Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (178)

178 Stories

7115 karma pts

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“Buy Another Birthday” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #44

Alan Alan found himself standing at the gate of a little cottage, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d been killed in a hit-and-run accident seven months prior. There was the sound of a van pulling away behind him, quickly and quietly. He glanced over his shoulder at it, but it was already halfway down the road. The brief glimpse he’d gotten of it revealed it was entirely black — windows and all. He turned back around, frowning. He looked at his hands, turning them this way and that. Alan looked around, up and down the street he...

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“Winston and the Legend of Va-Khum” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #43

Listen closely, Little One, and I shall tell you a tale of a day long since passed.It was a day like any other, the sun was streaming in through the blinds, casting alternating rectangles of golden light — through which motes of dust floated, lethargically — and sepia-tinted shadow. Dave and Stella were out somewhere, and I was home alone.Where was I?My child, you hadn’t been born yet.Wow…It wasn’t unusual for me to be home alone, I often was. I didn’t mind, in fact, I was quite content to look after the house, lounging on the sofa or taking...

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“snoitseuQ and srewsnA” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #42

“Because we’re here.”The words, which had not been casually proffered, hovered in the space between them for a moment; from the mind of one and into the ears and heart and soul of the other.The Questioner took the answer completely seriously. On the surface, it might have seemed like a flippant, even careless answer to what had been an honest, earnest question. But the Questioner knew better. The answer, although simple, contained a lifetime’s worth of wisdom, succinctly and simply presented in its most basic building blocks by the Answerer....

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“Deep Space Canine” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #41

1“Grrround Control, mission has successfully been completed, repeat, mission has been successfully completed, Grrround Control.”“Roger that, Major Rover, thank you for your hard work. Huzagudboi, huzagudboi, yoragudboi, yezyoragudboi.”“Huzagudboi yourself, Captain. Major Rover over and out.”Major Rover allowed himself to drift for a moment, taking in the sights. He never got tired of it — and doubted that he ever would. He sighed to himself, contentedly, as he floated through the pretty void, all manner of stars and planets lacing the cosmic...

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“The Hands That Rattle the Cage” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #40

“Hey!”The shout startled her from her reverie. Jackie opened her eyes and squinted up at the sun. It was about midday, by her estimates.“Hey, you!”With a groan and a sigh, Jackie forced herself to sit upright. She glanced around at her surroundings, which had remained mostly unchanged in the past twelve hours or so that she’d been there. Jackie looked around, trying to see where the voice had come from. It wasn’t easy, considering how many people there were.They were all stood on the other side of the wire fence, staring at her, mouths slack...

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“Blind Visitors” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #39

It’s looking up at the stars. Or is it looking down at them? It could be either one, I suppose. It’s also hard to say what, exactly, it is. It’s an alien, of course, we’ve already figured that out — but anything beyond the vague label of ‘alien’ is out of our current grasp.It has a thin, spindly body, hunched over, crouching. It’s bipedal and has a roughly humanoid shape — the sort of body we can recognise, more or less. It’s not completely dissimilar from us, but it’s different enough to be recognised as other. Its knees are bent, hands res...

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“Living and Dying in 42 Beachley Street” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #38

1I held my breath as the silhouette of the little old lady turned around at the sound of my veranda door opening, then sighed internally when she waved cheerfully in my direction. Okay for one more day, I thought, as she shuffled over towards the guardrail that separated our balconies. One more day, please, God, and another after that. If it’s not too much to ask. “Oh, James, how are you this wonderful morning?” she cooed, pleasantly as ever, her deeply creased face scrunched up in a grandmotherly smile.I grinned at her, squinting in the ear...

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“No Bubbles” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #37

1I should have seen what was wrong with the scene sooner than I did. 2That Saturday morning was gorgeous. The sun was strong, there wasn’t a single cloud visible. A gentle breeze delicately rippled the surface of the water, the lazy waves shimmering. The sky above was an ethereal cobalt, stretching on forever. As I looked up into that blue eternity, I felt at home in the universe, experiencing a rare tranquillity. In the chaos of daily life, I cherish these brief moments of euphoria -- the occasional understanding that all will be okay....

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“Ten Fingers, Two Hands” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #36

Wednesday 13th April, 2:33 a.m.Dear Diary, I have lied to you. Or was it myself I lied to? Perhaps they’re both one and the same. After all, I’m the only one who writes in you and I’m the only one who reads from you. The entries for the last week are scribbled across the pages preceding this one, and whilst the handwriting gets messier and messier, the content of those passages show no distress. I look at the entry for Monday — Nothing new, just can’t sleep. Diary, I know you’ve got no ears through which you can hear me, but I have just laug...

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“The Place Where the Birds Don't Sing” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #35

I know it’s not much of a defence, but I really didn’t know how much damage it would eventually cause. This confession of innocence doesn’t undo the events that followed that fateful Wednesday morning in mid-March, I know that, but hopefully it will be understood that I didn’t mean for any of it to happen — either by accident or design. I doubt I could have stopped it, anyway. But if there’s one person who could’ve possibly seen it before it hit, it was me.On that note, I think it’s worth pointing out that I did...

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“The Open Window Lets the Rain In” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #34

1It’s three o’clock in the afternoon when I discover the open window in the upstairs bathroom. I know this because the alarm I’ve set to remind me to eat has just gone off, bleating its digital protests from the bedside table. Beep! Buh-bleep! Beep! Buh-bleep! It won’t stop until I either push the button to silence it or wait ten minutes. If I wait ten minutes, the alarm will snooze for another ten, and then it’ll start back up with a vengeance. I know this because it happens every morning; I lie there listening to the screeching a...

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“Donum Ex Deo” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #33

“Well, what do you think?”“Uh…”“You do like it, don’t you?”“Well…”“Wonderful! I’m so glad you’re pleased. You know, I was wondering about whether it was the right gift or not, and — you know — you can never tell!”“Right…” As the word tumbled from my mouth, the box in my hands shuddered a bit. Not much, gosh no, but enough that I noticed it. And… was that a little squeak? I couldn’t be sure of that last one, because they kept talking.“So, what do you say?” interjected one of the ones with wings. I got the distinct imp...

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“Maledictions and Muffins” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #32

The witch waved her wand in the direction of her victim, whispering the ancient incantations under her breath. The words snaked out from between her lips, like a worm out of an apple. Her opponent began to expand — growing, widening, fattening. Mavis knew that it wouldn’t be long until the object of her spellcasting finally bid adieu to this mortal world and exploded, insides splattering in every direction.But Mavis wasn’t going to let them give up that easily, oh no. She had much more in store for the half a dozen target...

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“Grandma's Garden” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #31

1Grandma was always tending to her garden. Eleanor watched her as she went about her duties, a smile stretched across her kind and wrinkled face, a pretty little melody being softly hummed (and occasionally whistled), a wide-brim straw hat pushed snugly on her head. The hat always made Eleanor laugh, due to the ridiculous way in which the brim flopped all over the place. Knowing this, Grandma moved her head as often as possible, and in as exaggerated movements as possible, to cause the hat to flip and flap more often.Eleanor loved her grandm...

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“Sea the Moon” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #30

The seagulls were weeping again. They had woken her from her sleep. It was funny, now that she thought about it. She’d also fallen asleep listening to their shrill pleas. It reminded her of the song her mother had sung to her as a baby. Sunset and sunrise, bird calls and bird cries.Simone rolled out of her bed, feeling the tidal roll of the world beneath her feet. Circles and orbs, circles and orbs, she thought, inanely, as she wobbled over to the window on legs that felt made of string. It’s all just circles and orbs. Or spheres. Is ‘sphere...

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Author bio

Joshua G. J. Insole is a British author living in the Austrian Alps. He has achieved a triple Reedsy triumph, showcasing his love for horror, comedy, and sci-fi. His tales are available in his published books and various anthologies. https://joshuainsole.com/

Winning 3 stories 🏆

Contest #65

Bridgemoss Guardians – read story

Contest #8

Astro Naught – read story

Contest #3

The Things That Do Not Float – read story

Shortlisted 8 stories ⭐️

Contest #93

Gender Reveal – read story

Contest #48

A Little Bit Off – read story

Contest #46

Sequel to the Apocalypse – read story

Contest #30

Sea the Moon – read story

Contest #15

Honesty in G# Minor – read story