Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (141)

141 Stories

5988 karma pts

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“Two Cups of Tea” by Joshua G. J. Insole

As always, Leonard woke before his alarm and listened — whilst he lay there — to the creaks of the home. Before the bedside clock could bleat, he reached over and silenced it with a preemptive click. No movement from the other side of the bed, so he snuck out of the bedroom before he woke Myra. Dressing gown swiped from the back of the door — next to Myra’s fluffy pink one — and slippers slipped into....

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“Good Eatin'” by Joshua G. J. Insole

At first, the smells had churned her stomach. Knees to her chest, back to the alley wall, Gigi Lamar kept the pressure on the wound. Out of sight from those in the street, she had this little section all to herself. Almost surreal, after the carnage she’d seen, the horrors she’d endured. Her home turned into a battleground, from which she’d fled. But this little spot of an alley, tucked away in the corner...

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“Seven Cs” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The ship dips beneath the waves as the Sun dips below the horizon.At first, the water is nice and cool against your sore, red skin. You’ve spent a lot of time exposed to the elements — especially as the Seven Cs began to take on water. Shelter in the shade. Refreshed layers of sunscreen. Proper, regular hydration. These are the sort of things that take a backseat when a hole opens up in the hull. And so, the gentle lap of the sea soothes the quiet grumble of your frayed nerve endings. A wince flickers across you...

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“Contact Preclusion” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The nuke should have detonated in the air.I stare at the ceiling. Naked wires coil to a bare bulb, which fizzes and flickers above our heads. Not enough to illuminate the shadows that pool in the dark corners. Not enough to add warmth to the cold cement, three feet thick. Ice-cold, ink-black. Our new living quarters. I can’t quite bring myself to say it’s our new home. Nothing about this place is like our old house. A concrete refugee camp. That’s all it is. The metal poles of the cot dig into my flesh. The canv...

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“There's Your Answer” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Jacqueline Armstrong only looked at her phone for a second. Past eleven at night, she had the mountain road to herself. The twin headlights of her beat-to-hell SUV sliced through the gloom. She’d had the window down for a moment, so the bite of the wind could wake her up. The lake — which glittered in the dark, off to her left — wafted an algae perfume into the car. The radio, its lights like demon eyes i...

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“Ordinary” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The black sedan makes no sound as it comes into view.The sort of car you might see parked behind any number of offices across the country. Its shape somehow conjures up all car manufacturers and none. Your gaze trawls over its sleek onyx curves. It could be a Mercedes or an Audi or a custom job from a nameless government-employed garage.It rolls down the street at the precise speed limit. Not slower. Not faster. Bang on. It signals when necessary, and stops at all the lights and crossings. It gives way ...

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“Blatta” by Joshua G. J. Insole

When I saw him, I knew I had to kill him.I crept up from the darkness. I stuck to the gloom — so that I didn’t reveal my location with a misplaced shadow. I took my time, moved with grace. No flurry of movement, no loud swishes of cloth. I swam through treacle, breath all but held, chest tight, hands wet with sweat.Not a big deal, most people would have done the same. It wouldn’t register a blip on the radar of the average mind. Wouldn’t weigh on a normal citizen’s conscience. It’s not like I stopped an...

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“Sol Losers” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The Sun bristled and swirled dead ahead, Hell personified in a sphere.“This is madness!” said Nancy Mendez. “We’re escaping one fiery hellhole—” she gestured back to the charred remnants of the Earth “—for another! Are you all insane?”“Lady,” said a rotund man with the face of a toddler. “We all voted for this.” He nodded, in affirmation, then took a sip from the straw of his coke. Bubbles thrummed in the container. “Democracy.” He squinted at her. “Are you saying you don’t like democracy, huh?...

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“Gender Reveal” by Joshua G. J. Insole

CW: Pregnancy and Gore###Rosemary wouldn’t survive to see the birth of her child, and that might be for the best.She didn’t even live long enough to register that something had gone wrong. The others — covered in bits of bone and flesh — would endure the real terror of that day’s events. She got as far as a furrowed brow and a puzzled smile, and then… gone. Existen...

17 comments 17 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Brothers Until (and Beyond) The End” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The closet door shuddered. Teddy Burton paid it no mind. The chair wedged beneath the handle continued to do its job. Henry wouldn’t be able to get out without an axe. And Teddy didn’t think he could use one of those, even if he possessed one. Either before or after. Teddy had once watched him try — and fail — to use a tin opener on a can with an easy pull tab. Headphones on, computer scre...

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“Quiet, Please” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Barbara Males waited for old Mr Bina to shuffle through the door.“Buh-bye, Mr Bina!” she said. “See you tomorrow!”But she wouldn’t.Rafiq smiled and waved and said, “Not if I see you first.”A few minutes had ticked past their seven o’clock close time, but she didn’t mind. Ever the gentleman, Mr Bina. He looked after the books he read. He asked insightful questions and held pleasant conversations. He never dragged the exchange on too long, and always got the hi...

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“Daughters of the Earth” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Nathaniel Thornton thought he had found a haven.But, as he tried — and failed — to wriggle free of the pillory, it occurred to him that he’d been wrong. The post wobbled when he fought against his shackles, but the trap would not break. The wooden framework, into which they’d locked his head and hands, remained steadfast and shut. At least no sharp blade hovered above the stocks, ready to guillotine him. Although he’d later reflect that decapitation would have been a preferable fate.“Now, now, Nathaniel...

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“Imogen Jumps” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Imogen Ross jumped from the roof of the ten-storey building. The wind tore at her hair, flung it around her head in a dirty-blonde halo. The cold chill raced down into her lungs and filled them. Exhalation at this point seemed like an impossibility. She closed her eyes as the rush of air buffeted her face. Pure. Icelike. Clear. The grin on her lips belied her actions. Yet, the smile did no...

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“Removed From Office” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Hanley Norris feared it might come back to bite him in the ass, but he never thought it would be in a literal sense.No matter how many skeletons he stuffed into his closet, a part of him clung to the belief that he’d never get found out. At some point, the house of cards should have collapsed, but it didn’t. So, he stacked the layers, higher and higher. Until the worry that it’d fall abated. And thus grew the ridiculous notion that he might be invincible after all.Hell, he thought as he swiped ...

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“Captain Bounce” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Tristand David grinned at the advert on the side of the bus stop.The Captain Bounce poster mimicked the front page of a newspaper, black and white. Even the fonts matched those of the national rags. The picture — which occupied a good 60 per cent of the poster — showed a family. A father, a mother, two children — a boy and a girl. Of various ethnicities, to try and get the inclusivity vote. Whatever helped sell, Tristand didn’t care. Each hung in suspension, mid-air. Limbs flailed. Hair splayed away from heads, ...

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Author bio

On a novel-writing hiatus, see you all soon! · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · 'Footsteps in the Dark' is out now! https://amzn.to/3LTlV7s · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · A three-time winner of the Reedsy contest, Joshua G. J. Insole is a British writer who lives in the Austrian Alps. Author of several other shortlisted stories, he published his first book in 2020. Joshua’s favoured genres are horror and science fiction. · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · Listen to Josh's interview on Goran's Coffee Table Talk here: https://spoti.fi/3sPccIZ Listen to Josh on Deidra and Russell's Read Lots Write Lots podcast here: https://www.readlotswritelots.com/podcast/episode-25-joshua-insole/ Listen to Josh narrate his 2019 Reedsy winner, 'Astro Naught', on Blue Marble Storytellers: https://bluemarblestorytellers.com/podcast/astro-naught-joshua-insole/ · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · For more information about the author and his published works, see 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