Joshua Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (113)

113 Stories

4848 karma pts

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“Session” by Joshua Insole

Cerise sighed when she spied Adelie curled up in the reading nook, eyes on the rain outside.Her heart sagged in her chest, a damp dress hung over a coat hanger. Limp. The air caught against her ribs, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Framed against the washed-out backdrop of droplets, Adelie looked older than her age. For one frozen snapshot, Cerise caught a glimpse of the adult her little sister would soon become. A temporary maturity — achieved through grief. Every nerve ending and vein ached, and not only for th...

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“Grave New World” by Joshua Insole

Jim extinguished the fire, even though the children grumbled. “Please, Papa Jim,” said a boy with dark circles around his eyes. “Just five more minutes. I’m awful cold.” He wrapped his arms around his knobbled knees and shivered as if to punctuate his point. Several of the others nodded and mumbled their concurrences. Jim sighed. His eyes darted to the ruined city skyline. Nothing but rubb...

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“Two Cups of Tea” by Joshua 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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...

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“Brothers Until (and Beyond) The End” by Joshua 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 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 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 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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Author bio

Joshua G. J. Insole is a British writer who lives in the Austrian Alps. His favoured genres are horror and science fiction. Joshua — three-time winner of the Reedsy contest and author of several other shortlisted stories — published his first book, 'A Chance of Rain', in July 2020 (amzn.to/2NrSOjb). — 'Under Blankets, Under Stars' is out now: amzn.to/37mVBAC — If you have the time, reviews for my books would help me out so much!

Winning stories 🏆

Contest #3

The Things That Do Not Float – read story

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Astro Naught – read story

Contest #65

Bridgemoss Guardians – read story