Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (182)

182 Stories

7278 karma pts

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“A Little Bit Off” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #48

1We all knew there was something a little bit off about Hugh. He was a single man who collected comics, for a start. He called them his “research”. He also had black silvery skin, purple eyes which he kept perpetually hidden behind a pair of oversized pink glasses, a ridiculous fake white moustache and no nose. Oh, and the glasses he tried to hide his eyes behind? They were regular glasses — not sunglasses, not the kind with mirror lenses, just plain old glasses. Hugh didn’t seem to be aware of his error, however.I’m not quite sure exac...

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“Treading Water” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #47

“It was supposed to be a sunny day,” you say to yourself, as the rain lashes against the window which has cracked into a spiderweb. Your voice barely sounds like your own, and you almost don’t recognise it at first — it also has a wavering, trembling quality to it that you don’t particularly like. You say these words to yourself because you are the only one in the room, and possibly the only one left in the whole facility. The precise fate of many of the others is unknown, but you know how a few of them went, oh yes…You feel a judder as the ...

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“Sequel to the Apocalypse” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #46

1Baldahr Seltro didn’t mean to cause The Great Undead Uprising of the third century (third century post-Reckoning, that was) but cause it he did.To understand how Mr Seltro caused this slight little mishap, one must first understand the difference between intelligence and wisdom. You see, Baldahr possessed plenty of the former — bucketloads, in fact — but almost none of the latter. Intelligence, they say, is knowing a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. Wisdom, as the saying goes, is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad. (Not that it...

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“(Don't) Listen to Me” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #45

1Don’t listen to me.I am a straight white male who was born in the United Kingdom in the early nineties. My parents worked in healthcare and banking. My sibling and I never wanted for much when we were growing up, and we both attended university. What do I know about sacrifice and selflessness? What could I possibly know about that? Sure, my life hasn’t been a perpetual picnic in the park (I’m working-middle class), but all in all, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of privilege. I admit that freely. Anyone who comes from my sort of background who s...

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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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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