John K Adams

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (260)

260 Stories

7878 karma pts

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“Brushstrokes” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #35

Charlotte couldn’t believe it, but why should today be any different than every day of her married life?Bob, her husband of six (was it only six?) interminable years had left his miserable coffee cup in the sink for her to wash.Washing it was no big deal. It took only a moment to rinse. But why did she have to do it? And why this beat-up old cup? There were so many dents she was surprised it held coffee anymore. The enamel had chipped off in places exposing the toxic metallic wonders beneath.But it was Bob’s cup. It was a memento of some cam...

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“Game Day Rules” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #34

Dan kicked his son Mark’s bed. Mark barely moved.“Come on Sluggo. Rise and shine. You know it’s four o’clock? I thought you were out.”Mark turned toward the wall and pulled his blanket over his head. “I can’t go out.”“Are you sick? Get up. The day’s wasting. Did you forget it’s game day?”Mark mumbled through the covers, “Oh boy! Video games!”“Actually, we’re going low tech tonight. Board games. Try it. You’ll like it. And clean up your room. I’ll be in my office.”A while later, Mark shuffled into the kitchen where his mother, Miriam bustled ...

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“…By a Thousand Cuts” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #33

Gretchen recognized her husband’s mistress as soon as she entered the salon. ‘Those Medusa curls!’ She thought it pretty gutsy coming to her for a cut. “Don’t tempt me,” she thought. The woman approached her and offered her hand. “I’m Samantha,” she said with a smile. “But you can call me Sam.”‘I could call you lots of things… Does she not know who I am? This is going to be weird.’Gretchen had Samantha sit. She spread a sheet over her to protect her from clippings. “Not over my face, please. I’m not a corpse,” Samantha laughed.‘Not yet...

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“Cage Match” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #32

“You’ve got to spring us, man…You’ve got to spring us …”Jake looked up from his cleaning. “What?”“You heard me. Your boss is trying to kill us.” It was the parrot talking. Jake took this in. For what he knew of Loomer, this smelled true. “How do you know this?”“You are the first human to come back here… for a long time.”The canary chimed in. “Forgotten…”The parrot continued, “I’m Senor Sur. But you can call me Sur. The far cage holds Keets…”The parakeet looked up. “Nyuk, nyuk…” “…and Harry Canary.”Harry spoke up, “I prefer ‘Harry the Ca...

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“In the Garden” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #31

Penny munched her filet o’ fish sandwich and scanned her shady backyard. Birds chirped in the stillness of the early evening. A dog barked a few yards over. The new garden ran around the perimeter of the yard. Flowers grew in profusion.Two ancient citrus trees, a lemon and an orange dominated the back yard. They grew there long before Penny arrived on the scene. Glorious Hummingbirds nested in them and would dart about all summer.The sun had already passed behind the big tree in front. Hours of light remained but she had a lot to do. K...

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“The Liar” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #30

Carrie had a nickname at home, ‘the little liar’. Being the baby of the family, ‘little’ spoke for itself. Jenny, Carrie’s older sister added ‘liar’. The sisters used to play together. They were inseparable. Their mother said they were like twins, only born six years apart. It wasn’t so much that Carrie lied, as she didn’t know when to keep her mouth shut. Her indiscriminate truth-telling became troublesome for Jenny. Like the time Carrie told their parents Jenny skipped school. Carrie had been happy to see her. She didn’t mean to get Jenny ...

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“Radio Active” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #29

“I don’t know what to do. Tess won’t respond to my calls or letters.”“What do you say?”“That we need to talk.”“So, you are demanding a response and she won’t submit to your demands?”“I wasn’t demanding. I want to keep lines of communication open. I’m hurt.”“So, you choose to be offended because she has nothing to communicate? What if you wait for her to want something?”“I could wait forever.”“And…?”The session ended soon after that. Avery wondered, “Am I beating my head against the wall? Isn’t a therapist supposed to at least pretend to be o...

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“Hitchhiker of the Heart” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #28

I knew her immediately. “Pam?” She looked great. “Hi, John. What’s it been, twelve… fifteen years?” I had been hitchhiking. Pam could have driven by and I never would have known. But instead, she pulled over to give me a ride.In middle school, infatuation was my M.O. My love for Pam became desperate. We could have been the next Romeo and Juliet – good luck with that scenario. A grade behind me in middle school, I saw Pam as my ‘raven-haired beauty’. But I didn’t know that phrase then. Unself-conscious, unaffected and real, her musical laugh ...

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“Power of the Tongue” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #27

Wyatt put his plastic glass down and nodded to the bartender who opened a one-ounce bottle of gin, emptied it over the ice and topped it with a squirt of soda water.“You want a fresh slice of lime?”Wyatt shook his head. “I’m good.” He raised the glass and drank. “So, the key is to get in early before the flies gather. Like Palm Springs before Bob Hope bought land out there. Just desert. Buy low and sell high. Like I did for the California bullet-train right of way.” “I bet there were a lot of sweetheart deals there.”“Everyone wanted in on th...

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“Li’l Chev” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #26

“Adean never forgave you, you know, Chev.”“I know, Mama.” “What will you do if he doesn’t show?”“Carry on, as usual, I expect.”“He doesn’t think it’s fair, you expecting us to play for free.”“You can tell him I never had such expectations. He’s welcome even if he leaves his fiddle at home. Always has been.”“I know…”“Anyway, I thought Daddy said family shouldn’t expect family to pay.”“I think he was talking about the food, Chev.” They laughed together. “You might be right, Mama. You know I don’t do that.”“You want me to sing? I’m here.”Chev t...

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“Word Salad” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #25

The words were broken.No fix seemed possible. No telling who to tell. Who would care?Reggie couldn’t ask. What would he say? That knives have a point? That cold steel is theft? The words didn’t work, like a broken clock on its face, hands down. He was numb to the numbers.The words were broken. Nothing but shards.Out of reach, his feelings were... Untouchable. They made no sense at all. Could they be dead? They had no smell.He felt condemned. Left hanging. When would this sentence end? Full stop.Reggie awoke in darkness in New Year. Where did...

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“Blue Moon” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #24

Dril entered from the air-lock. Myr looked up from the vid-screen.“Brrr, it’s cold out there.”“Don’t you wear your suit?”“Of course I do. You think I’m crazy?”Myr raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer that. “I remember reading it is always cold out there. It’s the moon, silly.”“I know it’s the moon. I got us this gig, remember?”“That I do.”“I mean, who better than us to prospect the best sites for mining delicious moon cheese?”“No one I can think of.” Myr sighed. “You know what you forgot to have delivered?”“What’s that, Honey Pie?”“Some new m...

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“Memory Falls Silent as Snow” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #23

Adam stepped into the cold morning air dressed for frigid temperatures. The secrets of survival in the cold were now old lessons, learned the hard way. He never lost a toe to frostbite, but the nerve damage lingered. Being impervious to the elements is a fantasy born of childish bravado. ‘Get tough or die’ was his youthful motto. The days of venturing out in winter weather, with no hat or gloves were long gone. It began to snow in big, heavy clumps. There is something so wondrous and fantastic seeing those swirling flakes descending. Soon, c...

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“2020 Foresight” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #22

Hal saw Alice enter the hotel bar. She was alone and didn’t pause on her way to the bar.The place had been filling up for a while. And with only two hours left in the decade, it would soon be SRO. She approached the well-stocked bar with a predatory expression on her face. When she reached the bar Hal caught her eye and indicated the empty stool next to him. “You’re in time for the show. May I buy you a drink? I’m Hal.” He offered his hand.Alice scanned the room. “I’m Alice. Why don’t I buy you one? Since you held a seat.”Hal smiled and gest...

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“Reunion Anxiety” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #20

“What are you doing here?”“Hi, Mom! It’s been a while…”“Well, you’re here now. Come in. You’re letting out all the dust.”Maybelle stepped aside and opened the door for Tom to enter. She offered her cheek for him to kiss. The house had the smell of home. ‘Only here,’ Tom thought. ‘It never changes.’ His childhood unfolded before him.“Staying for dinner? Might as well.” They went into the kitchen. She called out, “Al, look what the cat dragged in.”“You have a cat?”“Figment of speech. No cat.”Al entered. “Hi, Tom. You drinkin’?”“I’ll have whate...

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Author bio

I enjoy seeing how words and memory wrestle with reality. Locked within the cage of language, I like rattling the bars. Please read and comment, even if you don't like. Ramond Gorringe has read my story 'Haunted' aloud on his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azY66UEfocs Copyright © 2021 John K. Adams - All Rights Reserved. Using content for commercial gain without written permission is prohibited.

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #208

Behind the Door – read story

Contest #198

DMV in Retrograde – read story