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Kendall Defoe

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (192)
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1374 Followers
7879 Following

192 Stories

5960 karma pts

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The Fine Print

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch?” To be honest, he was getting ready to go out that night and did not expect that he would have to deal with such nonsense after making the offer, but nothing ever worked out the way he expected it to with these people. There was always some small little problem that was never anticipated. All these years and all those surprises… “I beg your honest pardon?” “Honest, right… What I mean is…what is it that I’m missing? I mean, here you are with a great offer and it looks pretty straightforward on paper, but when you get a ...

23 likes 16 comments 16
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Shopping List

Submitted to Contest #186

Eggs, milk, bread, butter, peanut butter…Should have written it all down, or used the damn phone for more than…“Turn left at the next intersection.”Right.What else is on?“If you leave me now…”“Lady in red…”“She knocked me out with those American…”The kids; did Sheila pick them up?“Weather warning: snow squalls and…”About thirty-five pages tonight… Not a break; not even with time-and-a-half…“Rock the casbah, rock…”No traffic; not bad on a Friday.“Return all carts to the proper section after use.”Five things…anything I missed?Eggs?Brown? Duck?...

27 likes 28 comments 28
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Four Worlds

Submitted to Contest #186

“Who’s next?”“Me, sir.”“Good. You have all the forms?”“Yes. All complete.”“Okay. Let me see… Right, so it is not a machine or…?”“No, no. Just some written work to protect.”“Okay, I see. May I ask about the application of your work?”“I am not sure I understand.”“I mean, how would the layman use the ideas in your papers?”“This is for science…”“I see. To benefit mankind.”“I think that may be too much to say at the moment.”“But it is for science?”“Yes. My own theory.”“A theory?”“Yes, for now, it is my own idea. But if my ideas are correct, it ma...

32 likes 25 comments 25
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Close Call

This was a very real fortune cookie:“You are one in a million.”Yes, that’s what it said, right on time for the end of our date. No, I should be more specific: Right on time for the end of a relationship. She had something that she wanted to say, and she said it between forkfuls of Pad Thai and the shared white pot of very strong green tea. I hadn’t wanted to pour it out after she said it was over. It tasted right without anything to sweeten it. No bitterness there...Fork… She said something about them and Asian restaurants. She said that if ...

7 likes 7 comments 7
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Instruction Manual

Submitted to Contest #184

Please read carefully…Congratulations on your purchase of the device from one of our many fine dealers! We do not yet offer the product in the regular chain stores, so your purchase must have taken place through the many new and wonderful franchises now growing and thriving across the nation, soon around the world. We thank you for your interest.As you inspect the device, it is necessary to remind you one more time that once you decide to use it, it is a one-time deal. No money back guarantee is offered on a used device, unless you decide to...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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The Fly and the Spider

It all started before lunch. Usually, when we had lunch at Cicero’s, our table would be waiting for us, our menus set on the table, and a little peace of mind for an hour and half would be available. From our office, the walk would be about ten minutes, even if I had to walk with her and take into consideration her slower gait. That was Laura, of course. It is strange to think about it now, but no one ever commented on us going out to lunch together, or working on projects when the rest of the staff left for today. Our results were excellen...

12 likes 8 comments 8
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The Prince's Trust

Dear sir or madam… Well, that might be a difficult way to prove my point. And what is my point? Not all of us Nigerian princes are a threat to you… I have tried to write this on a computer that was not connected to the web, but I realize now that I will have to use the World Wide Web in order to make my message clear. Too many of us are judged for things we have not done, and things are getting worse for all of us. There is a reason why I have decided to write this in the woods; there is also a reason why I am no longer in Nigeria. Let m...

14 likes 11 comments 11
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Things to Do

Submitted to Contest #179

20. First, I am going to really aim at those ten pounds I need to drop (the doctor said very little about it, but I know what I have to do). Another gym membership might be a little expensive, but I think I can afford it if I save some money. 19. Save more money from work. I don’t have to buy a lunch every day, and I can learn a little more about how to cook things that are not eggs and bacon. I think I might have a cookbook somewhere in here. Maybe I should also skip buying coffee every day at the café. Not all my fault. 18. Tell Laura how ...

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Sparent

The chairman of the committee tapped a spoon on the thin, fluted champagne glass in his hand and the room fell silent. “Thank you all for attending today. I wish that it was for a much happier and joyful occasion, but we all saw this coming. And we all wish the man behind the vision the best in whatever remains after his time here.” Mr. Beverly looked over his index cards spread out on the podium. Maybe it would have been a better idea if he had practiced this speech ahead of time, but matters moved faster than anyone could have predicted. T...

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The Ringer

Submitted to Contest #174

The Ringer… She really was one, y’know? The meaning of that word has changed a lot, but nothing else has. Just glad that I can talk to you about this and that you wanna know what the big deal was all about. I’m just glad that someone is going to remember one of my best friends.So, what do you want to know?Everyone who has one of those computers or phones – amazing what the technology around those things can do – can find out the stories: the market crash; the Dust Bowl; gangsters; soup kitchens. That can tell ya a lot, but not everything. Yo...

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The Thighmaster!

Seriously? This is what she had to contend with…? Seriously? Karen Tony was not a patient woman, and the approaching holidays pulled whatever last dregs of sympathy she had in her heart out and dropped it into a very deep pit. The thing is, she usually had all of her gifts bought and ready for staff long before December was even a thought. But there was still the issue of her family and how they looked at gift giving. Her brother would make donation on her behalf (the whole family was doing it, he said; all pretty cheap people). Her father, ...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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Blind Date

Submitted to Contest #172

The waitress was very fat and I did not like her hair, but she had a good attitude as she guided me to my seat. The restaurant was not full on a Friday, so I guessed that the concert next door was still on and that it would fill up with people who had terrible taste in music later (the group playing truly sucked). I knew that my name was on the reservation list, but I still had a twenty ready in case she gave me a hassle. “I am ready to pay so that you will let me sit early…and not do anything to my food.” “I understand. I was going to give ...

30 likes 16 comments 16
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Torii

Submitted to Contest #171

If he had been able to cry without the wind creating these tears, it would be a pure moment of joy. The patch of gravel he stood on was quite wide and slippery, but he felt no fear. It was the other bodies around him that impressed him now, as did that view, and he could not move. It had taken him a long while to walk and beat the sun that touched the edge of the sky and blew away the darkness and strong shroud of clouds. There was the valley that he could see clearly now, and soon as he would make his way down the mountain. There was the pa...

19 likes 2 comments 2
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A Man Walks Into A Bar…

“I have a plan…” We were all listening. Michael knew what to say. He knew what we had to do. That was at the Gasbar, the only place to hang out after work that was nearby and had a liquor license. And food. We were done by five, so all of us wanted to have something to eat before we collapsed and emptied all the bowls of beer nuts and pretzels. I was actually just thinking of food when we walked in. Jordan and Spinner were also grumbling about it (could hear their stomachs from a mile back if I had to). Even Michael wanted food. And then we ...

14 likes 11 comments 11
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Toby’s Other Friend

Everyone should have a best friend; it is just wrong not to have one. It was Halloween when we met, and I have to say that it was perfect timing. My mom had made me a costume and I was lucky enough to go out as Batman, with the belt, the weapons and other stuff that made it look like I really was a superhero (I always wanted to be a superhero). My friends were already out there, and I would meet them on the corner to head out, just like we always did. I brought out two bags with me – just pillowcases, but the best – and came home straining w...

15 likes 8 comments 8
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