Michael Jefferson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (148)

148 Stories

2899 karma pts

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“And the Future Will Be Gravy” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #255

Joyce Gleason spins in circles in front of a full-length mirror. “Think President Madrid and the First Lady will be impressed?” Colonel Benjamin Hotspur, late of the First Northern Army, turns and winks at his fiancé, who is resplendent in a sparkling coral dress. A stocky 5’ 5” with wavy black hair and a bushy mustache, Benjamin, a nationally ranked wrestler during his college days, is affectionately called “Benny the Bull” because of his tenaciousness. Benjamin began his career as a bodyguard for Birmingham Madrid, then a Northern Province...

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“The Schmidt Just Hit the Fan ” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #252

“It’s that time of year again,” Dr. Killi Knapp, the Gross family’s psychiatrist says. Dr. Knapp adjusts his designer frame glasses as Paul and Celeste bow their heads. “She was getting better,” Paul says, nervously brushing back what’s left of his hair. Celeste reaches for Paul’s hand. “She finished third three years ago. They sent her a doll…” “A Moogli doll. It’s a character on the show,” Paul explains. “Kind of a Yehti.” “That’s kept her going,” Celeste adds. “She’s sure the essay she wrote for this year’s contest will win.” Dr. Knapp’s...

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“Check With Me Before You Touch Anything” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #251

Five war-weary Santori soldiers approach the Rahman Cathedral led by Commander Arcus Dollman, a ruthless, driven leader intent on wiping out the Kuntasi civilization and ending the war between them. His present mission is to loot the cathedral, which is rumored to contain millions in treasure and ancient texts about alchemy. The men are accompanied by Father Theodor Strasburg, a Kuntasi cleric. Father Strasburg hopes he can convince Dollman to spare their religious texts. Commander Dollman smiles as he looks at the cathedral’s shell-smudged...

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“Drink Your Milk” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #250

B.J. Workman’s hammer bangs loudly against the Town Hall steps. Brady Tasker goes back to the truck for more wood and a cigarette. B.J. is known throughout the town of Dorset as a lanky, perpetually tanned, reliable, and likable craftsman with a loving wife and an average I.Q. He and his stocky, bearded drinking buddy Brady have been the town’s go-to builders for decades and are familiar faces throughout town. Standing in the hallway a few feet from the steps, Chief Colt Kennedy whispers to Mayor Grayson Levant. “Everything’s going according...

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“Love Isn’t Just Blind, It’s Ludicrous” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #249

Jammed like a pickled sardine on the express train to 14th Street with thousands of other commuters, Ryan Random knows there is more to life than assembling computer components and drinking mochaccinos with his co-worker. As platforms and people flash by in a dizzying blur, Ryan closes his eyes, his mind conjuring up a cozy villa in Greece with a passing stream surrounded by fig trees and grape leaves. Standing in front of the villa, her features a misty blur is a woman. Opening his eyes, Ryan finds himself next to a grey-haired old man no t...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #248

Willow, Montana1889 Hunk Harte lies back on his wife’s lap. Annabelle playfully twists his blonde curls, kissing him on the top of his head. The pair of teens gaze up at the starry sky. Annabelle points at a glowing light streaking across the sky. “Look, Hunk, a shootin’ star!” “Make a wish.” “I wish this moment could last forever.” “Carnsarn-it, Annabelle, you ain’t supposed to tell me, cause then it won’t come true!” An enormous shadow whisks by. “Land sakes! That things movin’ lickety split!” the freckle-faced bride marvels. Flames and ...

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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 think it’s a trick?” the ostrich asks. “Hmm. No strings. No visible computer chips. The beak even moved when it spoke. This is one realistic dream I’m having.” The...

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Author bio

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