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Mark Madama

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2024

Stories (4)

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4 Stories

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To Embrace or Not to Embrace

Mark Madama

Submitted to Contest #287

To Embrace or Not To Embrace“Where have you been?” “I got back to town as soon as possible,” I responded to my father’s question. I’d just returned that afternoon from a cross-country trip and headed straight for the hospital. Now, sitting at the hospital next to my father’s bed, I saw a man I hardly recognized. It had been only a month since the last time I’d seen him, but I was now looking at a man whose strength and independence were gone. I watched my father struggle to pull himself up in the hospital bed, and in an unprecede...

3 likes

Whose Voice Is It Anyway?

Mark Madama

Submitted to Contest #285

I remember the day the clouds parted and the blue skies appeared. Trumpets sounded, and fireworks went off in my brain. After years of searching to discover my voice in this universe, I thought I’d finally found it. Unfortunately, the voice I found wasn’t mine. It was the early to mid-1990s, and for me, it was a time of great confusion. I’d spent many years trying to become a successful actor, but that wasn’t working. I transitioned into directing, and although I had greater success, it still wasn’t organically flowing from the artistic soul...

1 like

Phone Rings Messages Left

Mark Madama

Submitted to Contest #284

It’s 4:00pm. My fourteen-year-old appetite and are home from school. The house is quiet. My parents will return from work at approximately 4:45, which gives me around forty-five minutes at home alone. It is my favorite part of each day, and I relish being alone and nestled in a place of security and familiarity. I begin my daily afterschool routine of making a sandwich before dinner. I take the Wonder Bread from the cupboard and lay one slice next to the other. I grab the mustard and the cold cuts from the refrigerator. I place the fir...

5 likes

Stranger for a day

Mark Madama

Submitted to Contest #283

This story contains profanity and minor sexual content. 1. Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.Strangers No MoreThere was little I could do to avoid the big event of the next day, my birthday. I’m suddenly realizing that I have less years to live than I have already lived, and I may be destined to live those days alone. I needed something or someone to take my mind off this day. I didn’t want to leave my home, because I’ve already changed into my after-work worn-out sweats, but...

4 likes