John Steckley

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (254)

254 Stories

5426 karma pts

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“I Shouldn't Have Shot the Messenger” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #165

           Two rather conservatively attired young men who look to be in their early thirties are sitting at the bar consuming their second beers on the evening. One of them, Albert, looks rather happy-go-lucky, while the other one, Nigel, has quite a serious look upon his face, not in keeping with his being in a bar. This expression causes Albert to speak with a trademark smile:            “Why so glum, chum? You don’...

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“Where I come from...” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #164

           “Where I come from, we don’t do it like that.”            That’s not the first time that I heard Allen say that. It began when I picked him up at the airport. I was waiting for what I thought was where his plane was letting off its passengers, when he snuck up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, those were the first words he said as he pointed at something at the nearest cafeteria.&nbsp...

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“A Perfect Birthday Party” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #162

           It was the largest family get-together than many of the people there had ever experienced. It was all to plan the ‘perfect’ birthday party for Dave. He was the oldest member of the family, and the party they were planning was for his 90th birthday.            The suggestions started quite slowly, but soon started to build up to quite an event. The first idea came from ‘flashy Fred’ as everyone knew him, Dav...

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“Walking to a Special Place” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #161

Bob, A New Employee Asks a Question            “Where is the boss going? I just saw him rush out the front door of the building, and head down the road somewhere.”            “You’re new here, aren’t you, Bob? You don’t know about the boss’ walks to his special place. He goes there whenever he has a hard time resolving some problem or other. He will come back when it is resolved. It seems to work every time.&...

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“I don't believe my ears.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #160

Opening Scene            What is that sound? My ears are telling me that what I am hearing is the whistling of a kettle. But I just can’t believe my ears. It just couldn’t be. Do people actually hallucinate sounds? That’s probably what it is. I sometimes see things that aren’t really there, so why not sounds as well. I could be that lonely these days that my mind overrules my senses in what it wants to hear. Two Weeks Earlier     &...

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“What Remains to be Done.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #159

           Oscar was a writer, or at least that was how he generally introduced himself.. He did not say that he was employed as a shelf stocker at Giant Tiger, which is how he earned most of his meagre income. His short stories would sometimes get published, sometimes for a small amount of money, sometimes for none. His two books had been purchased by friends and family members and few else, the royalties were anything but royal. The editor of the local newspaper did...

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“I Was Hoping You Would Come Outside” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #158

           The year was 2018.  Greg, an informally dressed man with longish hair in disarray, and shirt untucked is seen bursting out of a building, shaking his head and holding a pack of cigarettes. Pam, the one who is observing him, thinks that her grandmother would have called him a ragamuffin.  As soon as he is a few steps away from the door, he is approached by Pam, a casually dressed woman with wild blond hair, and bright red lips. He thinks that his grandmother wou...

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“I gotta get out of this place” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #157

I gotta get out of this place, if it’s the last thing I ever do. Change the words of that old song (my father’s favourite) a little bit, and it’s still true. This small town has been driving me absolutely crazy for the last few years.  I’ve lived here my whole life, all 26 years of it.  Pretty much everybody in town knows my history, especially the times I screwed up in high school when I wasn’t listening to the teacher and gave creative answers to questions she asked me (even though my hand wasn’t up). They are also ve...

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“Don't You Remember” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #156

“Don’t you remember? Can you even see when you are sleepwalking?”“I am trying to remember officer, but it is difficult. My eyes can see when I sleepwalk, but I am not really very aware of what is around me. My mind generates images that my eyes don’t actually see. I once fell down the stairs in my sleep, picked myself up, and headed back to bed. When I awoke I was quite surprised by the blood on my pillow. My mother wasn’t though. She had heard me fall, got up and apparently she guided me back to bed, and washed...

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“Flip, Flop, Flip” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #155

George really did not like where he was working. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the kind of work he had to do. He was an accountant and had since his early school days enjoyed playing with and learning about numbers. George had the gift, and knew how to use itThe problem was his boss Ralph. He was very condescending towards the people he openly referred to in the office as his ‘underlings.” That, of course, included George, whom he regularly addressed as “number nerd” rather than using his name. “Hey, number ner...

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“A Return Trip to the Circus” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #154

I cannot believe the experience I just had. People will think I am crazy if I share the story with them. I was taking a walk in in the empty field just north of the city. I was feeling kind of sleepy, had been for days. I thought that an aggressive walk might wake me up. But I only got more tired, so much so that I had to sit on the rarely used park bench at the entrance to the empty field. In very little time I went into a state that I first believed was deep in sleep. But when I ‘awoke’ I was not in an empty f...

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“The Family Heirloom” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #154

The heirloom was presented to the new owner with great ceremony and loud applause and even a little shouting. The crowd was very much engaged in following a long-standing family tradition. When the one who had possessed the much revered heirloom decided, “It is time for a transfer” (which were the actual words spoken at the beginning of the ceremony), the object would be passed down to the oldest grandchild, be it a him or her, at a formal family gathering. The act of handing it over would be photographed, the decided-upon bes...

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“The Rift Shift” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #153

The Rift Shift FredA short, rather thin man in his early thirties walks into a clothing store, and nearly collides with a row of hanging shirts when he sees someone a few rows down, someone who quickly disappears from view. He begins to talk to himself without speaking the words.“Well, Fred, there’s that bastard John Ford. I haven’t seen him for years, not since we both graduated from high school. I heard that he moved to another side of the city, and none of the high school guys that I still keep in touch with have seen him s...

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“It Runs in the Family” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #152

It Runs in the Family When I see my mother playing the part of the fortune teller in her room/office in our house, it brings to mind her mother, who would completely charm me with her performance in the same role in the same place. I would sit quietly and motionlessly in the corner of the room, and would watch and listen to her as she did her show for her client/customer/believer. She wore a filmy black dress with long, bulgy sleeves. On her head was an orange wreathlike top that she wore like a crown. Somehow it glowed ...

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“We are strange friends” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #150

We are Strange Friends We are strange friends, to be sure, very different in so many ways. True, we are employed by the same company and share the same office, but the work that we do is not a bit alike. Earl is the IT department all on his own. I’m not very good with computers. Never have been. Never will be. My skills are more in organizing meetings, and getting people to talk to each other comfortably and coherently            Yet Earl and I share some o...

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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.