Max Arlo

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2020

Stories (10)

10 Stories

199 karma pts

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“What Say You, Little Bird?” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #82

He stared at the gleaming metal, trying not to think about the wires running through it and where they connected to.  “Ok, Kris, take it slowly at first. Just ease your weight onto them and see how it feels.” Moving at glacial pace, he ever so gently eased his way until he stood on his new legs. Straightening his spine for the first time in what felt like centuries, he suddenly towered above the physical therapist. Much to his surprise and slightly to his chagrin, he hardly wobbled at all. “Excellent! It seems like you’ll be a natura...

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“Sword Mage” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #78

“Ok, I get that it’s cool and all, but seriously, there’s gotta be better ways to spend your time.” Adri didn’t look up from the blade she was sharpening. None of the guys she’d brought home after a long night had ever been quite impressed with her homemade forge and collection of handmade weapons. This latest guy’s condescending tone was nothing new. “I mean really, what’s even the point? They’re never going to look nearly as good as one you can get online.” “I don’t really care about how they look,” she finally replied, testing the edge...

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“Let It Flow” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #77

Sweat wasn’t just dripping down her back, it was flooding. The thin material of her shirt was firmly stuck to even areas that didn’t seem possible. Grumbling, she pulled it away and tried to wring it out. It was like she had turned a faucet on, yet when she released the pressure, it was still thoroughly soaked. “Ugh!” she spat, throwing her arms in the air. There was nothing worse than a summer in Arizona. The dry heat seemed to suck the moisture out of your very lungs. It didn’t matter how much ice water she guzzled each day, she was alway...

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“Armor” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #72

****Trigger warning: conversion therapy, suicidal ideation, transphobia**** “Now, Tanya,” the smiling woman coos. I’m not fooled by the way her lips spread thin to reveal greying teeth. I can feel rather than hear the venom in her voice and the disgust that coats the daggers she glares at me. I repulse her. “We’ve been over this…” “My name is Thomas,” I mutter, staring directly into those lethal eyes. She sighs theatrically, closing her notes with a snap. I don’t see why she’s continuing with this doctor/psychiatrist facade. I called he...

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“The Proposal” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #71

“Shhhh, he’s almost here!” I stand frozen, sudden terror locking my limbs in place. “Aiden, act natural!” someone shouts, but how can I? What if he says no? Then Oliver is walking through the door, and all nerves and worries melt right off me, water dripping into puddles beneath icicles. I can never be afraid or uptight when he’s around. I feel the box in my pocket lighten considerably. “So,” Ollie’s saying to me, “a cookie party, huh?” “Yeah, I thought it would be fun,” I murmur, leaning into his arms. They’re warm, despite the frigid t...

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“Conformity” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #70

The document in Kelly’s hands was moist and crumpled from being in her hands so long, but the words were still clear: Unless you provide proof of a registered teaching professional tutoring your child at your place of residence, he or she must be re-enrolled by the 15th of this month. If you fail to do either of these, social services will be forced to intervene. The paper trembled as she smoothed it flat against the kitchen table. She didn’t have the money to hire a private tutor. Hell, she hardly had enough money to afford both ren...

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“Choices” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #69

There wasn’t a sound at the table, besides the click of cutlery on china. This… was not a good sign. Earlier this morning, Kiernan had found a letter from the University of Hawai’i on the kitchen table. It had already been opened. The only person who would do that was his father. Howard Auld sat at the head of the table, cutting his turkey into even squares. His eyes, like those of Kiernan’s mother and sisters, looked nowhere but his plate. He was a simple looking man, one who wouldn’t turn heads on the street or be remembered by a cashier....

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“Nature's Balance” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. She stepped cautiously around the roots of the trees. Even the silence sounded as she remembered. “Hello?” she called. Not expecting an answer. Not expecting to hear that voice again, despite the kept promise. She ventured forward, scanning the gaps in the foliage. Magic still tainted the air, flirting on her taste buds. Honey, cinnamon, jasmine, wild rose… She still couldn’t name all the flavors in it. Her toe scuffed against stone peeking from ...

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“Stealth” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #68

“Listen… I know you mean well… but you canNOT do that.” The medic stared at the injured man before her, completely bemused. He was a construction mechanic who generally worked on the main deck. He had been rushed to her after an accident that should have killed him—one of the cables used to stop incoming planes as they landed on the runway had snapped, and struck him across the chest. When she had heard the news, she expected a severed corpse to land on her table, like the many others she had seen through the years who had been ripped in ha...

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“Pinky Promise” by Max Arlo

Submitted to Contest #67

“Do you pinky promise?” The scowl on the kid’s face would have made him look tough if it wasn’t so streaked with tears. There was so much dirt caked on him that if it weren’t for those tracks, I wouldn’t even be able to tell what color his skin was. Even with them, he was so raw and chapped from the harsh winter cold that I could only guess he had ever been anything more than mottled grey and red. I took my time letting my gaze wander down to the fist he held between us, pinky extended. “Yeah,” I say, wrapping my own finger around his. “I’...

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Author bio

Proud husband to my best friend, Dad to three of the sweetest cats around