Michael Jefferson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (112)

112 Stories

2125 karma pts

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“Shrimp Pizza and Spumoni” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #247

Kelly tries to ignore the noise in her head. Tap… Tap… Tap… Terry, her husband, notices her frowning. “Something wrong, babe?” he asks, handing Preston, their three-year-old son, a chocolate Tootsie Pop. “I want one too!” their five-year-old son, Steven whines. “It’s just a headache,” Kelly replies, fumbling through her pocketbook. “I only have grape or orange left, Steven.” “But I want chocolate!” Tap… Tap… Tap… Kelly takes a deep breath. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tries to concentrate on the carefree circus music in the background....

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“Lars From Mars” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #246

Astronaut Lars Bergman plants the Swedish national flag on the surface. Spencer Vertigo embeds the flag of the United States next to it. “This is Lars from Mars…”  “CUT! Off camera, Frazier Capstone the project’s director, slams his open hand against his forehead. “I never thought I’d see a Swedish ham,” Frazier comments, as the camera crew attempts to stifle their laughter. “This is supposed to be the greatest moment in the history of mankind. We’re not doing this to turn you into a Swedish Oprah Winfrey. Try it again. And this time co...

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“The Bluge” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #245

The Lone Order went all out for their Conversion Day Celebration. Five couples were married at an outdoor hall built for the occasion covered in flowers, which featured Abalone, Almas caviar, and a 10-foot-tall cake. The settlement’s leader, Juan Maria Mendoza, known as “El Condor,” served as the preacher. The Lone Wolves, the settlement’s band, played songs with the word happy in them: “Happy Together,” “Oh How Happy,” “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You,” and “Love (Can Make You Happy)” among a dozen others. The settlement’s brewery compan...

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“Sally Smackdown” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #244

Rolling over, Sheldon Luckinbill clutches his head, wincing in pain. “Had to be the life of the party,” he mumbles. Sheldon stumbles to the bathroom. Turning on the tap, he inhales a bellyful of water. Sheldon glances in the mirror at his sunken, bloodshot eyes and sallow skin, disgusted that he looks like some rummy twice his age. Scanning his hotel room, Sheldon chuckles at the number of empty bottles, mangled plastic cups, and discarded clothes, and is glad he doesn’t have to clean the catastrophe up. He throws his knapsack in the trunk o...

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“The Beast” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #243

When I wake up, I’m no longer a teacher. I’m a refugee half a galaxy away from my home on Erde II.  The refugee next to me, a bearded, olive-skinned man, says, “Welcome back, sleeping beauty.” I look around the sparse shack. There are dozens of bunks stacked on top of one another with men in them, conversing, sleeping, or crying. They all wear the same worn, dusty, striped clothes, and look as if they haven’t bathed or eaten in weeks. “Where is Ilsa, my wife?” I ask. “The pretty one? She might still be alive. You’re Hebron, aren’t you? ...

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“How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #242

Standing in front of the Human Experience Museum’s farm exhibit, Curator C-114 drones, “This panoramic view represents what life was like on a farm run by humans before the Great Reckoning.” The exhibit depicts a woman wearing a floral apron looking inside an oven at a rising loaf of bread. On the other side of the exhibit, a man in a straw hat wearing coveralls sits on a tractor, happily sucking on a corn cob pipe as he culls a field of wheat. A model HW-41 android points at the mannequin of a blonde girl with pigtails petting a four-legge...

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“Lay Down, Stay Down” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #241

Three men make themselves uninvited guests at Aiden Davenport’s table. “Swanky,” says the lofty, heavyset man. “Yeah, this is one of the best culinary establishments in Vegas,” the skinny man at the other end of the table comments. “Can we order? I hear the Crispy Skin Grilled Duck Confit is to die for.” The pasty, scowling man in the middle with the slicked-back black hair gives the second man a bewildered glance. “I swear Danilo, you must have had a different father. We won’t be here long enough for you to write a review for Yelp. I am Mar...

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“The Tupelo Land Grab” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #240

Tupelo, Wyoming1878“This goes beyond the pale,” Eddie Ponderosa says, lighting a cigar.His stocky companion, Leake Bevil, offers a bewildered look. “What’s that mean? You been readin’ again, Eddie?”“I’m thirty- six, Leake. I’m lucky to have come out of the War in one piece. I don’t plan to shoot people for a living much longer.”“But we ain’t shootin’ people now. We’re gunnin’ for coyotes.”“Wolves,” Eddie corrects. Puffing heartily on his cigar, he climbs down from his horse.Reaching into his saddle bag, Eddie extracts a small telescope, focu...

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“Uptha Road” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #239

The smoke around Jack dissipates. He’s standing at a crossroads. All four signs say Uptha Road. An ostrich bounds down the road toward him. It stops to survey him, honking loudly. “Bad enough I’m lost. I don’t need any comments from the vegemite gallery.” “Vegemite? Yuk,” the ostrich replies. Jack stares at the ostrich. “Okay, so where’s the ventriloquist?” “What makes you...

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“Ray Danton’s Judgement” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #238

A loud snore wakes Carmine “The Coffin” Carlucci. Realizing he’d been the one snoring, Carmine sits up in his chair, adjusting his silk tie. He enjoys the perks of his profession, the gourmet meals, trysts with women out of his league, and his expensive, tailored suits. But good clothes, manicures, and daily haircuts can’t disguise the fifty-eight-year-old's thuggish appearance. Carmine is short, squat, and beefy with thick eyebrows, and beady brown eyes. The multiple scars on his face give him the appearance that his looks were created by ...

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“Wedding Bells Won’t Toll for Thee” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #237

“It’s time you boys contribute to the good of Catatonia!” King Rupert Dornhoffer shouts at his two belligerent sons. “I just won the European Championship Chess Tournament,” younger brother Humphrey replies. “That should help Catatonia gain some recognition.” “Yes. We’re now the destination for little boys who hide in their basement and play with dolls,” King Rupert mocks. “They were action figures!” Humphrey protests. Gabriel pushes his smaller brother aside. “I’m contributing to Catatonia’s popularity. I’m in the gossip columns every day....

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“Memories Are Made of This” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #236

  If there’s one thing Astea DelMonte loves, it’s casual walks in the woods. The fresh air and freedom clear her head, and the walks also help fulfill her commitment as Chairperson for the town’s neighborhood watch. Her favorite section is a clearing with tall trees and a thick floor of pine needles called Sunspot. Astea has spent many hours in Sunspot lying against a fallen log, listening to the birds chirp as s...

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“I’ll Buy the Chalupas” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #235

Something bad always happens to Elroy Lowe whenever he goes on a field trip. Today his stink meter is off the charts. Noticing Elroy’s worried expression, eight-year-old Kendall Caribou, a rambunctious redhead born to needle boys asks, “What’s up, buttercup?” “Nothing.” “Right. You look like you need a change of underwear.” The forty second graders continue to sing the lyrics to ...

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“Skunk Cabbage” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #234

Cooper Conell groans as he rolls on his side. Grabbing the bedpost, he pulls himself up, coughing until he’s a wheezing breathless wreck. The sad part is this is as good as he’s going to feel all day. He blows a kiss at his late wife’s photo. Cooper grimaces, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his hip as he wobbles to a standing position. He pats his ever-expanding belly, running his hand over hi...

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“O For April” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #233

Coming out of a successful spring training camp, the Detroit Tigers seemed primed to finish in first place. Then their ace, Pickles Primeau, fell down a flight of stairs while taking out the trash, tearing his ACL. In his first at-bat of the season, the team’s best hitter, Perdido Morales, slid into second, breaking his ankle. Good things come in threes and the Tigers soon found out the same is true of bad even...

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