John Steckley

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (166)

166 Stories

3633 karma pts

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“My Shotgun Date” by John Steckley

It’s been over half a century, but I still can remember my worst date. I had met her at a dance at her high school. I saw her, liked what I saw and asked her to dance. She smiled and put out her hand. We danced, we talked (well I did), and she wrote down her phone number and gave it to me. I called her the next day, and we had a date for the next Saturday. It was another dance, with a band playing that I particularly liked. That wasn’t the bad date, ...

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“A surprise party” by John Steckley

A Surprise Party Kelly’s relationship to her boyfriend James was going fairly well. They went out on a date at least once every week, sometimes twice. There had been no fights, no real arguments. They even agreed on what their favourite Shakespearean play was: the Scottish play – Macbeth. The only difference there was that he didn’t like the Weird Sisters, the witches, said that they sounded unrealistic to him. But she liked them. They reminded her of people she had grown up with.. She had ...

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“He wasn't just an Elvis Impersonator.” by John Steckley

He Wasn’t Just an Elvis Impersonator . He wasn’t just an Elvis impersonator. In Edward’s mind, he was THE Elvis impersonator, or at least was going to be. It has all started when he was 13 years old. He was extremely bored one Sunday afternoon, so he decided to watch a movie on the old movie channel. He wasn’t a fan of new movies. In part this was because he didn’t like video games. This isolated him socially from most of the other boys in his class. Generally he was socially isolated...

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“I will resolve to” by John Steckley

I will resolve to Wanda thought that New Year’s resolutions were important. Each year she wrote them down and printed them up, so that she could check them off at the end of the year, or repeat them and try harder to stick to them the next year. That was part of the routine she had developed for December 31st . She would go through what happened during the year, would give her body a careful check (concerning the effects of desserts and beer), and see how well she had kept the resolutions from the year before...

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“The Beach of the Beast” by John Steckley

The Beach of the Beast It was their first time alone. When Dave and Andrea met, and when they went on their first two dates, there were friends there with them. They didn’t really resent the presence of their friends. They just wanted to be together, the two of them, alone. And now it was truly happening. They joked that they would run into Betty and Charles at the secluded beach which was the goal of the walk that they were taking. It said a lot that both of them found that idea funny. The...

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“That Was the Night.” by John Steckley

That Was the NightRight Now Oh what a night! I hope that I never go through another like it ever again. Company New Year’s parties are such a bad idea, particularly when you do not particularly like where you work, or your boss. There were parts that I liked – the free-flowing alcohol at no cost to the employees comes first in my memory of the night. Look at me now. I am lying in bed with the clothes that I wore last night. That even includes my shoes. And I do no...

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“It was like I had met you a long time ago.” by John Steckley

It was like I had met you a long time ago My dad and I were always close. He put himself through a lot of grief being my father. I am not much of a rule-follower. He had to bail me out of trouble a good number of times – at church, at school, and even once with the police. During the last named experience, When I asked him, somewhat sarcastically, why he did all this for me, he gave an answer both strange and beautiful. He said, “When you were a baby, and I held you in my arms for the first time, it ...

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“A Surprise Visitor” by John Steckley

A Surprise Visitor It was four days before Christmas.  There was a knock at our front door. I knew that because our Amazon parrot started to say “Hello”, repeating her message several times.  She only did this when there was someone knocking at the door or when the phone was ringing, which it was not. We don’t usually get drop-in visitors around Christmas, so I figured that it must be someone selling something: air duct cleaning, a tankless water heater or meat for a freezer that we don’t have....

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“He turned the Globe Over.” by John Steckley

He Turned the Globe Over He turned the globe over, and then flipped it back again. It had been a much loved Christmas gift when he was a child. Steve still enjoyed watching the golden specks swirl around the black swan with the crown on its head. It was like some kind of magic winter scene, in some fairy world.   Now, as he watched the specks fall, with the swan emerging more and more clearly, until it stood alone, he felt differently. There was at this point just the emptiness of the water surr...

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“The Shopping List” by John Steckley

The Shopping ListThe List A man is walking ahead of you in the supermarket where you do your shopping. When driven by the curiosity that sometimes suddenly captures you in such situations, you look over his shoulder. You pretend to be reaching for something high on the shelf above him. What you are really doing is looking at his shopping list. You just can’t resist, as you believe that you can read people’s personality or lifestyle in their shopping lists.. What you see written there m...

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“I used to live here” by John Steckley

I Used to Live Here It was a thanksgiving dinner that began like many others this family had experienced in years gone by. Grandpa was gruff but smiled when his grandchildren did not notice that he was looking at them. Grandma took prime responsibility for preparing the turkey that according to pre-arrangement one of their two sons bought and brought there a week before thanksgiving. Both sons lived in the city, but each one really enjoyed going back out to the country on his own, bringing the turkey, to...

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“Be Careful What You Wish For” by John Steckley

Be Careful What You Wish For The First Day As much as I don’t like it, I have this infallible way of knowing when to get out of bed in the morning. When I hear the big tractor trailers rumbling and roaring their way out of the warehouse across the road, I know it is time for me to get up. The first trucks leave at the same time every morning. I should know. I work in the logistics office at that same warehouse.            I...

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“Playing Hide and Seek - For Real” by John Steckley

Playing Hide and Seek – For Real My name is Mia and I am seven years old. I really like that my parents let me have the freedom to play without constant supervision. Most of my friends don’t have that freedom. A boy my age was kidnapped last week, and that has many parents scared. My favourite game is virtual hide and go seek. The device that I have hides different virtual players around my neighbourhood. My dad is a programmer, so the device is a very sophisticated one. It makes me aware of t...

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“I'll meet you in Centerville.” by John Steckley

I’ll Meet You in Centerville They did not know the complications they would get themselves involved when they first met. Both Beth and Bob were going to a conference of chemistry professors. The fates put them side by side on the plane leaving for the conference site. He was already sitting in his seat, when Beth arrived, somewhat breathless as her connecting flight had been late. When she looked down, she saw him writing chemical symbols on a pad of paper.  “You’re going to the chem-con...

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“A Break in My Routine” by John Steckley

A Break in My Routine I’ve always lived my life through routines. It saves me a lot of trouble and worry. I live in a world where having to make unnecessary little decisions affects my calm. Following routines has brought me success. I am 27, run my own accounting firm, own a mini-mansion and have a nice girlfriend. My daily routine involves doing everything I can at the same time every day: eating, leaving for and arriving from work, and watching television. And all my family and fri...

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Author bio

I am a retired college professor who researches and writes about Indigenous languages and cultures. My specialty is the Wendat/Wyandot language.