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Michael Jefferson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

Stories (158)
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56 Followers
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158 Stories

3110 karma pts

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The Iron Lady and the Emotional Vampire

Submitted to Contest #218

The lone guitarist sits on stage in a worn wicker chair, his hair covering his eyes. “Takes a lot of guts to get up there by yourself,” Ciaran Fox says to his friend, Phineas “Finn” Riley. The guitarist sings in a whispery, melancholy tone, but it’s the opening bars of the song that capture Finn’s attention. “That’s ‘By the Colour of Your Dreams,’” Finn says. “It was on everybody’s turntables in college.” Finn recalls a time in Bristol, Rhode Island when he was a skinny, twenty-two-year-old long-haired hippie, a far cry from the close...

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Dynamite Has A Short Fuse, And So Do I

Submitted to Contest #217

Parnell, Iowa 1885 “I still have half a dozen ponies to break and get to market,” Avery Cooke says. “Besides, Skeeter’s not ready for something like this.” Snuffing out his pungent cigar, Andor Cressy, the rotund owner of the Zenith Mines and the Top Dollar Ranch gives Avery a grim look. Avery corrects himself. “Mister Skeeter.” “And don’t you forget it. You people have been free for twenty years and you act like you’re my equal. I ain’t above whippin’ nobody, black or white, who sasses me. When I say teach the boy how to use dynamite...

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Back Off Buttinsky

Submitted to Contest #216

It’s a typical day filled with amusement for Monique Vermont as she looks around Marvin Garden’s courtyard. Monique laughs as six-year-old Charity Chase spins her four-year-old brother around until he’s dizzy and collapses on the seat of his pants. Seated on a bench near the back of the courtyard, Ilsa, Julie Auger’s au pair from Switzerland, puts her head on the shoulder of would-be musician Vinnie Vincent. Monique, a high school principal, and Leland, her broker husband, had once been Marvin Gardens’ leading socialites. Their parties wer...

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Next Time Satan Calls, Play Dead

Submitted to Contest #215

Dr. Kyle Kidd looks out of his window at the lush greenery surrounding his office, smiling serenely. “I’m glad we came here. I really like it.” Tempest, his nurse, nods approvingly. “It’s the perfect small town for a talented country doctor. We can live here for twenty years before anyone notices you haven’t aged.” Kyle rolls his eyes. “With all the eligible men in this town already lining up at the door faking ailments just to get a look at you, no one’s paying any attention to me. We might be able to stay here forever.” “… Inbred hill...

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Brother

Submitted to Contest #214

Everyone who knew the retired bachelor in Apartment 2E always said he would have made a perfect husband and father. Trent Eden knew better. He would thank his neighbors, smile sheepishly, and tell them about the life-changing summer he spent with Brother Monroe.              Affable and inquisitive, Brother spoke four languages, could play classical music note-perfect on piano or cello, and had an I.Q. of 130. And yes, there was also that prophetic first name.The most amaz...

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We’re Not Supposed to Cheat Death – It’s Part of Life

Submitted to Contest #213

Senator Marcus Cicero walks through the Garden of Senators, one of Washington D.C.’s most popular attractions. He pauses at the statues of his father, Lucius, and his grandfather, Julius. He squeezes his hand, hoping to relieve the numbness that has taken root in his fingers. “It won’t be long now.” Marcus vigorously shakes the hand of a young constituent but feels nothing. The young man beams at the charismatic, dark-haired politician. “Your speech was magnificent. Senator. It reminded all of us that even though we conquered the Si...

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Things is Gonna Even Out In the End

Submitted to Contest #212

Carlo Rovino softly moans to himself when the movers drop the last box containing his mother’s belongings. Sifting through the boxes, Carlo comes across a bundle of yellowing envelopes stamped Return to Sender. His mother, quiet, close-lipped, and diligent, had been better known for filling out police reports than emulating Emily Dickinson. Her most recent letter, written two days before her death, commands his attention. Curious by nature and sure his mother wouldn’t mind, Carlo opens the well-traveled envelope. Dear Mario: I hope you...

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The Good Thing About Living in Pleasantville is You’re Never Really Dead

Submitted to Contest #211

Ainsely Verloren politely shakes the hand of another stranger, who quietly utters, “Sorry for your loss.” “I didn’t know Missy had made so many friends,” Ainsely says to Cutter Klein, one of his few acquaintances. Judging by the turnout, most of the 428 residents in Pleasantville, Iowa, have come to pay their respects. “While you were designing houses, Missy was helping out at the bake sale, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, and serving on the Beautification Committee. She really seemed to like it here.” Ainsely holds back his tea...

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Repro

Submitted to Contest #210

Roman Hand waves at his neighbors, who are quietly heading inside after an entertaining night out. Smiling politely, Ricky and Lucy Ricardo wave back. Sliding into the passenger seat of the Repro Services van, Roman says, “That never stops being weird.” “Are they bad neighbors?” Fletcher Fixx asks. Fletcher smiles at Roman. They’ve been partners for five years and have a loose, friendly kinship. Fletcher always wears a pair of opaque sunglasses that further serve to highlight his dazzling white smile and accentuate his hip nature. Roman...

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If Opinions Were Dollars, Rockefeller Would Envy You

Submitted to Contest #209

Francisco Bonilla laughs to himself when he sees Grady Quaid’s landscaping truck pull into the gas station’s parking lot. It’s Sunday, which means Francisco will have the company of a quartet of four opinionated sixty-year-old men to entertain him during his shift. Wiry, with a caterpillar mustache, gentle brown eyes, and ruddy but pleasant features, forty-two-year-old Francisco has worked at the Cumberland Farms in Shelby, Connecticut for a decade. He has been persistent in his effort to master English and speaks it more ably than many o...

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Take Me Out of This Ballgame

Submitted to Contest #208

Three curious teenagers sit on a hill above the baseball field watching Jovanny “Jumbo” Rotelli lumber around the bases. “It’s ninety-eight degrees and he’s been running wind sprints for the past half hour,” Aiden Burke comments. “When we beat Jumbo’s team, Mr. Rotelli is going to wonder why his son was gassed after three innings.” Pushing her glasses up off the end of her nose, Polly Progreski gives Aiden a challenging look. “You’re so sure you’re going to win?” the gangly brunette asks. “Two years ago, we beat the Bison’s 12-3 for the ...

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Skeffingtown

Submitted to Contest #207

“Cut!” director Carlo Romeo yells as Cosmo Skeffington wallops Monty Mulhare with a knee-buckling slap across his cheek. “Hey, what the hell was that?” Monty protests, rubbing his throbbing cheek. “We have to make it look good, don’t we?” “Yeah, but you don’t have to enjoy it so much.” “Three’s A Crowd,” a top ten comedy in its second season, centers around three men in their sixties who meet at a counseling group for divorced men. With a lilting, mannered British accent, two-time Oscar nominee Cosmo Skeffington plays Mortimer Clyde, a s...

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Cheddar

Submitted to Contest #206

The last person Nelson Donovan expected to see at the airport was Carol Austin. Carol still has her dimpled smile, freckled features, and hourglass figure. The girl holding her hand is her mini-carbon copy. Carol sighs with regret. Ten years have passed, but Nelson still has his striking good looks and athletic body. “What brings you here?” Nelson asks. “Gary Banks. I’ve been dreaming about him lately.” “Me too.” “Coincidence?” Carol asks. “I doubt it.” Driving to the hotel, they talk about the circumstances that brought them bac...

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You’ll Want to Stay Away From the Spare Ribs

Submitted to Contest #205

“I didn’t know I even had an Uncle Viktor, much less an uncle who was a national hero.” “He’s from the old country, and we seldom speak of LaRocca,” Pavel Pushkin replies. “No, you never speak about the old country. What’s it like?” Misha’s father gives him a loving but patronizing smile, saying, “Not exactly a playground for the Kardashians.” “From what your father has told me, even a native of Siberia might find LaRocca a bit old-fashioned,” Paisley, Misha’s mother says. “So, it’s not exactly, viva LaRocca. But Uncle Viktor seems to h...

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Dirty Dan

Submitted to Contest #204

Buckeye, Arizona 1888 Dan Dobler slithers down Main Street spitting tobacco juice, his blind, milky left eye enhancing his threatening personality. Dobler’s poverty-stricken appearance and penchant for violence have earned him the nickname “Dirty Dan.” Townspeople find it hard to believe that the twenty-six-year-old Dobler is heir to Calvin “King” Coleman’s “King’s Ransom,” the largest ranch in Buckeye. A curious hound dog trails Dobler. He turns toward it, kicking it in the side. “Git away from me, ya mangy cur!” The dog barks angril...

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