Marty B

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (21)

21 Stories

407 karma pts

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“On The Kisser” by Marty B

The anger growing in me feels good, my fist clenches, I am going to knock this guy into next week. My whole life I took the hits, the curses, well no more. I am Rocky, the greatest boxer who ever lived. Standing at the bar, half listening to Lori, this asshole bumped me hard, I know it was on purpose. I snap, throw my glass at the floor, the crash echoing the sound in my head.  Adrenaline and whisky course through me, th...

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“Assistant Quality Control Coordinator” by Marty B

Johnson had never noticed how large Lourdes’ eyes were until they narrowed at him, filled with fire.  Her voice, deeper than Johnson expected, skipped over any polite discussion of ‘maybe a mistake was made’, and erupted in fury.  In the Factory break room, with an audience Lourdes didn't even notice, she described the sexual proclivities of his mother, the despicable vices of his father, the poor character of his ancest...

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“The Three Anns'” by Marty B

“... walking down the runway, she unzipped and dropped her flowing black cape to expose her outfit, a vinyl, deep red asymmetrical top over a white long dress- she looked like a wet, used tampon!”  The girls almost spit out their drinks laughing at Hannah's story of a runway look gone wrong.  All three women were doing their best to ignore the celebrities and glamorous fashion elite at the NY Fashion Week...

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“Tosca, by Puccini” by Marty B

Handcuffed and sitting in a red velvet chair, the suspect is bleeding from his mouth and nose, the top buttons of his white ruffled dress shirt are ripped with threads dangling, his bow tie hangs loosely around his thick neck like ratty socks.  Detective Sergeant Hope Mirabella paused her interrogation to give the suspect a chance to breathe.  She looked again at the Tosca poster on the wall. The huge, vintage op...

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“Future Gazing” by Marty B

“Damn, there is no way she can make that.”  The boy said looking up at her on the stairway landing, the light from the 2nd floor window vibrating around her. Dense bass and drums with screaming vocals was pouring out of someone’s device, adding to the chaos of the high school lunch period. Tali held her board by the truck, it dangled next to her long baggy canvas pants while she looked down the stairs str...

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“The Library Of People” by Marty B

Under the ‘Ask a Librarian!‘ sign, Emily smiles warmly to Elgin. “We bring them to you,  I understand your confusion, but we are not that kind of Library, trust me.  I am your Librarian and I will find just the right Book for you.”  Several strands of her frizzy black hair pop out of her bun, and the pen behind her ear moves along with her understanding nod. She points to a chair,  “Please sit down.  Tell me what you are...

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“The Gray Lady” by Marty B

Lizzie had no one else to talk to about the Gray Lady, except Mildred, the Inn’s housekeeper.   “She’s generally benign, as ghosts go, I mean she does have that odor, and makes strange noises, but she is driving out all the guests! The Inn is not going to make it past summer if we don’t get better reviews, and more guests”  “Something changed when you showed up, dear, she’s more active." Mildred said.  “I h...

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“A Bite To eat” by Marty B

I was so ready for the weekend I could taste it. It was just noon; I still had several difficult calls to make and a meeting to get through.  The walls in my office cubicle were closing in, I needed to escape.  The stress reaching up from my back and into my neck made my shoulders as tight as a board.  I dreaded that project planning meeting; missing the deadlines, I deserve getting dragged through the mud. My phone rin...

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“The Blue Rhinestone Dress” by Marty B

Driving the long road to the mansion on the hill, Mankell looked out at the dark clouds forecasting a mighty storm on its way. For the family he was going to visit, the storm had already come and crashed their carefully laid plans all about, leaving a dead girl, and a missing dress. It was Mankell’s job to make sense of what happened. He had most of it put together after the last couple days on the case, just one thread still dangling. It isn't going to be what the Dame wants to hear, but it will be straightened up, on...

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“A Company Picnic” by Marty B

Staring at the laptop screen perched precariously on two old books on the folding table, Otis wonders if his co-workers even know he exists as a human. He could be replaced by a bot, an artificial intelligence computer program to fill out spreadsheets and submit reports; what is real anyway?  The tiles of their faces and names on the screen blur together; after a year plus of video calls, he and most of the accounting t...

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“Sunset Living at Sunrise” by Marty B

Willie took the cajoling, the bribes, even the threats all in stride.  He just said no.  The cancer spread fast, started in his lungs, spread to his liver, but his heart was strong, and he would not be moved to the wing where he would get the 24 hour care he needed.   He would not be forced from his room, his home, that he has lived in as long as he has been at Sunrise Senior Living.  That is when Nurse O’Malley asked m...

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“Just One of the Boys” by Marty B

It is a slow walk up to the batter's box, the last out of the little league game, unless Shane can make something happen.  Waiting for the umpire to sweep the plate clean, he sees his teammates packing up, they don’t expect much. Shane longs to prove them wrong, to show that he deserves to be part of the team.  He takes two practice swings and then tries to find the balance in his batting stance, his weight back, his fro...

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“Cape of Fear” by Marty B

The ringing phone interrupts her typing.   “-Hello?" “-The harassment meeting will be today?  No one told me-” “-1 PM,  OK. I just want to tell my side of the story-” “-No. only myself, was I supposed to bring representation? I dont have anyone.”   “-Thank you.”  She hangs up the phone, and looks at the clock.  3 hours, 47 minutes. The wai...

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“Telescopic sight” by Marty B

-violent themes- Robert worried he could never really know what someone else was going to do.  How can he know their intent, know their heart?  He was a spotter for a sniper team. His role is to see people, to know whether they mean harm to the soldiers and facilities he watches over. He views someone's actions, and he makes assumptions. What if he misses something?  Robert joined the Army to mak...

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“The Heart Shaped Box” by Marty B

 Everything I learned about love, I learned from a heart-shaped box. As to how it came to me, I hope to understand one day. It all started the day I moved in to the Tic-Tac-Toe house.Driving in a rented moving van, we pulled up to a dusty, once-yellow house. It had an unkept overgrown yard, paint or something on the windows, and it was mine.“Andriy- that is a beat up house!” Danny says. My oldest friend, he was helping me get everything moved for the usual fee of beer and pizza. I had jus...

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Author bio

It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there. Asphodel, That Greeny Flower [excerpt]   by William Carlos Williams