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John K Adams

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (294)
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949 Followers
1158 Following

294 Stories

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Word Is…

Submitted to Contest #266

Word Is… ‘The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.’ Prov. 18:21 Ulysses finished his grocery list and saw ink on his fingers. “Damn! Running late… Stop sabotaging…”About to interview for a writing job, he wanted to look professional. ‘Would inky fingers impress…?’ He hadn’t had a paying gig for months. Pay or not, he always wrote stories, blurbs, whatever. His many novels, some completed and all unpublished, filled a shelf in his study.Friends always saw him with a pen and note pad.He washed his h...

25 likes 21 comments 21
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There are More Things

Submitted to Contest #265

Dressed in his white suit, Wally Fitzhugh sat alone at a table in the bar car of the train. He liked his space. The immense scenery rolled slowly by. How many had ridden by the ancient hills and taken them for granted? Adapting to the rocking motion, other passengers strode back and forth. Three teenagers played cards at another table. Their laughter filled the car. ‘Don’t they know gambling’s illegal? A Conductor should stop them.’Though about their age, Wally preferred watching the scenery to socializing with strangers. It was a given. Whe...

20 likes 13 comments 13
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I Do

Submitted to Contest #264

Pamela approached her mother, Sandra, sipping her morning coffee.“I’m thinking of moving out, Mom.”Her mother set the steaming cup onto the saucer.“None too soon. You’re what, twenty-five?”Her mother’s reaction didn’t surprise Pamela. She’d heard such murmurings her whole life. Sandra never forgave the pangs Pamela’s birth gave her. Everything she said to Pamela came wrapped in the burden of her unpaid debt. “Who you moving in with?”“Uhm… actually, Carl asked me to live with him.”“Ohhh no. Seen how that plays out. He gets a live-in maid ‘til...

26 likes 13 comments 13
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Killer Cute

Submitted to Contest #263

The common criminal, Curtis Felone, entered the public eye during his three trials for one bank robbery. Each of them ended with a hung jury. It was during these trials he became known by his nickname, ‘Babyface Felone.’ Before that he’d been a small-time crook known only to law enforcement. He had no practical skills beyond those which led to his arrest. Three unsuccessful prosecutions for the same charge attracted massive media attention. Felone became the celebrity known as the ‘cute gangster,’ or ‘Babyface.’ Sociologist, Ignacio Ersatz, ...

20 likes 11 comments 11
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Big Bad Wolf

Submitted to Contest #263

It’s me, the big, bad wolf. Or Wolfie, as my friends call me. Not Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, that swing jazz band from the last millennium. They were cool. But they’re not me. I’m cooler.Me. The big, bad wolf. Real and scary. Legend of story and song. Source of under the bed, childhood nightmares the world over.I’m everyone’s favorite baddy. Heard it all my life. Though it has had certain benefits, it isn’t a fair description of who I truly am.Granted, I haven’t always behaved like a lap dog. But you have to believe me when I tell you I got a bad...

27 likes 26 comments 26
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Beyond Wonderful

Submitted to Contest #261

Entry 1:Oh boy! Am I grateful! Words can’t convey how grateful I am. Who would believe the over-flowing, Olympic sized pool of…? ‘Gratitude’ doesn’t even describe it.This is the first entry of my required ‘Gratitude Journal.’ I’m already thrilled to express how utterly grateful I am for so many things in my godforsaken life. Let me count the ways… For instance, I’m grateful I no longer have my family to worry about. They were such a drag. Always nosing into my business, where they didn’t belong. I’m alone. I feel so liberated, I could sing!N...

18 likes 10 comments 10
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A Fish Tale

Submitted to Contest #260

“Now I know how a pinball feels.” Joel shot his hands out this way and that.“You do?”“Yeah, no personal autonomy. Always reacting to this flipper, that bumper… and don’t forget gravity.”“Gravity’s a bitch.” Keith laughed.Joel Fitzhugh was talking to his father.“And why do you feel this way, Joel?”“Everything in my life. You and Silvana always nudging me in opposite directions… Work is demanding…”“Work does that...” Amused, Keith had heard this before. “How is Silvana? Haven’t seen her.”“Oh, we broke up. She left.”“What! The wedding’s off? Wh...

14 likes 14 comments 14
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How Are You?

Submitted to Contest #259

Andre asked his three-year-old brother, Tony, “What game should we teach her first?”“Uhm… Old Maid?”The boys were talking about Melody, their soon to be born little sister. “That might work. She’ll be little though. Maybe can’t hold cards for a while…”Being five, Andre had more perspective.Mrs. Daugherty, the boy’s sitter met their parents, Bud and Desiree, at the door. She looked concerned. “How are you?”Desiree looked down. “Not good…”The boys yelled and ran to hug their parents. “Mommy! We missed you!”Bud said, “Hey guys… Your mom’s tired...

20 likes 18 comments 18
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Queen Mab

Submitted to Contest #258

August Grand stood on the front porch of what had been his mother’s house. It needed paint. Floorboards needed replacing. Intermittent bumping announced the breeze had found a loose shutter. He knocked the antique knocker three times.It had been years. Memories flooded – not all good.He looked at his daughter, Sage, with mixed emotions. Almost old enough to drive, she wanted to spend time with his siblings. ‘Live and learn,’ he thought.They waited for Ginny, his sister, to answer. The curtain moved and the latch clicked. Ginny opened the doo...

22 likes 9 comments 9
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Doubles

Submitted to Contest #257

The twinkling lights strung from the trees made the patio a magical experience. Light music from the acoustic trio filtered up to them. Mark and Sandy’s favorite restaurant, they always came for their anniversary and often throughout the year. While waiting for the hostess to escort them, Mark discreetly placed his hand on Sandy’s bottom. She swatted it away with a laugh. “Mark!”“I couldn’t help it. It begged me.”She flashed her smile. “Did I tell you how great you look in that dress?”“Yes. Thank you, again. Your hand confirmed it… Thought o...

19 likes 15 comments 15
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LEAF BLOWER CANTATA

Submitted to Contest #257

ACT I-Scene 1-SETTING: A small neighborhood cafe.AT RISE: SAMMY, 30's, is seated at the central table.BEN, 30's, agitated, enters.BENYou won't believe it. I am so fed up to here.SAMMYYou're late.BENI know. Where's David?SAMMYI don't know. He's late too. Have a seat.BEN          (Moves about)I'm going to file a lawsuit. They are a plague!SAMMYWho?BEN      Leaf blowers! Don't you know what they are doing to this city?SAMMYLeaf blowers?BENThey kick up dust. They're ...

18 likes 13 comments 13
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In the Moment

Submitted to Contest #256

Hector finished the sparring round. His second touched gloves with him and left the ring. Hector leaned on the ropes. Heart pounding, his lungs ached for breath. ‘How many punches make a round?’Vinnie, his manager, approached the ring smiling like a shark. A snappy dresser, he shopped at the thrift store across from the used car lot.“Great job, kid! Keep that up, you’ll mop the floor with him. You’ll have Reese begging for mercy. This is your moment. Everything will be different after Saturday night.”Hector didn’t understand. “My moment?”His...

14 likes 14 comments 14
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Promises – based on a true story

Submitted to Contest #255

When Jeannie, Gil’s wife died, he stopped going to church. He’d take his son, Cliff, to the twenty-minute Mass at the French church on Christmas and Easter. Gil preferred watching the ducks in the early light from atop the bridge in Cass Park. That was his place of worship. It felt more real. From that vantage he sensed the whole world arising as sunlight shone through the treetops.Before they married, he and Jeannie threw stale bread to the ducks and laughed at their jostling for morsels. Meadowlarks sang arias from the trees. It felt ...

19 likes 16 comments 16
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Ballroom Casanova

Submitted to Contest #254

Noel Needham humbly credited women’s attraction to him to one simple fact. He always wore a suit jacket to his weekly, ballroom dancing class. His refined look outclassed other men wearing sport shirts and shorts. He believed presentation was everything. His tux was reserved for competitions. Of course, there was more to his popularity than snappy clothes. Noel was a master conversationalist. Bon mots and flattery tripped easily off his tongue as he led partners in effortless dips and turns. His physical grace and entertaining demeanor had w...

14 likes 20 comments 20
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Counterfeit

Submitted to Contest #252

Meeting longtime friends from her college days, Bonnie entered the club head held high. She saw pals, Chelsea, Nicole and Eileen sitting in a booth against the back wall. Bonnie’s emotions soared and dove. Navigating her way toward them, she felt drawn like a balloon in the wake of a cruise ship. Friends can be brutal. Would they notice the changes? Would they approve? Could they be honest? ‘Do I want the truth?’She hadn’t seen any of them since before her surgery. This could be an ordeal. Unless one knew, the work she’d had done was invisib...

21 likes 18 comments 18
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