Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (178)

178 Stories

7115 karma pts

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“Routine” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #29

Daisy wakes me up each day with a kiss. I always sleep longer than her, so she’s always the one to wake me up. I sometimes wonder how long she’s been up before she decides to rouse me – minutes, hours? Does she get up to see the morning sun rising? She doesn’t seem to mind, though; she’s all smiles when I open my eyes.She waits patiently as I put on my slippers and throw on my dressing gown. Daisy never hurries me – even though I’m usually bleary-eyed and clumsy, fumbling my way through the actions. Once we’re both up, we head down to the ki...

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“Night Train to Pinea” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #27

“Tickets and passes, please! Tickets and passes!” bellowed the conductor, startling John awake from his slumber. His eyes snapped open and he lifted his head from the table. Panic jolted into his veins like crackling electricity. His stomach lurched.“Ticket?” said John with a frown, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “What ticket?” In his half-dozing state, the phrase came out as, Wha’ tic’?“Tickets and passes, please! Tickets and passes!” repeated the train conductor, who was now moving into view, walking down the train carriage towards John. ...

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“Listening to Ghosts” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #26

1Jed Blancher, now there was a good paranormal investigator. Rumour had it, he could talk with the deceased without need for a planchette or Ouija or anything. Now, of course, there are those that would poo-poo Jed’s abilities and skills, and say that he was naught but a conman, swindling heartbroken souls of their hard-earned cash.But I know better.Jed was a true medium, able to reach the other side. Few people are gifted with such an ability, and even fewer learn to hone their natural skills. I myself also belong to this prestigious group,...

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“A Long, Narrow Box” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #25

Marvin needed help, and this seemed to be the place to get it. He looked at the laminated label on the bookshelf. SELF-HELP SECTION. He nodded to himself. Yup, this was the right place all right. He held his hands behind his back – neatly, as Mother had taught him – and surveyed the books on offer.Deidre had been making a stink all week, and Marvin had finally caved and gone in search of a remedy to their problems. It was a very specific issue. Marvin was doubtful that he’d even find a single book dedicated to alleviating the matter, let alo...

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“Something Swims Behind (Still My Sunshine)” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #24

1We were just entering the hadal zone when we realised, we weren’t alone. For those of you who don’t know, the hadal zone is six thousand metres under the ocean. To put that into perspective, the twilight, or mesopelagic, zone – that’s where just one percent of the light from above reaches the depths – is just two hundred metres deep.Now, you’re probably wondering, What about the bit where there’s no light at all? That would be the midnight zone you’re talking about. Otherwise known as the bathyal zone. That starts at around one thousand met...

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“Onwards, Towards the Witch” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #23

I see you, child.The words slithered into her brain, as if they were her own thoughts. The world flashed a momentary red. And then they came again.I see you, child.Monika’s eyes snapped open, immediately awake. “Who’s there?” she demanded of the darkness, leaping the chasm from sleep to awareness in an instant. “Who speaks?”There was no response.“Answer me!”The silence was stifling and somehow mocking. Monika could feel the very air vibrating with tinkling laughter. Had she imagined it? Conjured up the voice out of nothingness? Had she final...

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“Returning the Favour” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #22

1“Don’t panic,” said the man with my face, “I’m not here to hurt you.”The words caught in my throat for a moment. My eyes traced his features – the shape of his head, the crook of his nose, the thickness of his lips, the colour of his eyes, the slightly uneven eyebrows, the partially off-centre teeth. He was me. He was me, he was me, he was me. But I was me. I was sure of it. Mostly. “I—” I stuttered, looking over him once more. The words caught in my throat. The man struck more than a passing resemblance to me. This...

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“When the War Falls Silent” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #21

When the men from the Otherworld arrived, they brought death and destruction with them. When the Otherworlders arrived, the continent of Micsudsa was enshrouded in a pitch-black shadow from which it may never be freed, or so Silas feared. Oh, he knew that it was naïve to think that their lands had been entirely peaceful before they arrived, but they’d not experienced devastation such as this. Sure, Micsudsa had been fractured into two warring factions for years, but that was naught but a petty squabble when compared to th...

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“The Dead at My Door” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #20

They were still following us. We hadn’t managed to lose them, despite our best efforts. I could hear their frenzied footfalls and their growls filling the wintry night air, just behind us. How close were they, I wondered? One step? Two? If one of us stumbled as we ran up the path, would they be upon us before we hit the ground? Would they catch us even if we didn’t? Were we one or two seconds away from being tackled to the ground and devoured, our pained screams straining into the night?As we sprinted, full pelt, the questions swirled around...

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“A Heart Is Not an Orange” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #19

1Martin Wilson never returned from his student exchange program abroad. This is mostly due to the fact that he didn’t escape the vampire.“Oh, sweet Jesus!” cried the Brit, as he pounded down the stony hallways of the castle, footsteps echoing into the night. Outside the tall, gothic windows, a ghostly fog obscured the grounds around the place. His perception and understanding of where he was spatially were being warped and twisted – Martin thought he was at ground level, but now it looked as if he were on the third or fourth floor…“There is ...

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“Timebomb” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #18

NowThere were too many to fight. He was outnumbered ten thousand to one. He watched as they all raced towards him, vengeance in their eyes and murder on their lips. They came in a mob, clamouring for his blood, each wanting to say, “I helped kill him. I was part of it.”He stood perfectly still, hands in his pockets, not flinching or recoiling in the slightest. His hand brushed against the thing in his pocket, and his fingers clutched at it; ready, waiting.The throng thundered down on him, not knowing what was to come. He grinned. Even after ...

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“Frank” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #17

1We all thought that Frank was dead. Had we known that he wasn’t, we would have killed him again. We buried him six feet deep – not in a coffin, mind you, but in a roll of old carpet that Mama didn’t want anymore – and patted the earth down good and proper.We’d buried him by the old well out back, under the watchful eye of the moon and stars. Jim and I dug the hole, taking turns because we only had one spade. Gary was there, too, but Jim and I both knew that he’d probably have another heart attack if joined in.“Let me have a go!” Gary cried,...

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“Forests of Bone” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #16

1“You remember where to shoot ‘em?”“In the head! Always in the head!”“Good girl.” He tousled her blonde hair. It was short and cropped so that it couldn’t get caught on anything. Short hair also meant that nothing could grab it very easily, either. “Did you remember to do it?”A guilty silence. Her eyes looked shiftily from side to side. She didn’t know what he was talking about. She’d forgotten. “Lara…” He sighed and started the sentence again, careful to keep the note of exasperation from entering his voice. He was rather new to this whole ...

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“Honesty in G# Minor” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #15

1"Think of it like painting a picture.""I can't paint, either.""No, it doesn't matter. Just think of it like painting a picture.""All right. But I still don't know how to paint a picture."She sighed. "You don't need to be an expert in art to know how to paint a picture. You have the foreground and the background, right?""Okay…""And the foreground is the most important bit, right?""Makes sense.""The bit that everyone properly looks at?""Sure.""But the background is also important – a bad background can ruin a good picture, but a great backgro...

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“As It Ends” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #14

1 Sally didn’t see the nukes explode. She’d been sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Portland, Maine. A short, doable stretch. Training. Preparing for something bigger. In her heart, she knew she wanted to do an around the world trip, in the memory of her mother; raise some money for breast cancer awareness whilst giving herself some much-needed thinking time. Win-win. Oh, Sally knew if she did sail the world her father would worry about her, especially now that his wife was gone. But he wouldn’t stop her. And the proud smile he’d flashed ...

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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