Kevin Marlow

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (23)

23 Stories

933 karma pts

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“Whatever You Do Don't Write it Down” by Kevin Marlow

CW{Strong Language, Sarcasm}Dear Kevin,It's me Kevin, your actual future self. I remember the summer you are in well. Your air conditioning was not working because the electric company turned you off due to not paying. You were admitted to the hospital due to a bizarre host of episodes that culminated in a weekend in jail and a trip in front of a judge. It doesn't seem like it now, but everything is going to be alright. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia is not a death sentence. Which brings me to the i...

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“I am The Crow” by Kevin Marlow

{The names of the guilty have been changed to protect them from the innocent.}Brandon Lee was dead. An accident they said. Having been around guns since I was old enough to point my finger and say POW! I wasn't sure I believed it. A loaded gun is that, loaded. A live round is an ominous thing to hold. It vibrates with the confined kinetic energy it contains. The graceful flow of the trigger sear releasing the firing pin feels like poetry until the powder ignites. BANG! One has to train themselves not to flinch and pull o...

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“The Curious Killing of Lucien Morgoth” by Kevin Marlow

{CW : Abuse, Gore}For a late spring day the wind was calm and being a weekday, traffic would not be a problem. The tripod jerked and creaked as I spread its legs and squinted an eye across the shining camera mounting bolt to the target.The gothic architecture of Dowton Theater erupted with a purple orange glow as the setting sun silhouetted the building against the empty skyline. Gentrification had leveled the nearest structures leaving it protruding from the concrete like a pyramid in the desert. Volunteers turne...

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“The Ring Box” by Kevin Marlow

May 21, 2017Arthur was digging back into his memory of that night. The violent spring thunder storm ripped the hickory tree from its mooring in the soil in front of the living room picture window. It lay there for days, crippled and broken on his lawn. When he finally called the tree service for removal, he asked that they put a six foot section of the trunk in the bed of his pickup truck.“What thickness do you want the planks?” Ben's words jarred him from his ruminations.“An inch like...

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“The Brothers Stanovich” by Kevin Marlow

CW : {Violence, Language}October 20, 1967Dear Momma, I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know your boys are o.k. It's hotter here than any Indiana summer I ever remember. The monsoon season is here. I don't think it will ever stop raining. I know now why they put drain holes in our boots. The food is awful. I sure could use a pot of white beans with ham hocks and some of your sweet cornbread slathered in Aunt Mae's home churned butter. I talked to Da...

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“Degorath and the Other” by Kevin Marlow

CW : {Violence, Language}“What happened to it? The other sexed being that dwells with us?” Brilliant blue tresses were hanging like curtains over fractured purple irises and young almond skin.“Very thoughtful choice of words. It was arrested and is being detained for a hearing.” An older creature, obviously her senior, reached out to brush back the ocean of curls hiding the little one's eyes.“Is it because Malrez is a warlock?”“Shhhh! Dare not speak such heresy!” Her ...

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“Tea at Tiffany's” by Kevin Marlow

An eager sun crested the horizon, its heated spears daggered the frosty landscape like low vibration fiery tongues. Rays melted a dense layer of frost on the metal fascia above the eastern window of an unremarkable ranch dwelling near the west side of anywhere. Splashes of droplets dripping down onto the ledge of the window enticed a thirsty gray and white tuffted titmouse. The little bird flitted down to the window sill for a sip from the drips, a difficult find in the cold regions during the gripping winter months. Its drumming wings br...

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“Rats” by Kevin Marlow

The purple sun slung low near the timberline in the hills north of Willshire Keep. Common folk were bringing in the fruits of their labor from toiling in the fields, whilst animal tenders shooed their beasts into the enclosures for the night. Patricia Perryman dodged ox drawn wagons and wayward children playing tag in muddy avenues winding betwixt stone cottages with the pungent curls of woodsmoke belching from their smokestacks.Having procured some salted meat, bread and a few tubers from the open market before it close...

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“Requiem for a Relapse” by Kevin Marlow

{CW : Drug Use, Language }The scintillating light bathed my irises. It was so bright I felt nauseous. My mind combed through the brightness, tongues of orange and red flickered and danced. I had read of the Ophanim in the bible during Sunday School; wheels of fiery spinning Cherubim and Seraphim, all seeing eyes that bore straight through the soul of humanity. The angels were coming into focus. Chills washed over me and vertigo gripped my body. Then the light disappeared. I sucked in a sudden ragged breath. The air was c...

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“The Looter of Lordmere” by Kevin Marlow

Reaching up with a crooked dirty fingernail, Grindel quieted the itch inside his pointy little ear. Digging out some earwax he hoped to improve his hearing in case the guardian was near.He had been turning and twisting through the snarl of tangled passages hoping to avoid another dead end and was scratching his green knobby head thinking about a way to avoid returning to the same spot. Ah! A thought popped. Making his way back to a discarded torch he hatched an idea.Locating it was not difficul...

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“My Masquerading Mercantilism” by Kevin Marlow

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!A grating alarm signals it is wakey time. Ugh. Mornings stab my mind like a shovel in gravel. Noisy, achy, I stumble to the bathroom for my first break. The sun is trying to find its way into my house from a window and stick me in the eye. “Where's my water?” I realize I'm talking to the refrigerator. A jenga puzzle of recyclables decorates the counter. My water bottle is hiding among its bitter enemies, coke and tea. Traitor.Agua makes the dropsy little pills go down, a reminder of pic...

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“Stopping Spree” by Kevin Marlow

{Content Warning : Violence, Language}“Thanks man.” Gabe reached up for a fist bump.“No problem. Remember what I said though, not a word.” The rakish man of twenty five put his index finger up to his lips with a devilish wink.Gabe knelt down and pulled his tattered khaki back pack off. He placed the loaded sack into the main compartment, marveling at the heft of the package. Darting a nervous glance, he headed out of the park toward his mom's apartment. Dodging cars in the busy streets...

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“Dweely the Terrahort” by Kevin Marlow

Shuffling across the barren steppes of Grittengrak, Dweely, a Terrahort of meager standing, was cooling off from a difficult day of sweaty manual labor on the farms of Snooleysnak. His thoughts never ventured far from his basal ganglia. The flat front of the forehead on Terrahorts was evidence of poorly evolved frontal lobes. Menial tasks were their curse. Higher level mental executive functioning was handled by the Anannaki, a subterranean race that depended on the Terrahorts for their strong backs and weak minds.Dweely...

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“Children of Elohim” by Kevin Marlow

“Can you fetch some water from the creek?”“Sure. Where's the bucket?”“The steel one with the good handle is by the fire pit.”“I'll be back in a few minutes.” The walk to the stream was beaten down to a smooth brown clay path that felt cool on my bare feet. Leaving my moccasins in our makeshift dwelling I enjoyed the mud in the stream bed squishing between my toes.Wading into the knee deep crystal clear water I used a ladle made from a gourd to fill the bucket with fre...

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“The Stygian Lovers” by Kevin Marlow

“Will you please get up and help with our son?” My wife was frustrated and I was dead tired. I had slept, but the dream seemed so real, I wondered if I really rested. “And don't forget Sunday is November 1st, All Saints Day, we are supposed to go to church with your Grandma.” The urgency hit me and I jumped out of bed. I realized I only had two more days, or I would have to wait another year.“Where is Silas?”“In his room, still in his pajamas.”“I'll get him dressed and drop ...

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Author bio

IalwayswantedtobethecooluncleI reallymakepeoplelaughwhenIget afewdrinksinmeIloveplaying theguitarImactuallyagoodmusician eventhoughInevermadeanymoney doingitIbecameabusinessowner throughafamilypartnershipandmake acomfortablelivingrunningmyown storeItalktopeoplealldaylongandmeet manyinterestingcharacters throughoutthedayIhavefinished abookandlikeusingreedsytohone mywritingIwanttoretireintenyears andwriteandtravelfulltimeIrespect anyonewhotakestimetocreateand entertainmycurrenthobbiesinclude documentinglivemusicinthemidwest USAIamthewebmasterofayoutube channelwithoverthreemillionviews oflivemusicandbmoviesIalsolike gardeningcraftsandworkingonthings pleaselikeandcommentandcriticize asyouseefitIfyoureadmystorieslike andcommentIwillreadyourcreations Ilikediggingintopeoplespastwritings whenIhavetimeIfIfollowyouitis becauseIlikewhatyouwriteandadmire youreffortthanksforcheckingmeout IhaveafishnamedOlafhekilledallhis friendswetolerateeachother