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Jethro Pili

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2021

Stories (163)

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30 Followers

41 Following

163 Stories

299 karma pts

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The Enemy of My Enemy

Jethro Pili

Noah Harper nearly tripped over the brown box as he stepped onto his front porch that muggy afternoon. It was unmarked, plain, and unassuming—a cardboard rectangle set squarely in front of his door like it belonged there. Frowning, he glanced up and down the quiet cul-de-sac, as if expecting a mischievous neighbor or delivery driver to pop out and yell “Surprise!” But no one was there. The heat of late summer had driven everyone indoors. The cicadas screamed endlessly, their drone vibrating in Noah’s ears. Shifting uneasily, he crouched...

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Nooma

Jethro Pili

In the high sanctuaries of the Eternal Sky, where only wind and starlight dwelled, I existed before time measured itself. The creatures of Merenthys called me Nooma, goddess of the wind, love, beauty, and stars—but names have never mattered to me. I was only what the wind whispered, what hearts swore, what eyes beheld in awe when they looked to the heavens above. Some nights I manifested as a cool breeze threading through forests, carrying the scent of pine to tired wanderers. Other nights, I was the warm caress across a lover’s cheek when w...

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Winter’s Icy Grip

Jethro Pili

Snow blanketed the little house on Old Bluebird Lane, so heavy and thick it piled against the windows like sand dunes. The wind howled outside, making the old walls groan in protest. Inside, everything felt still, save for the rhythmic crackle of the fire struggling valiantly against the cold. Claire adjusted the worn fleece blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she watched her husband Jim toss another log onto the dying embers. Their two kids, Lucy and Nate, sprawled on the living room floor, each tucked into their respective mounds ...

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‘Twas The Blizzard Before Christmas

Jethro Pili

St. Augustine’s Boarding School for Catholic Youngsters was abuzz with excitement on the last day before winter break. Freshmen scurried through the halls, hauling suitcases and gift bags, anticipating the moment they’d see their families again. Christmas carols echoed through the building, adding cheer to the fading gray light of an early winter evening.  But in the corner of the student lounge, 14-year-old Rebecca Alvarez sat with her chin on her knees, frowning at her phone screen. “Zero precipitation,” she grumbled for the third tim...

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Hostile At Nine O'clock

Jethro Pili

Jack "Gunny" Harper had seen it all. He’d been a career Marine since he was 18. His friends served for one or two years and wanted out. He didn’t leave until he reached retirement age. He’d stormed beaches under enemy fire, survived insurgent attacks in hostile deserts, received scars from Desert Storm, and manned the tight quarters of submarines with a calm demeanor that made younger Marines look to him with awe. The thought of an enemy sub firing a torpedo at them didn’t faze him one bit. He was content with a watery grave. He lived by the...

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The Echoes of Humanity

Jethro Pili

The hum of fluorescent lights and the muffled whir of air filters filled the bunker, a cocoon of metal and concrete buried beneath the surface of a dead world. For 27 years, David Mathis had lived here, sheltered from the fallout that had turned the planet above into a poisoned wasteland. The world he remembered—a world of crowded city streets, laughter, and human touch—was gone, incinerated in the fires of nuclear war.  David paced the bunker’s narrow corridor, his boots scuffing against the cold floor. The mannequins were arranged in ...

2 likes

The White Void

Jethro Pili

The wind howled, a banshee's wail ripping across the barren landscape. Snow blasted sideways with such force it stung like shards of glass against Dylan's exposed skin. His parka hood flapped wildly, tugging against the weight of the storm. Each step felt like wading through a sea of quicksand, the drifts swallowing his boots whole.  It was supposed to be a simple hike. A weekend escape in the mountains. He had checked the forecast—clear skies and a crisp chill. But weather in the high altitudes was unpredictable, and the blizzard had ...

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The Green Divide

Jethro Pili

Sammy and Joe had always been inseparable. Their laughter used to echo down the streets of their childhood neighborhood, where games of catch turned into deep conversations about dreams and futures. Even after going to different colleges, fate brought them back together, teaching at the same high school in their hometown. It felt like destiny—the universe's way of ensuring they remained a team.But everything changed the night of the blackout.It wasn’t the kind of power outage that flickered back on in a few hours. It was a suffocating, all-e...

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The Ashes of Avalonia

Jethro Pili

The fallen prince stood barefoot in the mud, his linen tunic damp from the mist that rolled in off the sea. His black hair, drenched with sweat, was plastered to his fevered brow. The tang of salt was a pale ghost of what he remembered from the high cliffs of Avalonia, his father’s kingdom. Here, the salt air was harsh, bitter, an unwelcome reminder of his exile.  Alden, once Prince of Avalonia, now a peasant in the faraway land of Andareth, leaned on his hoe, surveying the small garden patch he was tasked to till. His hands, once accus...

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Something Wicked This Way Comes

Jethro Pili

The storm rolled in without warning, dark clouds swallowing the sky and casting an eerie pall over the twin towns of Harper's Crossing and Millhaven, Vermont. The two towns, separated by a meandering river, had always been close-knit rivals. Harper’s Crossing prided itself on its bustling main street, dotted with cafes, bookstores, and boutiques. Millhaven, in contrast, was quieter, known for its sprawling farmland and close-knit families.  But something had changed.  It began on a Thursday, just as the first drops of rain splatter...

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A Seat At The Table

Jethro Pili

At the end of the school year, Jake Parker was still a nobody. He sat in the cafeteria at the same table he always did—alone. The noise of students laughing and chatting around him felt like it belonged to another world. His heart thudded in his chest, a constant reminder that, despite his best efforts, he was invisible. The cafeteria buzzed with energy, with cliques that had their own inside jokes and alliances. There were the jocks at one table, the cheerleaders at another, the “artsy” kids, the tech geeks, and then, of course, the popular...

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The Cat & The Sword

Jethro Pili

The moon hung low and fat over the city, casting its ghostly light across the shadowy streets and alleyways. Alex adjusted the collar of his jacket and squinted down the narrow alley, his footsteps echoing softly against the wet cobblestone. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was out so late, but he knew it had something to do with the sleek black cat weaving through the puddles just ahead of him. It had all started with a simple look. He’d been sitting at his favorite café, enjoying a cup of tea after a long day, when the cat appeared out of no...

2 likes

Friday Night Lights

Jethro Pili

The stands were buzzing with energy as the crowd cheered on Brookside High’s Bumblebees in their homecoming game. It was Friday night under the floodlights, and the cool autumn air was thick with excitement. But as much as the fans hoped for a victory, the score on the board made it clear: the Bumblebees were struggling. The Stallions, their rivals from Stanton High, were leading by a narrow margin. And with just minutes left on the clock, the Bumblebees needed a miracle.Earlier, during halftime…The halftime locker room was a tense place. Th...

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From Haunted To Healed

Jethro Pili

Submitted to Contest #275

Maggie Montgomery had lived in the third-floor apartment for only a few months when she first noticed the shadows. San Francisco nights had their own ghostly feel to them, she thought—wind slipping down narrow alleys, fog blanketing the streets, and lights blinking through mist—but this was something different. Every night, without fail, seven shadow figures appeared in her apartment, filling the corners, hovering by the walls, or lurking just outside her view. At first, she tried to ignore them. She figured the city, or maybe just her mind,...

10 likes

A Little Fall Of Rain

Jethro Pili

The Texas sun beat down on the small town diner parking lot, the stifling heat mingling with the stench of asphalt, gasoline, and sweat. Six FBI agents stood on the cracked concrete, their casual clothes sticking to their skin as they eyed the nondescript sedan across the lot. They blended in with the crowd, but their tension betrayed their presence, eyes locked on the car that sat in the far corner. The fugitive was in there, and they had him. "Are you sure this is the place?" SSA Trystan "Boss" Thorne asked, his voice low but commanding.&n...

2 likes