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Leon Moss

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2020

Stories (44)

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51 Followers

1 Following

44 Stories

819 karma pts

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The Big Book of Family Lies

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #98

I was born into a dynasty. A huge, overgrown, chaotic family. I have 37 first cousins. My grandfather and his 2 brothers married the 3 daughters of another family, causing confusion, chaos and volumes of family myths. Much depended on whether you were a descendant of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. To further complicate matters, Isaac’s wife died in childbirth, not surprising as this was her tenth delivery. So Jacob’s wife stepped in and ended up looking after 17 children. The 3 brothers, all immigrants to this country, built a large and profita...

10 likes

RICHARD'S ESTATE

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #96

Richard came back some time last night, long after I had fallen asleep. In the morning I fell over his duffel bag in the entrance hall. It was about three months since the evening he had told Stephanie and me that he was going away. “I’ve left money in the kitchen,” he said. He hoisted the khaki holdall onto his shoulder and walked out of the door. “Where he's headed?” asked Stephanie. “Does he have a girl?” “He never offered any information and I never asked. You know how it is. Where were we?” “You were trying to undo my top button,...

8 likes

David and Goliath – an Everlasting Choice

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #95

It’s Sunday! Ball Day! And I play for the Jerusalem Jesters, top of the league - for now… I grab my goatskin cap and my staff and head for the door. “Dad I’m out there on the ball field!” “Enjoy yourself!” he yells. “Don’t slam the door…” Bangg!! No sign of my mother. Probably down at the spring doing the week’s washing. At the field the guys are gathering. The coach is giving his lecture. “Ah, David, we thought you may not be playing today.” “What? Me? Miss a game? Never, coach!” I see the umpire walking over to his position behind the ...

13 likes

"If a tree falls in a forest…

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #90

…and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" A popular philosophical thought that raises questions regarding observation and perception. Well, does it make a sound? That’s absolute nonsense! I am a tree and I live in a forest. I’m 50 years old and I know these things. You can’t live in a tight social circle and not know the answers to simple questions. Trees hear trees. They hear them loud and clear. When a tree falls, in a forest or in any other place, what you hear is normally heard by humans on ...

11 likes

Once Upon a Time…

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #88

One day I was chatting to the old guy who lives in the garden apartment below. Interesting. It turned out that he has two brothers who were authors of fairy tales. “Were their stories published?” I asked. “Sure!” he said. “And how! Their best stories made them rich. I never got any of it. I am the little piggy who got none.” He laughed. “Like in the nursery rhyme,” I said. “Exactly!” “Tell me about one of their fairy tales,” I asked. “I will. But I’ll make coffee first,” he said. “By the way my name is Elias,” he said as he went into the ...

12 likes

“Come for Coffee and See My Latest Gadget!”

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #87

There’s something about engineering students that gets them into trouble time after time. Once qualified, however, they are a gift to mankind. Inventing, designing, building, making, from micro-machines to skyscraper buildings; they can do a million different things. The nonsense starts in the learning stage when they believe they can do anything after a couple of years of learning. Don Peters, a student in my year, was a car nut. He had bought an old Austin 7 convertible motor car, 1936 vintage, and taken it to pieces in a garage. H...

11 likes

Anyone Want to Come Yachting?

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #84

We’ve been betting against each other for years. Mike won a car from Sid, Pete won a cruise to the Caribbean Islands from Dave, I put in a bid for Jason’s wife - but it was shouted down; “That’s against the rules, Andy! What if you won? You’d take his wife home with you?” Every time we meet we have these crazy sessions. We’re all young and well-off. All made big money on the stock exchange, casinos, and other places where normal people fear to tread. We like spending our money and we enjoy gambling with it. I’m the youngest ...

5 likes

The Memories of Rob Cru

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #83

I thought I may work in the cemetery today. It’s both a depressing and an exciting task. Depressing because I can look forward and see my future. Exciting because I can look back and see my ancestors. About 350 years of Crusoes, from Robinson to Rob Cru, my late father. From time to time, usually after the rainy season, some of the graves need repair. Weeds, washed down stones, washed down soil and protruding bones demand attention. On the bamboo cross on each grave is carved a given name and a number. CCCXXIV for instance. Those numbers are...

6 likes

If I Was a Human I’d Kiss You

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #82

I’m on my back on a bare wooden workbench in the electronics lab. My right arm is stretched out and clamped down so that the inside of my forearm is facing up. The cover of the distribution box on my wrist is open and one can see a bunch of colored wires all leading somewhere. A thin purple wire has been pulled out and cut. I guess that’s why the middle finger on my hand isn’t working. If it was I would give it to him. He, of course, is one of those Humans. This place has quite a few of them, each one a specialist in a particular fie...

13 likes

The Crush Who Lost Her Memory

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #81

My cell-phone tweets as I am lying on the couch, half dozing and other half watching a tennis match on the TV. A message! “Don’t forget the family get-together on Zoom at 8pm this evening. See you there! Love - your cousin, Jill.” I had planned to forget. I hate these Zoom affairs. It means you have to get dressed. You can’t appear in the picture dressed in a pair of socks. You have to smile at long-lost cousins whose names you can’t remember. You have to say nice things about everyone. And you can’t hide from the probing camera that focus...

12 likes

Stubby Leaves King Arthur

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #80

Retirement is great, no matter what the ‘Work Till You Drop Crowd’ says. Here I am, lying back in the deck chair, newspaper folded so that the crossword is facing me, pen in hand – I never, but never, use a pencil on the crossword – glass of cold beer on the small table next to me, hat on head per doctor’s instructions, and frown on my face at the crossword setter’s sadistic mind. Suzie, my wife, is kneeling on her planting-cushion, putting in masses of next winter’s pansies. Yellows and purples. “The bright colors are just what we’ll need...

8 likes

The Thirty Year Hunt

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #79

“It’s twins! Both girls! Perfect, tiny, precious baby girls!” my wife, Carol yelled in excitement as she put the phone down. “C’mon Pete, let’s hop over there and have a drink and take a peep at our first grandchildren.” We did. Sirens were shattering the air, bombs were falling, people were running and screaming on the streets, but we weaved our way through the bodies, ruins and potholes until we reached our daughter’s apartment. It had taken an hour to travel 2 miles. We raced up two flights of stairs and banged on the door. Our son in ...

6 likes

How I Became an Artist

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #78

After a lifetime of being a non-active armchair artist - I’m finally painting every day. I’m doing what I dreamed of for years and never brought myself to do. As a young boy, my mother sent me to the Technical College in our city. There I attended painting and sculpture classes on Wednesday afternoons. I remember little about the painting sessions and have nothing to show from those times. Later I learned geometric drawing at college and somewhere I learned the principles of drawing perspectives. I have played with a pencil all my life, bu...

6 likes

Life is beautiful.

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #77

I am a carpenter. I have been a carpenter since I was about 14 and I used to help Dad. Dad was a carpenter and he used to help Gramps. Gramps was a carpenter and he learned the trade from his Pa. A carpenter means that you work with a saw and a hammer. That’s it. If you need more tools you should become a cabinet-maker or a joiner. I am 44 years old which means I have 30 years of experience as a carpenter. Nothing that I have ever worked on has collapsed, or even sagged. All my work is perfect. No shoddy corners, no place where you can ge...

3 likes

Just Follow the Green Ribbon

Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #75

There are about 250 of us Golden Oldies living happily here in the retirement home. This five-story building, overlooking green and red strawberry fields, is often referred to by other names; one of them is ‘The Orphanage’ Because none of us have parents?’ The Old Aged Home? I hate it, who decides that we’re old? ‘The Raisin Farm’ Well, there are few dried and wrinkled residents. Like most of us… I’m only 87, a ‘youngster’ according to some of the older folks tottering around. I don’t mind being called that. At least I’m still walking stra...

1 like