Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (178)

178 Stories

7115 karma pts

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“Hearty” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The vampire in Grace Cross’s guest room caused her, for the first time in her life, to contemplate murder.The late afternoon sunlight streamed in and bathed her kitchen in soft golden tones. Motes of dust danced in the beams, and the town beyond snoozed in a post-work siesta. Mr Wiegand wouldn’t be up even now; this she knew. Once the Sun had retreated into its grave for the night, he’d begin to stir. It all made sense. It reminded her of the plots to ‘Salem’s Lot and Fright Night. A mysterious stranger moves into town, later revealed to be ...

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“No Time to Scream” by Joshua G. J. Insole

I push out in my kayak, safe in the knowledge that I’ve only experienced an attack once. The blue water ripples ahead, neither too still nor too choppy. No trees or bits of plants dot the surface, nothing which could offer camouflage or a place to hide. A cool breeze ripples the patches of grass on the north-western bank, and the blades sigh. I sigh with them. Lush green trees tower overhead. In the distance behind me, the sounds of children punctuate the air. Something about the scene back then didn’t sit well in my gut. The warning sig...

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“Runway” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Giorgino Pisani didn’t care that if he tripped at this breakneck speed, he would break his neck, as the name implied.With zombies hot on his heels, a little fractured skeleton didn’t scare him. As long as it KO’d him, Giorgino didn’t care. Did a cracked spine kill you straight away? Would a shattered skull send lethal pieces into your brain? Could you still feel things afterwards? The worst would be a popped ankle or a snapped shin, fragmented into splinters. Immobilised but still prone to the agony as they ate him alive. But a swift death w...

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“What We Could Have Been” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The detective couldn’t help but swagger as he slammed his fist against the apartment door.His heart echoed the sounds with thumps against his inner ribcage. Visions of bone, ligament and muscle as it throbbed and pulsed — suspended in a meat cage. Thump the-thump. Thump the-thump. His blood organ shuddered harder and harder, like a prisoner who yanked at the chains. Thump the-thump. Thump the-thump. It reverberated through his skeleton, clattered inside his teeth, shook inside his skull.They finally had the bastard.“Police!” His voice shredd...

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“Can't Buy Me Love” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Nathaniel Perry groaned as The Beatles woke him up.Paul McCartney pulled him from his sleep and sang about how he didn’t care too much for money. Reality rushed in as Nath’s eyes flicked and blinked open. How he wished he could be like Paul. Unfortunately, he lived in the real world. And in the real world, money made the Earth spin. He needed to eat food to stay alive. He needed to pay rent to keep a roof over his head. And if he wanted anything fun, he had to save up his precious few pennies and buy the damn thing.But Nath did agree with Mc...

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“A Familiar Face” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The woman frowns up at the building I’ve brought her to, and I can see why.In the dirty shadows of the city’s dark heart, the place leans like a half-drunk tombstone. Several withered trees stand in front; their bony hands thrust to the sky in a death pose. A sad wall overlooks the car park — peeled paint, artless graffiti, and bare brick. I’m sceptical that the few cars that rust in the lot can run. More than one vehicle sits atop blocks — their wheels absent like knocked-out teeth. The gutter that separates us from the road holds an entire...

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“The More I See of Men” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Aldhard De Vend had dressed for the occasion.He wore a full-length duster, a straw hat, and oversized aviators. He also donned driving gloves, turned his collar up, and slathered SPF 100 sun cream over every inch. But, of course, he hadn’t needed to do any of it. A mid-December afternoon, the sun had been on its way below the horizon for well over an hour. Even before sunset, thick cotton-wool clouds bunched up in the sky and blotted out its rays. The fogginess imparted a washed-out grey filter. Still, it didn’t hurt to be safe. His species ...

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“Tickle the Ivories” by Joshua G. J. Insole

At first, Miles Floyd doesn’t hear the piano; he grips the wheel as the car’s headlights slice through the night.The rain lashes against the window and windshield at a horizontal slant. The torrent thunders over the roof and drowns out the fuzzed-out radio. The wipers fight against the onslaught, back and forth, back and forth. The rubber squeaks with every pointless beat of their arms — the windscreen no more than a ripple. The droplets suspend an inverted world, and a too-short patch of the blurred road ahead looms.He sniffs back the mucus...

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“This Is Halloween” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Darkness had swallowed the day by the time Edwyn Herbert had finished, and a burnt odour lingered in the air.Edwyn stood with the first in his arms, a cradled baby, and gazed out into the night. He sniffed the air and tasted it, like a dog. Halloween always had this flavour. An explosive excitement, ready to ignite. The realm of possibilities — dismissed under the summer Sun — now wrenched wide open.He carried them out to his truck with great care and lay them in neat rows. Or as neat as he could manage — what with their different sizes and ...

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“Peeping Tom” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Joe Tillery opened Facebook, scrolled for three seconds, then paused, one eyebrow raised.Craig Ballard: Pooped for 17 minutes this morning. I sat on the toilet for an extra 15 so I could get out of helping my wife with the kids. A laughing face and comment from Cliff Field: “lol, classic craig!” One angry face. From Mrs Ballard. “Call me NOW.” That comment had a single like, from Craig himself.Joe grinned, but a question stitched his eyebrows together. Who in their right mind would post that sort of thing to Facebook? He continued to scroll ...

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“Terrible Claw” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Ranjit Prashad froze when he found the open gate, as the rain lashed at him sideways.He knew this day would come. He knew it. His wife knew it, and his mother knew it, too. They let him know before he accepted the job, and they reminded him of their thoughts often. It had gotten to the point that his kids even knew it, too. “Please, Papa,” his youngest daughter had said the night before. She tugged at his hand, her fist wrapped around a single one of his fingers. “Don’t go to work tonight.” But he had done then, and he had done today. What c...

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“Dream a Little Dream” by Joshua G. J. Insole

With hands that trembled, I tore open the packaging. A lilac font on a grey-black background declared the contents. Somnium. Beneath that: 30 mg. A bit more professional than I had anticipated. I’d bought pharmaceuticals on the dark web before, and they’d always turned up in little plastic baggies. Often adorned with a sticker or label, if luck shined on you that day. If not, you had to trust that the seller had sent you what you’d asked for. A bit of a gamble, granted, but people gambled every time they got into a car. And vehicular trans...

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“Down Came the Rain” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Holly Hart smiled as the tree thumped to the grass. Of course, Wallace wouldn’t be happy once he returned. But he should have thought about that before he agreed to a work trip. A work trip that spanned the weekend of their anniversary. And how did that old saying go? Don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness? The government could take their Tree Preservation Order and shove it. The property belonged to them, now. How could anyone consider it fair to ban you from doing what you liked on your land? And if Wallace didn’t have the backbon...

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“Some Men” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Amissa Animabus, otherwise known as The Spirits, watched the man as he woke. First, his deep breaths grew shallower and more rapid. His eyelids fluttered with butterfly-like gentleness. He frowned at the intense sunshine, a sweat already on his brow. A low grumble at the back of his throat, a subvocal complaint. Why couldn’t he sleep forever? His head tossed one way, then the other. Why must he wake up and leave the pillowed land of dreams? “Jefford Benzson,” The Spirits said with its million voices. Its skin rippled and bubbled, a chaot...

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“Shared Interests” by Joshua G. J. Insole

The Ford Escort’s headlights washed over the figure at the side of the road. A pale white hand and a pale face illuminated in the darkness. Thumb hooked out to the side, in the age-old sign of please give me a lift. Navy blue jacket, black jeans. A black duffel bag slung over one shoulder, stuffed to the brim, the seams on the brink of bursting. A lone silhouette against the backdrop of grey and black hues, not so much as a streetlamp to light him up. Derick Garza grinned and pressed the brakes. He steered the car over to the side of the...

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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