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John K Adams

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (307)
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957 Followers
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307 Stories

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Telling Tales

Submitted to Contest #307

Boris, headmaster at Ozymandias Academy, entered the outer office. He smiled at his assistant, Yvonne.“Good morning, Mr. Boris.”“’Morning, Yvonne… Anything I need know before I start my day?”“Nothing important, sir… Oh, a local man wishes to speak with you.”“Always a complaint. What’s this rube want?”“No complaint, sir. He wants to commend you on your excellent students.”“You’re serious?”“He is. He states one of our students cured his sick daughter, from afar, no less. And get this, the student never met her.”“Bizarre. I’ve no time for such ...

12 likes 5 comments 5
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The Wish

Submitted to Contest #306

I’m not a loser. I’m a forgetter. Wayne disputed his wife, Meg’s, occasional nickname for him. He didn’t lose things. He forgot them. Usually little stuff. Essential stuff. “And I’m not a hoarder. Too much junk. Who keeps all this crap?”Wayne wrestled another box off the shelf at the back of the garage. He looked inside and shook his head. “I guess I do. Make that ‘we.’”The contents were a mélange of random items he should have trashed years ago – letters from people he no longer knew, art tiles, random cutlery, books (never read) and severa...

7 likes 7 comments 7
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THE LAST WORD

Submitted to Contest #306

EXT. SEASIDE CLIFF – EVENING.Swirling clouds cover the sinking sun. OPHELIA, 19, stands at the brow of a cliff. She calls out to the wind buffeting her long dress and braided hair.OPHELIA- Serpently, he slithered up the scaly cliffs to sit silly atop the furry fencing. Long lasting tongue lashing held him fast. (she pauses) Tomorrow you will see… OPHELIA balks and shakes her head. OPHELIA- (cont.) No. I can’t. I won’t say that. DALTON, 30, in jeans and a sport jacket steps up to her.DALTON- Yo...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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Up a Tree

Submitted to Contest #305

“What!”Charlie awoke feeling small clawed feet on his back. Though not painful, he felt the tentative steps travel up his spine toward his head. He opened his eyes. Seeing he was twenty feet off the ground, he tensed. Somehow, he’d slept straddling the tree limb he was clinging to. How…! Did I sleep up here?A squirrel bounded off his head and up the branch. It turned and scolded him. Its chatter didn’t need translation. His panic subsiding, Charlie told the creature, “It’s okay, buddy. I thought you were lost.”Its tail twitching, the squirre...

18 likes 6 comments 6
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Retreated

Submitted to Contest #304

Day 1 - How did I get included with this bunch? What exactly is a writer’s group? The court gave me a list to choose from to fulfill my community service. Instead of roadside trash clearance, I checked this by mistake. Guess it pays to read.I need to keep a journal of my experience. My first impression is roadside clearance is more practical. It has better company and simpler rules. But here I am, ten miles from nowhere and fifty from somewhere. How do I turn down the volume on the birds? Before realizing my mistake, I asked the two other gu...

16 likes 13 comments 13
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Cooked

Submitted to Contest #303

Driving home from work, I had plenty to think about. No dull moments being head chef of a restaurant. But the last several days had been crazy. I admit to bringing much of it upon myself. Every day this week Socrates personally delivered flowers to me. Why would this bigshot restauranteur give me flowers? I’m nobody. No way he’s wooing me. We’re competitors, with restaurants in the same neighborhood. Admittedly, his is higher end. Did he know what I did? If so, why the flowers? If not, why the flowers?It made no sense. Monday. That’s when it...

20 likes 22 comments 22
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The Cuban Angle

Submitted to Contest #302

After collecting his luggage at the baggage claim, Jose hailed a cab. It was déjà vu all over again.‘I’m in a rut,’ he thought. ‘How many cities have I been to in a year? In the last month?’A car pulled up and he climbed aboard. “Ybor City… the Hilton…”The driver merged into the flow of airport traffic.Sighing, Jose settled into the seat. He felt like he hadn’t seen his apartment in months.‘Paying high rent for a place to store clean clothes and repack them… Need a storage unit. Cheaper…’The editors, at Clickbait.com, loved Jose’s travel wri...

17 likes 14 comments 14
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First Confession

Submitted to Contest #300

Fuming, Sister Agatha slammed the desk with her hand. Everyone in the classroom sat up, bleary eyed, and stared. The subject, written on the blackboard, was ‘My First Confession.’ Sr. Agatha was well practiced at preparing first graders for this milestone. It was a big deal. She said, “Once again, thank you for your attention. Your first confession is tomorrow. If you’re not ready, I won’t be the one who suffers.” Her threat was not lost on anyone.One of the boys at the back of the classroom mumbled something and a wave of giggles spread thr...

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No Joke, Not Funny

Submitted to Contest #299

Steven said, “Listen… a rabbi, a pope and…”I said, “Stop.”“What’s the matter?”“I’ve heard it.”He said, “No. You couldn’t have. I just made it up. It’s hilarious. You’ll love it.”It could have been the first joke ever told and I wouldn’t love it.“Not likely…”He leaned in. “Let me try.”“Do I have to be here?”“Come on. Let me tell you the joke. It’ll kill you.” “I don’t want to die. I’m trying to eat my dinner. Seriously, I’ll pass. If I have to listen to one more of your jokes…”“But this one’s funny.” “What if it isn’t?”“Please, Carrie? I’ll m...

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Silent Treatment

Submitted to Contest #299

Dr. Bream’s new client, Alfred, entered the office. The psychiatrist sensed his nervous energy. He seemed to vibrate like a wind-up doll. His eyes darted.They shook hands and sat.Alfred didn’t wait. Words poured out like from an open floodgate. “Doctor, I don’t know, can you do anything for me? Does this happen all the time? Only to me? Never happened to me before. Stuff always happens to me. But never… My life… My wife. My job… Agnes, nagging Agnes… and Smiley… Spinning out of control. I mean my marriage… Wife’s not spinning. She doesn’t ev...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Forgiveness

Submitted to Contest #298

The sound of light snoring penetrated the ethereal music that droned on. It brought Jim out of his ‘mindfulness’ trance.He chuckled, ‘That’s one expensive nap... Hope he can forgive himself… At that rate, upwards over five bucks per snore…’Not wanting to look like a tourist, Jim didn’t look around. He wanted his money’s worth. This training had cost him a thousand dollars. Jim thought it overpriced. But if he could learn to let grudges go, it would be worth it.Forgiving his son-in-law, Casper, was the acid test. They’d barely spoken for year...

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Green Behind the Ears

Submitted to Contest #298

Walking to eat her lunch, Tanya saw Armand, the new kid, sitting under the tree. Her tree.‘Why is he there? That’s my place. Just what I need….’Next to the schoolyard fence, the spot let her imagine freedom from her ‘middle school incarceration.’ She fantasized about scaling the fence and escaping before the guards could stop her.‘But escape to where?’ She never knew the answer to that.Tanya wasn’t in the mood for company. Her friends annoyed her. And the boy who always flirted with her was distracted by some other girl.‘Gretchen… what a nam...

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The Slip

Submitted to Contest #297

‘Do I call 911?’ Garret stepped from the stairwell onto the walkway leading to his apartment. Seeing Scooby, standing at the far end, he stopped short. Instinct told Garret to find another route. They’d never spoken. He wanted nothing to do with the guy. Scooby’s reputation afforded him plenty of space. No one crossed his path on purpose, except for customers. Why would they? How many regretted it?Plenty of ugly rumors about Scooby. Who tests such a rumor?‘What possible thing did old Mrs. Leary do to offend him?’ They found her lying in the ...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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The Goddess

Submitted to Contest #296

At lunch, Conrad sat with the guys, but his mind wandered elsewhere. The same old jokes and constant banter didn’t penetrate.Conrad juggled the conversation he’d had with his wife, Rhea, over breakfast. Not exactly a conversation… Marriage is a struggle. ‘Isn’t everyone’s?’He needed solutions. Why couldn’t she see there were efficient ways of doing things? Why couldn’t she do those?Conrad perked up when Pip, from accounting, said, “…I don’t care at all about the ‘spiritual’ mumbo jumbo… This is so practical. Voila! My marriage is on even kee...

14 likes 11 comments 11
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Paradise

Submitted to Contest #295

Driving, trying to make sense of his directions, Archer heard his phone buzz. No doubt, his fiancé, Winsome, had texted him again.He stopped to wait for a jaywalker to cross. ‘Of course. He’s in a hurry. Couldn’t possibly walk fifty yards to the light. Can’t miss that urgent appointment with the bus bench. Hope you don’t cross paths with some red-light scofflaw. Could get ugly.’Archer had many uses for his stream-of-consciousness internal rants. He called them free association brainstorming with a side of channeled anger. Sometimes, he’d lat...

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