn’t ...

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“The Trap” by J.M. Maxim

Submitted to Contest #215

It’s true, monsters are scary, but often, they’re not that bright. By contrast, Charles is small, just nine years old, and not very scary at all. But he’s very bright indeed. Charles has a passion for lots of things, like exploring, inventing, and entomology. This last item is much to his mother’s concern, as he is constantly collecting bugs of all kinds. So the first night he saw the monster in the corner of his room, he wasn’t scared. He was curious. “Hullo,” said Charles. The monster made a slippery, growling sou...

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Author bio

"To sing, to laugh, to dream, to walk in my own way and be alone, free, with an eye to see things as they are. To travel any road under the sun, under the stars, nor doubt if fame or fortune lie beyond the bourne. Never to make a line I have not heard in my own heart. " - E. Rostand