Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (178)

178 Stories

7115 karma pts

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“I Am the Groundskeeper” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #13

1The knife doesn’t slip in easily, I have to really force it. 2During the summer months, the hotel is bustling with life. People from all over the country holiday in our little slice of heaven. People from other countries come to pay us a visit, too. Our fields are green and expansive. Our mountains – albeit small – instil a sense of peace and wonder in the hearts of the tumultuous. Our rivers and lakes caress the soul, and the waterfalls have inspired many a song and poem. There is also the sea, all but a stone’s throw away. The beach...

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“What Did We Do?” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #12

1The dogs were the first to sense it. Without them, who knows how it would have all turned out? Maybe it would have all been over within a few hours.Abby froze in place, shoulders hunched up. She started growling. The noise was deep and rumbling. It made her sound like a much larger animal. If you couldn’t see her, you might’ve thought that it was a bear, or some other gigantic and aggressive predator.Nonetheless, the noise startled Mark. His mind had been wandering, as it often did when he walked Abby after work. He found these walks relaxi...

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“Watching Jeremy” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #11

1Dad had killed people. Before, I mean. Back when society had yet to go spinning down the drain. Prior to the whole world going insane. Well, going more insane, anyway.He never really spoke of it, but we all knew he’d spent time in prison. It was common knowledge, but everyone was too afraid to bring it up. He had the tattoos; a teardrop under his left eye, LOVE and HATE across his heavily scarred knuckles, and two spider webs – one on the inside of his elbow, and the other on his neck. I still don’t know what the deal is with arachnids. Dad...

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“We Take the Wolves” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #10

1When the werewolves first attacked, we didn’t stand a chance. Of course, I didn’t know they were werewolves at the time.The four of us – Kim, Mark, Daryl and I – said goodnight and turned in for the evening, returning to our respective tents. We knew we’d have a long day of hiking and climbing the next morning, so we wanted to get some sleep. Besides, we’d had a couple of beers and very little rest. Add that on top of the couple of hours it’d taken us to get there, and you’ve got yourself four knackered twenty-somethings.Our two tents were ...

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“A Village Under the Purple Moon” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #9

1Marianne felt the eyes of the townsfolk upon her; hatred intermingled with fear. Although they’d never know it, the people of Maydale had played a role in their own demise.As she walked the muddy path, feeling the wet splatters caking her shins, she met their gaze. If they were to call upon her to save them, the least they could do was acknowledge her. She would not shy away from them. Many of the peasants dropped their stare or made the sign of the cross with their fingers. The latter would have made her laugh, had the circumstances not be...

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“Astro Naught” by Joshua G. J. Insole

🏆 Winner of Contest #8

“It’s okay, Ground Control. I know you did everything you could.” Charles sat at his desk, staring at the blank screen. Nobody said a word. There was a slight hissing of static. He swallowed hard, and there was an audible click in his throat. His mouth was dry. His heart was thudding intensely in his chest. Charles felt as if someone had fastened a belt around his torso and was gradually pulling it tighter and tighter. After what seemed like an eternity, Stan broke the silence. “Come in, Pete.” The static hissed. “Pete. Come in.” Hhhhhhhh. “...

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“The Comicbook Kid” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #7

1Ralph’s parents were never the same after they died. They didn’t need to eat anymore, which was a bit of an issue. It meant they often forgot his meals, so that he had to learn to cook for himself. The food was a bit… dodgy, at first, and the kitchen had almost gone up in flames on more than one occasion. But Ralph was getting better at it.They could also walk through walls. And float upwards through the floor. Or out through the ceiling. When they were talking to him, they tended to disappear beyond a physical boundary mid-sentence, leavin...

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“Two Wheels to the Coast” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

1“I miss cars,” complained my daughter.Silence. Well, silence except for…Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“Moooom,” she whined.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.The heat was thick and tangible. It felt as if you could take a knife and slice the air before your very eyes. It was heavy, and horribly oppressive.“Mom!”“What is it, Honey?” responded Sandra, a tad testily. It was understandable. We were all irritable.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“I miss cars.”An exasperated sigh. “Me too, Honey.”Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.God, it was hot. Carefully, I armed sweat out of my face...

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“How to Build a Boat” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #5

1I knew I was in for a spot of bother when the plane’s left wing exploded. There had been a violent shudder, an audible churning sound (krr-rrr, krr-rrr, krrrrr), then a few seconds of respite… and then KA-BOOM!I remember looking out of the passenger window just as the thing blew up; first a few licks of orange flames were spat out of the spinning engine, and then there was a blinding detonation of dark reds and yellows and other autumnal hues. Almost immediately after, dark, thick smoke began pluming out of the turbine – but by then making ...

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“Water Wears Rock” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #4

1The seagulls are circling overhead, crying. The ocean’s waves are lapping up against the sand, whispering. In the distance stand the resolute shadows of mountains, shimmering.A man is motionless before the darkened sand where the seawater has licked the shore, holding his hands behind his back. The man carries with him an air of well-earned wisdom, but if he were to walk, we’d see that his movements are slow and pained.He stands there, looking out across the vast body of water. The man is old, but the sea is older. The undulating waters exi...

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“The Things That Do Not Float” by Joshua G. J. Insole

🏆 Winner of Contest #3

Shaun jumped from the cliff’s edge. With each passing second, he felt the temperature drop and the pressure rise. The sensation of the movement was faint; if he closed his eyes, it felt as if he weren’t moving at all. Down and down he went, falling forever. “Do you have to?” his mum had asked. He dropped, he was dropping, he would continue to drop, always, always. “Would you like me to come with you?” his dad had asked. Further and further he coasted away from the world above and behind him. “I don’t know why you’re bothering, it’s all gone ...

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“Printed Words” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #2

1The worst moment came when I needed to use the bathroom. I had held on for as long as I could – until my bladder was at exploding point, actually – but I knew I would have to go sooner rather than later.But how would I do it? I looked around, searching for something to aid me in this process. At that moment, I was simultaneously relieved and miserable that I was unaccompanied; I was deeply lonely and terrified, but glad that nobody was present to witness such an embarrassing spectacle.My eyes fell on an empty soda bottle. I considered it fo...

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“Too Many Candles” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #1

1“So, what’d you get ‘im?”“Hm?”“I said,” said the impatient voice, “what’d you get ‘im?”“Oh, oh right! Oh, well, hm, you see—"“You didn’t get ‘im anything?”“Well—”The other converser tutted. “It does not bode well to turn up to a birthday party without a gift.” She had a thick and strong cockney accent that had obviously been coarsened by years of smoking. At least, I think it was a ‘she’. Down here, it was rather hard to tell.I tried to ignore the smell.“Listen,” rasped the voice, “I got ‘im a great gift.”I absorbed the information whilst n...

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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