Kevin Broccoli

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020

Stories (28)

28 Stories

645 karma pts

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“Inconvenient Evolutionary Developments” by Kevin Broccoli

When Ollie realized he had lungs, he was terrified to breathe. Having something is a problem, but using it is a much bigger problem, because use involves intent. He didn’t intend to have lungs, and so, he hadn’t done anything wrong, but one breath, and he’d be a criminal. Ollie was born in the Atlantic, before being sent to the Pacific by Bobbie, who explained to him that the Atlantic was ...

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“If An Android Could Whistle” by Kevin Broccoli

The day I was born, he handed me a script. He said—Read this. So I did. The script was very good.  Nice pacing.  Fleshed out characters.   Flesh was something I wasn’t aware of at the time, but I felt a real investment in the words in front of me.  The world that I was creating within the wires of my mind. And it never occurred to me...

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“No Strings” by Kevin Broccoli

The truth is she found herself unable to throw the words much further. Oliver would sit on her lap, and in addition to keeping his mouth moving, she’d also be expected to say her lines, and his, and get his voice across the room without moving her lips. All of this was too much, much too much, and her sister agreed that she needed a break from Oliver to rediscover her joy of performing.

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“Around the Barrel” by Kevin Broccoli

My father told me to look down. He said, “Look down, and don’t look back up until I tell you.” So I feel at a loss, because when people ask what I remember, I have to say-- I remember dirt. I remember how my shoes looked that day. The shoes we had just bought. White when my mother swore that white shoes were bad luck, because ...

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“Blood, Water, and Property Rights” by Kevin Broccoli

To My Dearest Great-Great-Great Granny Fanny, Over these past five days, I have greatly enjoyed living in your old house while I recuperated from my recent separation. Though the plumbing is shoddy and the walls are thin, it is a beautiful piece of architecture, and something about residing in a home that has been in my family for generations has inspired me to explore all the branches and...

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“All This and a Box of Matches” by Kevin Broccoli

I skipped the seminar on plastic. I don’t like the way it smells when it goes up. Tight. Taut smell. The smoke billows in a way I can’t appreciate. They forgot to book one of the outdoor spaces, so they wouldn’t even be able to let the smoke go up too much before they’d have to put it out, or they’d tip off the hotel that we’re not actually a stamp-collectin...

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“What I Found in My Manager's Office During the Blizzard” by Kevin Broccoli

To Whoever Finds This Letter, Hello from Death. Or the Beyond. Or the Great Beyond. Whatever or Whomever you choose to believe in. I am not entirely sure I’m dead, but being alive would be a long-shot, since I am about to trek out into the snow after spending four long hours trapped in this bank. What, you may ask, were you do...

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“When the YouTube Haircut Video Radicalized Poor Phil” by Kevin Broccoli

“The most important thing is not to be afraid.  Are you afraid, Phil?" “A little.” “It's okay to be afraid. Cutting your own hair can be very intimidating.” “Yeah.” “But not nearly as intimidating as knowing that the government tries to oppress our liberties every single day, right?” “What?” “What?” “Did you sa...

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“Nail-Biter” by Kevin Broccoli

I stopped biting my nails by wearing gloves. I stopped biting my nails by wearing gloves taped to my hands, around my wrists, with duct tape, with the deep grey duct tape that you can only get at the hardware store, and as soon as I walked into the hardware store, the man behind the counter took one look at me and said-- “You need to stop biting your nails.” He off...

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“Discussion Questions for The Ten Commandments” by Kevin Broccoli

We know religion studies can be boring, especially when you really just want to go outside and play, but before you head into the fourth grade, we need to make sure you have a solid understanding of some of the most important rules ever put to paper--or stone, as the case may be. A little Bible humor there for you, even though you should never ever joke about the Bible.  Ever. Ple...

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“Chatty” by Kevin Broccoli

Fran? Fran, it’s Cyn. CYN! No, not your sister. Your cousin. You don’t have a sister. Are you drinking that grass drink I bought you at the store near my house? Drink it, it’s good for you. CYN! Am I bothering you? Well, I know it’s 4am, but I had a feeling you’d be up. Especially if I called you a few times. W...

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“Tale As Old As Time” by Kevin Broccoli

I’ll tell you what I don’t appreciate. I do not appreciate people telling me how I should or shouldn’t be feeling. It was not my--Let’s get this right--It was not my choice or of my choosing to come to the castle. I was placed in a very uncomfortable position, wherein, I was asked to come rescue my father, because he went somewhere he shouldn’t ...

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“The Sacher Torte” by Kevin Broccoli

My grandmother would make the sacher torte every time my grandfather created an infidelity. I must apologize for my English is not very strong. Though I am not foreign, I am quite pretentious. After years of boarding schools and backpacking trips in Europe with schoolmates who were vaguely related to the royal family of Hungary, I have found that my consonants are harder and my trust is so...

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“Like a Box of Chocolate” by Kevin Broccoli

I was given no choice when you stop to think about it. The person who sold the most chocolate in the state of Idaho would receive a trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa, and once I heard what was on the line, things like “friendship” and “camaraderie” became antiquated notions of the Before Times, when you could afford kindness because chocolate was free and handed out to you by strangers on Halloween. ...

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“Uncle Grendel” by Kevin Broccoli

We’re supposed to call him Uncle Grendel, but my sister will not. “He is not an uncle. He is a monster who has taken over our house.” I tell my sister that while I am on her side, that doesn’t change the fact that our mother has fallen for a descendant of Cain, and we should try to support her. “I mean, we’re all descendants of Cain, aren’t we,” my mother asks me a...

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Author bio

I'm a playwright who is slowly attempting to build up experience writing prose.