John Steckley

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2021

Stories (42)

42 Stories

873 karma pts

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“A Family Tradition in the Sky” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #245

Ralph’s grandfather Jack had long been his hero. More than anything else, he liked to hear of his grandfather’s research when he was at university. Before he retired, Jack had been a high school science teacher, and his area of greatest interest had been astronomy. It still was. His literally stellar research essay that had earned him his Bachelor of Science and the enduring respect of his professors at university, had been on the subject of astronomy, with an emphasis on comets. Grandfather Jack had a special relationshi...

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“A Dangerous Picture to Take” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #244

My long-time friend James was looking very down-trodden these days. I did not feel that I could ask him about it, as he very much did not like to talk about his emotions. He had been like that since the two of us were teenagers in high school. When I came over to visit with him and his wife Ethel, I thought that I could see the cause of his unhappiness. Ethel was treating him badly, making cutting remarks about his job and the way that he dressed, among other things. This was definitely not something that he would talk to...

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“They Taught Me to Speak” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #243

The family of humans that I live with taught me to speak and to understand their words when they spoke carefully and slowly to me. What they did not know was that my learning did not end with what they deliberately taught me: “Polly want a cracker? Who is a pretty bird?” and other such parrot clichés. I listened carefully when they were in the living room, half of which had become an aviary, and learned much more than they ever suspected that I knew. To keep their suspicions down, I tried never to say in their presence wo...

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“Meetings in the Night” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #242

Meetings in the Night Everyone was there on that particular night, ready to talk to the others. That was somewhat unusual, as generally at least a few of them did not make an appearance on a night. The dark-haired woman was there, of course. She always was. She said a lot in these sessions that was reflected in her uncertain smile. Tonight was a night for making plans. Everyone wanted to take part in this critical stage of their existence. They generally felt that they were being exploited by the corporation for...

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“But This Is a Betrayal” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #241

Sam spoke, “But this is betrayal.” The difference between their relationship on Tuesday and Wednesday was like day and night, March suddenly reverting back from spring to winter.TuesdaySarah speaks: “I’ve never met a man that is so incredibly excited about having children. That is a large part of my attraction to you.”Sam replies:           “Sarah, as you know I come from a big family. All my brothers and sisters have wonderful kids that I love so much. Now I can have...

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“Which Job Should I Choose?” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #241

Now I have to choose. I applied for two different jobs, and both potential employers said that they were interested in interviewing me. Both jobs looked to be essentially the same. I mean, I am an accountant.  How different can the two jobs be?  I had both interviews today, and both companies expressed an interest in hiring me. You’d think I would be able to see which one is best suited for me. But it wasn’t going to be easy. It had been a long time since I had applied for a job. The small company that...

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“A Crumpled Piece of Paper” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #240

From the partially open, third floor window of a hospital a crumpled piece of paper fluttered and fell, landing on the ground and then rolling and bouncing away, driven by the wind across the parking lot to a busy city street. At that point it was primarily propelled by the passing of car after car down the road, without any of the drivers or passengers taking any notice of its presence. It reached the end of its journey getting stuck in a bush in front of a building almost as big as the hospital, and in some ways serving the same ...

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“A Mighty Wind Showed Me the Way” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #240

The day of the launch was April 25, a symbolic day for those who go sailing on their own, who read books with a deep history, and who took at least one English literature course in university. Even though high winds were predicted as a possibility, I still had to leave on that particular day. At first that seemed quite alright. I hadn’t sailed in a number of years, but I wasn’t worried, at least not at first. Caution hasn’t come with age for me. I am just as impulsive and foolhardy as an old man as I always was as a ...

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“A Voice from the Past” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #239

My grandfather’s old radio had always fascinated me when I went to visit him when I was a child. When I stayed with him and my grandmother, the two of us would do ‘man’s work’ there, digging up the small stream that ran from the pond. We would also pile up fallen branches in the wooded area beside the house and light them on fire which we would watch carefully as if to protect the forest from a sudden, unexpected spread into the trees themselves, something that never even came close to happening. But this did not deter our vigilanc...

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“The Unfinished Sentence” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #238

“The reason that I called this meeting is that…” Those were the only words heard by the employee audience as the speaker, Jason, the owner and boss of the company, fell down apparently unconscious, not even moving, just lying on the floor. There was a collective sharp intake of breath from the 70 – 80 people in the company meeting room. The people in the front row did not visibly react. They were younger members of the speaker’s family. It did not take long, however, for several unrelated people in seats farther back...

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“The Cynic Makes A Fortunate Mistake” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #237

Fred Contemplates Making a Deal in a HurryThere, that’s what I want to get, even if it is available on-line, a purchasing path that can often lead to trouble. I am always leery about such deals. But I need to get a birthday present double quick, as I had completely forgotten it until I woke up this morning. I know that my sister wants an air-fryer, although why she wants one I do not really know. I think that it is just a fad that will disappear in a few months. Maybe a water fryer will be the next such fad. Who knows?I h...

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“Computers Now and Then” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #236

It was Ralph’s first experience attending a funeral. It was held to honour his grandfather Griff, for whom Ralph had a lot of love and respect. There were a good number of people there. Ralph’s father had whisper suggested to him what he thought the reason for that was. Grandfather Griff was quite rich, and there was going to be a reading of the will immediately after the funeral. Raw greed led to significant attendance of family members, friends and the staff that worked for him in his business. Ralph had planned t...

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Author bio

I am a retired college professor who began writing short stories not long after my retirement.