Lee Kull

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2019

Stories (19)

19 Stories

545 karma pts

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“The Offices for Human Employment” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #82

At the Offices for Human Employment, Harper tapped his stylus against his office desk as he waited to filter though the next interviewee. A woman walked in, tall and blonde. Hair slightly askew. Clothing tacky designer knock-offs. Eyes slightly vacant. “Name?” Harper asked mildly, stylus hovering over the inbuilt touchscreen on his desk. “Suzie Mertzkitch,” she said, nervously fiddling with her perfect glue-on fingernails. “Susan, actually.” Harper waited a couple seconds for her to spell it for him, but when she didn’t look up he a...

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“The Hitman's Hart” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #70

I watched her through the scope, my elbows resting on the ninth floor window ledge. The crosshairs painted a red ex on the back of her head as she sat at her desk, working late again. My finger brushed the trigger, but then pulled back and rested lightly on the trigger guard. Now was not the time. I still had the rest of the week, I told myself. Today I’d be tracking her patterns, just like I had been doing for the past four days. Her slender fingers tapped a staccato rhythm on her desk as she poured over the papers before her. The light ov...

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“I aM GoIng 2 kiLL u JaniE.” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #50

I aM GoIng 2 kiLL u JaniE.A shudder ran down her back and her hands trembled as she reread the smudged newsprint pasted to the otherwise blank sheet of paper. This was the third threat she’d had in as many days. First, it was a phone call. A muffled voice. An indirect threat. A wicked laugh. The day after that she had woken up to see a knife stabbed cleanly through her bedroom door. All the doors and windows were still locked and latched from the inside, with no sign of a break-in. Now the threat was more direct. And the paper she held chase...

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“On a Roll” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #34

"I'll see your three and raise you five," Uncle Max said past the cigarette that seemed permanently affixed to the corner of his mouth. Smoke wisped through his teeth as he spoke, shrouding further his already inscrutable features."Too rich for my blood," said cousin Pete, discarding his hand."Me too, I'm out," Pete's little brother Vince agreed."Call," Steve said, tossing his chips into the pile.Auntie Lewella toothlessly mumbled something to the affirmative, setting down her knitting needles long enough to add her chips to the pot.Jackson ...

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“Living Nightmare” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #30

Inhale. Exhale. A wet tree limb smacked my face; feet sucked on moist earth with each step. Inhale. Exhale. Sunlight flashed through the treetops and vanished just as quickly, a giant strobe light in the sky, as I ran forward. Inhale. Exhale. Just breathe, I told myself. Stop running, and just breathe. They won’t find you now.It took a while for my legs to respond to my mind’s plea. At last I stilled, muscles quivering, the adrenaline rush gone and weariness setting in. My daytime desk job had not prepared me for this; my body was not used t...

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“The Adventures of Malachi Norton: The Mystery of the Missing Memory” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #27

My dear friend Malachi Norton and I received letters and callers at our London apartments seeking our detective services on a nearly daily basis, but even so, my friend refused to interest himself in any of the cases, claming they lacked novelty. Average, run-of-the-mill crime had always bored him; he craved a challenge worthy of his outstanding mental capabilities. The nearly catatonic appearance of my friend, sitting motionless in his armchair, remained unchanged for the major portion of the day. He was seated thus in perfect silence, his ...

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“It Came Out of the Sky” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #27

The noise jolted Zara awake. A massive boom, like distant thunder, but somehow different. She listened in silence, but hearing nothing more, she relaxed and closed her eyes, trying to regain the blissful peace of slumber.A kind of distant humming became faintly perceptible, but it took her a while to realize it was steadily growing louder. She got up. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she glanced at the plush hot pink pompoms adorning them, and scurried to the window. She squinted outside, not knowing what she expected to see but certainl...

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“The Adventures of Malachi Norton: In Which the Mind Atrophies” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #26

After a sincere bout of marital troubles, the nature of which I am loath to disclose, eventually resulting in a writ of divorcement and a settlement signing over the house and property to my wife, I found myself without accommodations. Through the graciousness of my good friend Malachi Norton, I once more found myself sharing room and board in our old lodgings at 122 High Street, St. John’s Wood.To-day, Malachi seemed to be in a mood which his friends would call taciturn, and others morose. He smoked incessantly, played snatches on his violi...

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“How To Tell Her "I Love You"” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #25

"Well hello, Oscar, it’s nice to see you again," the young lady behind the bookstore counter blushed. "How have you been?" "I’ve been okay. I missed you, Sue… I mean, you know, seeing you here." He paused awkwardly and adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit of his. "I guess you didn’t know that I wrote a book." Her face lit up. "Oh, so that’s what you’ve been doing lately! That’s amazing, Oscar. You never mentioned you were writing one. What is it, a novel?" His awkwardness slowly melting, he quickly replied, "It’s a self-help book, actually....

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“Resolution” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #25

The Pacific Ocean. The words conjured visions of palm trees and summer breeze, sunny islands and suntans in my head. I closed my eyes tighter, trying to hold together the fragments of my happy delusions as they gradually shattered. I pried my eyes open, and stared out into the dark. The dark stared back into me. A tremor quaked my frail body, running its way up and down my spine, and I pulled the tattered life vest closer, sucking from it all the warmth it could provide, insubstantial though it was. A small wave broke over the lifeboat’s bow...

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“Amusement” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #24

God and the Devil had played this game of chess for thousands of years. The Devil’s playing was clever and cunning, but gradually his pieces were being taken, one by one. God was patient, biding His time, knowing He would triumph in the end. It was all part of His plan. The Devil knew he was methodically being beaten after working so hard for the power he craved, and in a fit of rage, he dashed the chesspieces. They fell in all directions, unleashing his fury. He would yet have his day.Joe stared at his reflection in the mirror, and hazel ey...

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“An Explanation of Absence” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #22

I did not celebrate on New Year's eve. I would have, had I been here on that day, but I wasn't, so I didn't. Actually, the New Year came and went without me. I did not exist on that night in question.Then how can I be here now, you may ask. It's a fairly logical question, under the circumstances. Am I a newborn babe that was not born until after New Year's Day? Of course not; babies cannot write, nor do they have the capability to dictate their stories to others to be written. Am I some creature from outer space, who only arrived after Decem...

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“The Adventures of Malachi Norton: A Matter of Vengeance” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #20

There are many fine mysteries I have observed Malachi Norton solve over the many years I have known him. I chronicled several of those cases as you may recall; changing names and places with due respect to the wishes of those concerned, of course. Never a man have I encountered with more formidable mental powers than he, and he never ceased to astonish me with his skills of observation and deduction.He maintained a practice as a private detective for over a decade, and quite successfully I might add. I, as his friend and colleague, accompani...

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“Number One” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #19

The Mart, New York City, New YorkShe walked the aisles, ocularly scouring each one, staring at every item, all the while knowing that it was none of these things she would leave with. She had decided before she had come what she was getting for her husband, but she played out the game anyway, knowing that the manager watched her intently through the surrounding video cameras. He was waiting to see what his next best-selling item would be.She pictured the manager in her mind, sweat beading on his forehead, nervously clasping and unclasping hi...

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“CRISIS” by Lee Kull

Submitted to Contest #15

"Aaaah! I’m shot!" "Help me, please! Someone! Anyone!""My arm! I’m hit! Oooh, my arm!""Mad shooter! Run! Aaaah!"Alexis’ screams mingled with those of the crowd as they surged blindly in every direction. They reminded her of trapped animals, wild and unpredictable, stampeding madly, leaving their wounded behind or trampling them mercilessly underfoot. Alexis would need to be careful where she chose to lay down when she was shot.A new round of gunshots burst forth, the loud rat-tat-tat echoing around them, seeming to come from a dozen places a...

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Author bio

Lee Kull is a recently published author with four books in progress: a Christian action/adventure novel, a collection of short stories, an educational children's picture book, and a cookbook that goes deep into food history (The Time Traveler's Cookbook, coming soon). Lee's interests vary greatly, but reading, writing, and herbalism have always topped the list. Please feel free to comment on Lee's stories; even a negative comment would be quite helpful.