Jackson Anhalt

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

Stories (4)

4 Stories

90 karma pts

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“Hot Pockets and Romance Don't Mix ” by Jackson Anhalt

Submitted to Contest #270

There are few things in life more sacred than a late-night snack. No one understands that better than a 911 dispatcher on their 13th graveyard shift in a row. I had barely sipped my fresh cup of coffee when the call came in.  “911, what’s your emergency?” I asked, slipping into the well-practiced calmness of my professional voice.  “He… he stabbed me,” came the panicked reply, the man’s voice shaky but clear enough to relay this was no joke.  Stabbed. That word has a way of snapping you to attention. No matter how strange...

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“The Weight of a Ring” by Jackson Anhalt

Submitted to Contest #269

“You better beat me down there. I don’t like wife beaters, and I don’t like men who touch children,” said an elderly-sounding man. The phone disconnected, and the line went dead. “What the hell?” I muttered, my hand frozen on my keyboard. “What just happened?” Alicia asked, swiveling her chair toward me, her voice edged with concern.  “Check the update,” I said, rubbing my temples as I tried to piece together what I had just heard. Calls like this one always left a pit in my stomach – a mess of fear and danger lingering in the air. The ...

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“Sheryl Crow, Eat Your Heart Out” by Jackson Anhalt

Submitted to Contest #267

TW: Suicide and mental health topics. “I have been the last voice many people have heard before they died. That’s not hyperbole; that’s fact. It’s a strange reality to come to terms with, knowing that your words – your tone, your pauses, the breath between sentences – might be the last tether someone has to this world.  “At first, I didn’t realize the weight of it. It was just a part of the job. But over time, it crept on me. The quiet moment after the line goes dead, when the room is filled with nothing but my own breathing, became t...

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“Reflections of a Fractured Mind ” by Jackson Anhalt

Submitted to Contest #266

The thing about being normal is that eventually, you get good at it. Too good. People start inviting you to dinner parties, asking for book recommendations, and trusting you with their dogs. That’s where it gets dangerous.  I started to notice my slip into madness twelve years ago. It wasn’t a light switch – it was a gradual descent, like a frog in a boiling pot of water. It started with little things, like staring just a bit too long at the sharp edge of a knife. At parties, instead of joining in the conversation, I’d like to sit in th...

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Author bio

If you like my short stories, you’d like my long one too. Check me out, wherever you get your books! “From the 911 Files: True Crime Confessions from Behind the Phone.” It’s the most fun a person can have for under $20!