Marty B

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (62)

62 Stories

2144 karma pts

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“The Wildlife of LA” by Marty B

It was a gorgeous day to be discovered in Hollywood. The road was filled with luxury cars, the shops with glamorous, beautiful people, and the sunshine followed her like a spotlight.Maggie had on her best Spanx jumpsuit, the drawstring cinched tight, with flared pantlegs, and color coordinated Vans hightops. In mauve brown, it offset her raven black hair, and matched her eyes, sparkling under the Eric Javits wide brimmed hat. She felt good and knew she looked good. She s...

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“Beast in the Jungle” by Marty B

Violent subject matter: death She saw the Beast, finally, saw the terror she had feared her whole life, and it was worse than she ever imagined.    That night had started out simple enough,  like so many before.  Abbey had parked her car in the vast garage, back in the darkness of the employee section. She was wearing the light blue scrubs of her profession, clean and pressed.  As she walk...

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“Click” by Marty B

A good photograph tells the truth, but slant, a trick of light and shadow, at times telling what could be or, could have been. Cory scuffled at the envelope, his thick fingers unable to release the simple tabs tucked into the slots, until he gave up and ripped it open. Once a professional photographer, he knew the power of photographs, and still in his suit jacket and dress shirt sat down at his kitchen table, anxious to see what was on these photos. Did his son Ethan take the pictures?&n...

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“Good Yards Make Good Neighbors” by Marty B

It was the the hottest day of the year when the old man came over to mow my lawn. It was not the first time. Bing was our neighbor, a small elderly man with dark gray hair and a ready smile. He would not say his age, but his heavily wrinkled face and stooped back gave credence to the rumor he was in his 80’s. He walked the neighborhood every day with his fat chihuahua, Bijou. He knew everyone’s business, and regularly checked-in on the home- bound seniors, many of whom were younger than him. Bing had lived on the stree...

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“The Pigovian Payment” by Marty B

“Let me tell you how I got this flower." I rubbed my lapel with the white rose boutonniere and stared across the hard wood surface at the man in the bowtie, his gaze stern and expressionless."OK, Let me start at the beginning-"I smelled her outside the door before she ever knocked, aromas of spring flowers, lavender, and crisp $100 dollar bills.It was 11 AM and the sun was streaming through the dust floating in my cramped office. Coffee thick as tar slowly steamed next to me. I was wearing my pow...

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“Friendship is Magic” by Marty B

Sonam knew the rainbow sparkle glitter would be important, he just didn't know how.He put the small jar in his bag to add to his costume later. He looked at himself critically in the mirror. For a man dressed up like a cartoon pegasus, he thought he looked good. To the light-blue pajama onesie he had added a rainbow-colored mohawk, a rainbow tail and gossamer wings, slightly off center. He spun slightly to look at the cutie mark, the rainbow colored lighting bolt. The costume was tight across his wide chest, and bagg...

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“La Terrible Madre” by Marty B

Themes of violence and self-harm At 8:30 AM the alarm clock went off, her cell phone buzzed and she saw the dead man on the floor.   Edipa blinked against the sunlight pouring in from the window of the front room. She was nauseous, and her head rang with a vibrant ache.  She put her head back down on the couch, only a dream-  She abruptly sat up, she was on the...

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“1963 Fender Stratocaster” by Marty B

 Paul had found the fountain of youth, and it was slowing stealing his mind. It didn’t look like much, faded and worn. The retirement present from his old boss. The boss who forced him out of the business he built. Paul remembered the chubby and energetic kid he had hired and mentored for the past 10 years. Derek was twenty years younger, and through political maneuvering with the Board had taken over as CEO. If Paul still had the fire in his belly then maybe he would have fought harder to keep ...

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“Princess, the Writers Muse” by Marty B

Every great writer needs a muse Annie believed, hers just had a fuzzy tail and a cute face. Princess was her partner and writing companion. The romance novels she wrote were a fun hobby, but even she knew they were missing something, her plots were lifeless.  She wrote about what she knew, her heroines all had loving, adoring cats, and her heroes were modeled after her perfect husband Walter, the brilliant scientist. Ann...

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“Orange and Yellow, by Rothko” by Marty B

Harry thought it would have been a lot easier to steal from his Stepdad, since he was dead.  But they had to get into the unit at StoragePro first.   “No.” The guard said. “We‘re his stepsons,” Harry pleaded. “Look, we have the key and everything.”  He held up a key with the StoragePro logo. The guard buzzed them into the entrance. “What unit?” He looked them up and down, sensing so...

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“A Day at the Golf Course” by Marty B

“My reality is my video feed! Going outside, that is just another display, another screen…” Ahn mulled the thought over in her mind. Her client Julie said those words earlier during their therapy session to deal with her unhealthy video game addiction.Ahn quickly forgot Julie. She was absorbed, her eyes unfocused, staring off into space. She was sitting indoors, in her office, but was watching the small display just to the left of her vision, a video overlaid against what she saw, of a man golfing at a...

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“My Shadow” by Marty B

My Shadow left me today. I will miss him, but I know I will be better off. He was holding me back, pulling me down. We’re just too different, my Shadow and I. He wants to standstill, stay comfortable. I need to push myself, embrace the unknown and turn toward the future. My Shadow has been with me as long as I can remember, following me everywhere, his dark shape lurking behind me. Most of the time I forget he is even there. The first time I noticed the pull of my Shadow, felt his strength, was i...

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“Strangers in a Hotel Room” by Marty B

-discussion of domestic abuse--As it was his first trip to Las Vegas, he wished he wasn't here to kill a man. Guy eased out of the taxi in front of the tall hotel and casino, and looked nervously at the commotion around him. He questioned again if this was a good way to achieve his goal. But what other option did he have? He was alone in his mission, he had been working on it all year, and this was his best chance. His old faded khakis were clean, his dress shirt tucked in around his potbelly. The circ...

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“Moccasins with blue and red beads” by Marty B

Forced by her Mother to wear a dress and rain boots, Nina was miserable.  The line outside the glass doors of the big building was long and full of adults dressed in pants and dresses and nice shoes. Nina, waist high to most of the people standing, focused on their shoes, some red, some blue, mostly white and black. Nina did not understand why anyone would wear the high-heeled, pointy shoes or the sandals with only thin straps holding them on. How could they run in them? And the thick leather shoes some of...

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“The Bishop’s Gambit” by Marty B

--discussion of sexual violence--- Liz had several problems, but the biggest one was she was losing her mind. The lack of sleep, the pills Talia gives her to stay awake have confused her waking reality and her dreams. She could still do her job, but she needed to connect with the Bishop, only he could understand what she was going through.    Her dispatches were se...

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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

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #161
Long Distance Phone Call – read story