Jeffery Young

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (13)

13 Stories

299 karma pts

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“Pale Ring of Flesh” by Jeffery Young

I closed my eyes. “I’m so, so sorry . . .”“I forgive you.”“Wh-what?!”“You heard me. I forgive you.”“But-but I was so cruel to you . . .”“And I forgive you.”“And I cheated on you! After five years!”“I forgive you.”“I betrayed you . . . and I didn’t even regret it.”“Do you regret it now?”“I do!” She sobbed. “Then I forgive you.”“I hurt you so, so badly . . .”“What did I say? I forgive you.”“All ...

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“Graveyard Swirls” by Jeffery Young

“Hey! What’re you doing out here?!” “It’s just me. Don’t worry, Fred.” “Oh! Mr. Jamie.” The old grave keeper appeared from behind a great tombstone, dimming his lantern-light so as not to blind me. “It’s been quite a while since our last chat, friend.” “Exactly a year,” I responded, pulling myself from my spot on the ground, standing and extending my hand. He took it, greeting me merrily.

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“Brown, White, and Covered in Clay” by Jeffery Young

“So, what’s your plan for Christmas?” “Well. I mean, we’re here,” I responded, gesturing to the mountains surrounding us. Kayleigh followed my motion, eyes softening in the bluish hue that coated the land. We were at a small mountain camp in the middle of nowhere. The kind of place they talk about in horror movies but don’t shoot in because none of the actors can go a week without cellphone service. We had been h...

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“Revenge of the Hamster” by Jeffery Young

“I’m a hamster. There’s no avoiding it. Those stupid coven witches turned me into this cute, fluffy, adorable rodent,” my little black eyes burned with ferocity, my nose twitched with a mighty and rageful inhalation, “REVENGE!!!” I squeaked, the time was nigh. There was an impossibly high door in front of me, those witches having dumped me only a few feet outside after a day of shoebo...

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“Pocket Flowers” by Jeffery Young

Warning: Contains themes of war, violence, death, and gore. Ac Something crashed outside, the night sky filling with what looked like trillions of falling, flaming stars. An alarm blared, signaling another attack, the enemy was on their way. Screaming. Shouts and someone barking orders. Running. Fires crackled as the neighborhood ignited with pillars of fire. Explosions. More screaming....

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“It Ain't Everyday” by Jeffery Young

“The lab gets cold at night,” I said, wrapping the girl with a quilted blanket. She had fallen asleep at the lab bench, again, and her brown hair was splayed out around her like sun-beams. Checking the wall clock, I sighed heavily. “Tess. It’s three in the morning! Why are you still here?” “Mmm?” She moaned, smacking her lips and lifting her head slowly. “Who?” She sounded half-panicked, confused until she saw m...

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“Lower Your Expectations ” by Jeffery Young

You find yourself fettered to a table once . . . and the next time isn’t quite as special. Interrogation chambers were becoming way too common in my life, quickly losing their charm. A very gruff looking security guard stood near a metallic door on the other side of the room. A black one-way mirror covered the wall to my right and I was definitely on the wrong side of it. Yellow bulbs buzzed above m...

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“Bookstore Girl” by Jeffery Young

“Thomas Mc Flanagan was an Irish immigrant who moved to the United States in the 1970s, falling in love with the daughter of an old southern gentleman while in Charleston. Of course, southern tradition didn’t allow for that, so the couple did what any logical young couple would do, they ran! Escaped! Fled to the north and moved to a small town near Chesapeake bay and married. It was a struggle, obviously, but they manag...

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“Outrunning the Ocean” by Jeffery Young

“I don’t know, doc. I just feel like they're still on me. You see? You know she and I met in college? I told you that story? We didn’t exactly hit it off, but hey, when you’re as awkward as me and as guarded as her, it’s a wonder we even remembered each other’s names! But those orbs! Those two, beautiful orbs! They haunt me, even when I haven’t seen her in so long. Sure, I feel that twang in my chest, that liquid cool like a bucket of water cascading down on me . . . she was beautiful in so many ways! I hung onto every word, gasp...

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“The Covered Man” by Jeffery Young

CW: death, gore, illnessThe man in my room was dressed like an alien. He had a white plastic suit, like a packaged fish from the town over the hill. I couldn’t see his face behind a dark visor, but when he spoke his voice was fluent in muffled smiles. It was comforting in a way, like burying your face in pillows when you’re tired. I wish I could see his face, I hadn’t seen anyone's face in weeks. Not since I got sick. I was playing with my baby sister outside the village about two weeks ago. Running around n...

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“Prayer in the Dirt” by Jeffery Young

“Are you there God? It’s me, Jaxon.” The man was just a kid. To me, at least. To everyone else he would be about nineteen. He had never grown up. Not really. He pressed his dull green eyes shut, little fleshy dams for tears and months of stress. He was dirty. The fatigue of constant fighting evident in the deep rivets, cuts, and bruises that criss-crossed his face. They were a part of him now. Even ...

17 comments 17 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“The Beauty of Us” by Jeffery Young

It was in the final room of the final tower of the final kingdom that I was to lay eyes upon her once again. It had been months, but felt like years, day after day of sluggish and gruesome war. With the power gifted to me, a commoner of low stature, I had slaughtered villages, laid waste to cities and their armies, and forced every king and queen to bend knee before rending them to their rightful place beneath me....

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“The Mind Inside Her” by Jeffery Young

The word tome always fills me with a sense of unease. It’s one of those words that provokes profound thought from its listeners, or users, and weaves imagery of ancient libraries piled high with mysterious, ancient, dusty old tomes. Tome! Tome! Tome! I thought as I stood before the old store. It was one of those side street buildings without a sign, just a worn white-washed pl...

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Author bio

I love to write, I love to read. I'm using this platform mostly to experiment with different styles and themes. They aren't all good, but I'd love your feedback on them none-the-less! I live in Lexington, SC with my dog-Butter- and my cat- Purrcy. I would say they help me focus, but they mostly just tear up the house.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #132

Prayer in the Dirt – read story