K. Antonio

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2020

Stories (25)

25 Stories

3677 karma pts

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“10 Years Of Space” by K. Antonio

He comes to me in pieces as I watch the stillness of space, envisioning new constellations in the array of unrecognized stars. Sometimes I'll trace the sparks of light with my finger, connecting the dots and smudging the glass as a result. How many stars do you think there are in space? I imagine him asking. Can there really be other ones out there as big as or even bigger than the sun? For the longest time, I had always considered him to be like the sun while...

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“This Is How You'll Rewrite Time” by K. Antonio

In a few years back, you’re going to be looking at a picture, an image sprung from a rift in time. My mouth in it will be open after having gasped for my last breath while my eyes are stagnant, nonreactive, and glassy like that of a dead fish.At this moment, blood’s trickling down my lips, but moments from now you’ll see how it spurted, ran down my chin, staining my clothes. Unable to contain the feeling you’ll end up running the tip of your tongue around your own mouth, searching for...

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“The Sack Lady And The Sin Tree ” by K. Antonio

My nana says I got to be a good boy, or she’ll have the sack lady take me off her hands. Nana will let her in our house, serve me up on a silver platter like a roasted loin and let her haul me away to god knows where, the same place where Judas lost his boots, someplace far, far away. They say she knows magic, the black kind used in conjunction with the devil, and that with a snap of her fingers, she’ll shrink you and stuff you in her bag with the other boys and girls who only know how to misbehave and give their mamas, papas and nanas te...

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“Metastasis” by K. Antonio

I can’t accept the idea of talking to you when you’re simply not here. The instruction guide on the coffee table looks like a take-out menu, foldable with several pictures and satisfied client reviews.This isn’t some antiquated form of long-distance communication like writing a letter or sending a text. I’m the type of person that keeps a strip of neon tape over the webcam's lens, who unplugs the microwave when it’s not being used. You were the type of person who worshipped algorithms, who installed a VPN on all our neig...

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“The Other Sides Of Your Life ” by K. Antonio

(Content Warning: mentions of drug use and self-harm)We hear the pump, pump, pump of your rapid heartbeat amplified by the Doppler. Your mom and I are nervous. The doctor’s gaze is focused on the monitor; your garish, fuzzy body seems to pique her interest.Something’s wrong. I know it.Your mom’s hand tightens around mine, her fearful clutch squeezing my fingers. Her face is frozen, her eyes wide, a stretched-out expression that could easily be confused for awe.

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“Dois Rios” by K. Antonio

The shallow, sandy-colored water merges with its dark blue counterpart along the Rio Salomão, where the confluence of the two bodies meets in a tender exchange of nature, much like the lips of two lovers. I could never distinguish the divide of the rivers early in the morning when my father would drag me out of the house with nothing but an old muscle shirt, trunks, and my goosebumps. He would have me enter the boat, sit on the gunwale while he leaned against the hull waiting for our partners, his fishing buddy, Nani, a...

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“Only The Living Prey” by K. Antonio

(Content Warning: Murder and Violence)Through my bedroom window, I watch the police cruisers make tracks along our muddy driveway, dying off like fireflies as they recede into the dark backwater. They came here to ask me questions about you. A pair of vehicles rolled up with the moon-tide, men with arms but of little action. They wanted to know everything about us, our relationship.They stayed here for hours, and it seems that no one knows a damn thing. You’re nothing to them but a mystery, a body that ...

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“Parental Teachings ” by K. Antonio

My little brother’s heavy breathing fogs up our view while his mouth sticks to the window like a cleaner fish. The room’s pretty dark, so we pulled the curtains away just a bit to see the stars, only to be disappointed by the blinding, excessive lighting of the motel sign. Our little sister, Frida, is curled up between mom and dad while Benjamin and I take shifts, staying on the lookout for the perfect car.The receptionist asked mom the length of our stay, but dad chimed in, saying it would only be a couple hours, just a...

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“One Of Those Nights ” by K. Antonio

Charlize feels the chill from the fridge sneak into every fine opening of her nightgown, the cold air tickling her silken skin as her hand reaches in to grab a bottle of Cabernet. She pours her wine into a sleek stemless glass while leaving the refrigerator door open. She hears a rustling, leaves laughing in the wind. Charlize places the bottle back in the fridge, closes the door, and peers outside. She runs to the foyer, certifies the chain and knob; she expects no visitors. The moon’s full, glowing radiantly. Char...

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“Woodshop” by K. Antonio

C/W: Graphic description of injury His hands are shaking, my fingers are clutched around his, smothering a dirty yellow rag against the wound while our classmates’ faces cringe in disgust from the blood, splattered like paint against the hardwood. He complains about how the cloth smells of varnish, how it’s going to give him an infection, how he’s going to lose his finger. “You’re going to be fine. Just breathe in and out.” I wrap my f...

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“The Lull” by K. Antonio

Honestly, it feels like I’m tipping, struggling to maintain my balance while my legs cramp and buckle. I change positions. I go from sitting on the chair, cross-legged, to sitting on the floor, to kneeling like a monk. But that changes nothing.I remain here, looking at the black mirrors, my reflection through the lens, into the screen, into a box. I ask a question, longing for an answer, for white noise, even giggles would suffice. Instead, I wilt here looking at myself, calling, explaining, ignoring, fighting back the l...

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“Words Of Encouragement” by K. Antonio

(Content Warning: Child Abuse)* “I swear, you’re just like your father.”*For the longest time, I saw him as a goal to strive for, his sheen something to admire, a heroic personage worth my imitation.On weekday mornings, I woke up, hours before school, to meet Dad in the kitchen for breakfast. The electric coffee pot hissing, our mugs over the counter, two slices of Wonder Bread fed into the toaster. Dad’s face clean without a haze, his hair slicked back, the Christ tattoo peek...

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“Shadows Of The Bishop House” by K. Antonio

(Content Warning: Mentions of death and rape)Most of the people in town know Barley Bishop only through the tales. How he murdered his wife and daughter in a craze. They say he tortured and buried at least fifty slaves. That he was killed by his maid that he tried to rape. It's also been spread that everyone who occupies his house ends up dead.From this distance, the Bishop House looks small, derivative of something from a fairy tale, quaint and fragile, made of match sticks that with the light...

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“The Skeleton And The Mirror” by K. Antonio

The water droplets from the halo-like showerhead ride the boney curves of my body down to the drain. I listen to the patters like heartbeats, feel the heat loosening my muscles and making it easier for me to breathe. The tiles are slick, the wall moist, the sliding glass door of the box is shut, the lights are off. My hands wander for the soap, for the shampoo, for the sponge. My fingers run through my hair, the bitter taste of suds tainting my mouth and almost drying my tongue. The burn forces my gaze up, has me open my eyes for the wate...

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“Anna's Hummingbirds ” by K. Antonio

I see the plastic tube hanging from the hook nailed onto the wooden beam of the front porch. I can still hear the sound of their rapid wing beats in my mind, their flutter just a bit louder than wasps. Their iridescent feathered bodies danced around the fields like fairies in a time when we were still graced with bountiful crops. The feeder is filled with a clear liquid. It's ornamented with gaudy, neon-colored artificial flowers, unrealistic and unconvincing, at least to fool a hummingbird.The flowers stuck to the body ...

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Author bio

Attempting to focus on my manuscripts. Should still be commenting and giving feedback. I'll put up a story if inspired, but I really need to start making a dent on my novel. I'm a lover of specialty coffee, soy sauce and I believe cake is appropriate for breakfast. I'm still finding my voice as a writer but I can proudly say that I have been growing. 📚 Currently Reading: "Recursion" by: Blake Crouch ⭐Honestly anyone of the 96 current authors I follow are worth checking out! But some of my faves are: - A.g. Scott - Heather Mc Quaid - Claire Lewis - Shea West - Nina Chyll - Rayhan Hidayat - Deidra Lovegren - Rachel Smith - Beth Connor - Kristin Neubauer - Beth Connor (I'll change the the list every now and again 😁🤗) Shortlisted Stories: 🏅#97 - Parental Teachings 🏅#100 - The Other Sides Of Your Life

Winning stories 🏆

Contest #77

Burying David – read story