Joe Sweeney

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2020

Stories (8)

8 Stories

186 karma pts

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“The Book Bar” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #233

The place was more crowded than usual for a Friday night. Perhaps it was the holiday weekend that brought the crowd in tonight. Maybe people were getting an early start celebrating MLK Day. I liked to think that diversity and inclusion were becoming more socially acceptable – that would certainly draw people to this place. I noticed someone gathering their belongings at the bar. I worked my way over to snag the stool as soon as she left. I nodded to the bartender – he nodded back. A few minutes later, he made his way over to where I ...

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“In Pursuit of Fire” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #232

Denya paused in front of the door to the Meckleton Research Center and looked at her reflection in the glass. This building has aged about as well as I have, she thought. It had been nearly twenty years since she had left, and she'd sworn to never return. And yet, here she was at the express invitation of the Director of Atmospheric Research, her former subordinate Jerrol. She opened the door and entered, clothes dripping a bit and shoes sloshing on the floor. A light, warm rain had been falling all day, and there were no Fires in the ...

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“Just Visiting” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #231

Tauhm stopped on the sidewalk. He looked one way, and then back again. He scratched his chin. A young woman passing by saw his confusion and stopped. "Hi!" she said. "Are you lost?" "Yes," Tauhm said. "Maybe I can help. What are you looking for?" "I’m trying to find the Unity Church." "Oh, well, I’m heading there myself." She held out her hand. "I’m Kate, by the way." He stared at her hand for a moment. "Oh! Right. You shake hands here." He stuck out his hand. She shook it and asked, "What’s your name?" "It’s Tauhm." "Nic...

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“Waking Up” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #191

I stare wistfully out the small window and across the tarmac. I’m going to miss the desert. A typical early winter day in Tucson. The sun shines brightly from clear blue skies onto the tan desert sand, generously sprinkled with the cactus greens of saguaro, cholla, hedgehog, and barrel. Not a single Palo Verde tree in site, though. There are a handful of them decorating the main entrance side of the airport. The plane rolls backward and is turned. The pilot guides it to the runway. After a few minutes to wait, the engines whine and the...

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“Marketplace Mishap” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #67

This was the worst time to be in the marketplace. The evening crowd was out and they were hungry. The only reason she was here was because Ambassador Bnedy Kaine, special envoy from Earth, had insisted. “It will be a unique experience,” he had said. “Instead of food trucks like on Earth, the shops have storefronts! You can sample their offerings and buy, or go inside for a sit-down meal. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Henal, being the ever-dutiful diplomatic escort, basically caved to the request. She was too tired to argue; too tire...

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“Introductions” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #56

Jade straddled the bike and took a moment to familiarize herself with all the gadgets. She’d never had a bike like this before. Speedometer, odometer, head and tail lights, turn signals - the works. The seat and handlebars adjusted easily to fit her short body. “Hey.” Jade looked up, startled. A young man with dark skin was standing beside her. “Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. My name’s Gregg.” “Jade.” “Nice to meet you,” Gregg said with a wide smile. “Hey, I heard you chanting something. Can I ask what it was?” “It’s...

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“Indoctrination to the Checking Piece Courier Service” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #55

Jade stopped at the dilapidated door. The metal had rusted and it was barely hanging onto the frame. She peered through the dirty glass. It appeared to be an abandoned bicycle shop. She looked again at the business card in her hand. A standard sized, flat white card with a pawn embossed in black on one side. On the other side was scrawled “47, Naity Rd, Nabagram Colony.” She squinted at the faint letters on the glass of the door. She could barely make out the number 47. Except for a flickering lamp, the street was dead. It felt like a ...

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“Alternatives” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #38

I open my eyes and peer at the mobile phone on the nightstand. 1:37 am. I’ve been asleep for almost an hour. It would be so nice if I could get straight through even one night. The past month has been torture. I have got to stop reading the news. This whole coronavirus epidemic is getting way out of hand.I push the blankets aside, bracing against the chill in the room. Moving so as not to awaken more than necessary, I make my way to the bathroom.Returning to bed, I snuggle under the covers, pulling them around me as I roll onto my left side....

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Author bio

I’ve been writing short stories since grade school. For the past fifteen years, I’ve been active on a few contest sites, writing prompt-based short stories and self-publishing them in a collection series called Prompted to Write. I currently have three volumes in the series and I’m working on my fourth. I also have two other short story collections, Mad Queen’s Chess and A Random Collection of Events.