John K Adams

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (253)

253 Stories

7588 karma pts

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“Playing the Odds” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #186

“Hey, Ryan.” “Foley! What’s up?” “You hear ‘bout the lotto?” “Of course! Bought a ticket.” “You? I thought you didn’t believe in that…” “I don’t. But with a prize of almost a billion, I figured… can’t hurt. Doing my part. Goes to the schools and all that…” “You said some politician skims...” “Same dif. They take their cut either way… I figure it’s a win-win. Brings the customers in.” “You have an edge because you’re the licensed seller…?” “Course not, Fole. How would that look? Bought an app though. Uses algorithms to shave a few points off ...

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“Of Breath and Blood” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #185

Princess Hannah awakened in dim, cold light. Her head ached. Confined within rigid walls, she couldn’t move. Something smelled bad. Groping to consciousness, she sensed eyes upon her. Grotesque faces watched wherever she turned. But moving she realized they were reflections of herself. As bad as she felt, she hoped these hideous images were not true. ‘No princess could survive looking so wretched. Am I dead? If I look like that, this must be hell.’ Memories of last night’s palace ball came in fragments. The minstrel artfully played his lyr...

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“Cape Not Included” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #184

“Houston, we have a problem.” It was the same, old, never changing story. Houston Feerless was no superhero. He knew that. And most of Belleville knew that. But they treated him like one. Everyone called him for almost anything at all. People have problems. Houston almost always fixed them. He couldn’t get a moment’s peace. If the phone wasn’t ringing, someone was knocking his door, or leaving a note on his windshield. He couldn’t say how it got to this point. He’d grown up in Belleville, always willing to help. But when did he become the...

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“Golden Thread” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #183

Harry didn’t wait for his first art class to begin painting. He completed his first canvas before the instructor, Mr. Ambrose arrived. Several blanks leaned against the back of his chair. Mr. Ambrose described his expectations. He required but one complete canvas by semester’s end. But he would decide what ‘complete’ meant. “Paint what you like. Put your heart into it. Fill the canvas. This is Painting 101. Not cartooning. Not sketching. Explore the limits of the canvas. Use it. Whether a flower, a portrait, or a landscape, create a new uni...

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“Alarming” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #182

Megan jerked awake to the blast of the house alarm. It didn’t stop. She turned to her husband, Cameron. She couldn’t believe he lay snoozing when she felt her head about to explode. “Cam! Wake up! Fix this!” She rolled him back and forth until he stirred. “What?” “The alarm! Burglar! I can’t stand it! Why is it shrieking?!” Uncomprehending, he peered through the gloom. “It’s three a.m.…!” “Cam! Don’t you hear it?” “What? Maybe… I don’t know… Be quiet. Let me listen.” “Are you crazy? It’s screaming. Is there a burglar?” “Oh, that… I’ll lo...

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“The Tao of Loud Sue” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #181

The spiritual seeker named Victor climbed the rocky path up the mountain. He stopped several times, doubting the directions he’d been given. He thought he’d lost his way and doubled back more than once on the ill-marked path. ‘Is it too much to expect a sign? Or an arrow? Work with me…’ Thirst nagged at him. Hours passed, without results. Entering a clearing, a thatch roofed hut came into view. A strand of smoke rose from the chimney. ‘This must be it,’ he thought. ‘Who could live so remotely? Who else would?’ Victor sought the legendary w...

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“Tilt-a-Whirl” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #180

CW: Wrestling with mortality. Flipping a coin in zero gravity is useless. Floating, it will spin until stopped. Classic indecision. The Commander knew that. No time to waste. Protocols demanded he bring his crew to safety. No time to think or debate. Sounding alarms roused us and all hands jumped to. Redundant systems were failing. The station was shutting down. No one knew why. Meteorite damage? Not likely. Systems flashed code-red across the board. With solutions unavailable, the Commander ordered immediate evacuation. The escape pod sea...

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“Trigger Warning” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #178

CW: References to substance abuse, violence, child endangerment, promiscuity, racial slurs, fat shaming, candy canes and gum drops. Bob lit his cigarette while loading his pistol. He kept dropping bullets in the process. ‘Better than dropping the smoke,’ he mused. ‘No fires.’ The shells bounced and rolled. Some went over the edge. Their staccato rattling attracted Bob’s granddaughter, baby Brooklyn. She crawled under the table in search of the curious objects. “What happened to my shells?” Bob asked the universe. Despite starting with a f...

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“The Tracker Tracked” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #177

Eager to start, I scanned the trail through the trees and up the mountain. The weather was cool, but clear. Over years, I learned to plan my hikes meticulously. Somehow, I forget the single, essential item. Everyone insists I should never travel solo. Too many things can go wrong. A misstep can be deadly. Hiking with a buddy only makes sense. But solitude draws me. I love it. A buddy is an iffy variable. Hiking with the wrong person challenges my reasons for going at all. If I wanted chit chat, I wouldn’t be scaling a mountain, by myself, ...

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“Liquid Courage” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #176

CW: mentions of date rape“Here you go, sis. S’later.”Julian pulled over and stopped at the café where Shelby worked.“Aurora’s my friend, Jules. Get real. We could hang out. Get acquainted. See if you like her.”“I’m already in love with her, Shel.”She grinned. “So, you love her cute little mole…?”He gasped. “Wait. She has a mole? Like a pet?”Selby stared in disbelief. “No idiot. She has a whole flock of them. On a ranch up north.”“What?”“On her lip. The mole on her lip. A beauty mark. I don’t believe you.”~Julian followed Shelby in. He watche...

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“A Squirrel’s Tale (Based on a true story)” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #176

‘Furry tailed rat.’ He called me that. To my face. The nerve. Doesn’t know me from a rat? Rats aren’t even the same genus. What a dope. What a tailless freak. He should be so lucky. I showed him. Yes, I did. Look! A squirrel! Oh, that’s Squiggy. What a name. My nephew. Next tree over. Missus and I’ve got babies. Up our tree top home. Always hungry. Feed ‘em. Up in the nest. Hidden atop the ancient oak. Acorns everywhere. Never enough. Eat some myself. Tasty! Humans look down on squirrels. We’re not dumb. They’re dumb. Oh, because my atten...

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“Eye of the Beholder” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #175

They looked like mugshots. And those were the best. Others looked like morgue post-mortems. June Tandy pointed to her first-grade daughter’s school portrait. In it, the girl looked like a refugee from a carnival freak show. “She’s six. What were you thinking? How do you do that to a six-year-old?” She stared darts at Carter Lee, the photographer. “The camera doesn’t lie…” Exasperated, June looked for support to Kirby Hudson, the principal, and to Oscar Pedersen. Principal Hudson responded. “You do understand, June, uhm… Mrs. Tandy, that Mr....

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“Haven’t Lived…” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #174

“As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” ― Albert Einstein Artie Fischer began his day convinced he was on the cusp of something big. The theoretical physicist had focused on his pet research project for months. A breakthrough so close, it lay in tasting range. Those months passed, one season blurring into another. Artie scarcely knew the time of day. Eating had no priority. His team worked non-stop. They’d say, ‘I’ll sleep when I’m d...

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“Dust Collectors” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #173

“You don’t get it, Fie. I don’t want anything.” Shoppers pushed by. Oblivious to his surroundings, Owen stood between shelves stacked high with Christmas décor. Looking exasperated, Fiona pointed to their surroundings. “Wake up!” He mimicked her and ended with an exaggerated yawn. “I have what I need.” He shook his head. “Look at this crap. Kitsch, kitsch, kitsch… Could have cornered the glitter market.” Fiona held up a gnarly gnome leaning on a candy cane. “Here, Owen. This is so cute! How can you resist?” “No more dust collectors. Simpli...

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“Cinderella – the Untold Story” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #172

“Not bad, Cindy… Actually, pretty good.” Cinderella hummed while admiring her reflection in the mirror. Preparing for the ball, she turned to see the dress from every angle. She’d filched it, piecemeal, from her stepsisters, and Eve, her stepmother. The outfit came together like something from a catalogue. She looked great. An advantage to being at everyone’s peck and scratch, free access to closets-full of rarely worn (if ever!) clothing and jewelry. ‘Eve’ was short for Evil. Her stepsisters’ names were Moonshine, and Starlight. Cinderella...

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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