Murray Burns

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (128)

128 Stories

3974 karma pts

?

“Wrong Track - Right Track” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #168

Wrong Track – Right TrackI’m not sure this is what Mr. Zamzow had in mind when he told the class, “For very action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”; I got on the train- she didn’t.The pressure to excel, to succeed, to someday arrive at the Promised Land of wealth, power and position. Surely this could not be vanquished by a high school romance. It seemed like love, but my Dad warned me all about “puppy love”. In this day and age, the odds of a teenage romance making it to the alter, followed by a big house in the country with cute l...

5 comments 5
Read story

“Herb's Brain Scam” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #167

Herb’s Brain ScamDeep in the recesses of Herb’s brain, an emergency meeting of unparalleled import was just underway. "CC", representing the largest portion of the brain, the Cerebral Cortex, chaired the meeting as usual. The other powerful Union Bosses, each representing billions of members, in attendance were:-“Fronz”, representing the Frontal Lobe responsible for reasoning and motor skills.-“Perry”, representing the Parietal Lobe responsible for tactile senses.-“Temper”, representing the Temporal Lobe responsible for memory.-“Oxy”, repres...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Herb Goes Out In A Huff” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #166

Herb Goes Out In A HuffThey should have seen it coming. It had been building for a long time. Still, the event shocked all who witnessed it and is still talked about in the cafeteria, around water coolers, even in the parking lot as the workforce arrives in the morning and leaves at the end of the day. In this mega-company with facilities throughout the world, “Going Postal” has been replaced with “Going Herb.” The highlight of the annual Christmas Party is “Who Gets the Herbie”?, a prestigious award bestowed upon the worker who committed th...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Arachnophobia Comes To Cleveland” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #165

Arachnophobia Comes to ClevelandThey promised Billy a pet when they dragged him away from his friends in Omaha.“You are going to love it in Cleveland. They’ve got the Browns, the Indians and a Great Lake. And we’ll have our own house. You’ll have your own room, and you can have that pet you’ve always wanted.”“What’s so great about the lake?”Moving is tough on an eight year old kid. The pet idea was just one of the many carrots Fred came up with to induce Billy to give Cleveland a try. The younger children, Carri and Matt, were less attached ...

20 comments 20
Read story

“What For?” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #164

What For?“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me cry.”-Charlie Chaplin1963. Freshman year in high school. Spanish class. I never met him, but I will remember him forever.A foreign language seemed like a good idea. Besides that, my mother insisted on it. Spanish sounded easier than Latin, so I was dazzling my friends with “cómo estás” before day’s end.It was the very first day. Señora Guzman said that all students would be known by the Spanish version of their name. It was easy to come up with the Spanish counterpart for...

5 comments 5
Read story

“Herb and Mr. Reaper” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #163

Herb and Mr. Reaper“Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.”-Muhammed AliHerb wished the end had come during the football season. He had little interest in the baseball games on TV, the news was always bad, he found little merit in today’s sitcoms, and he had seen his old favorites so many times he could predict nearly every line. He was no longer receptive to visits, having grown tired of the gushing, overly dramatic, even tearful visits from family and friends. Herb was in a sorry state.At least he w...

1 comment 1
Read story

“Herb's Big Dinner Date” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #162

Herb’s Big Dinner Date“Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination.”-Mark TwainWhat’s in a word? Herb was about to find out.                                              Henry: hĕn’-rē;  Henri’: hĕ-nrē’.Herb forgot the lessons of Sister Mary Margaret. It matters wh...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Gift” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #161

The Gift“Remember, Tommy, thumbs together. You catch with your hands, not your body.”Legacy. It’s only natural. Kids often follow in the footsteps of their parents, from Bushes in the White House to Sanford and Son in the junk yard. Maybe it’s the planting of seeds of interest, or readily available instruction, or perhaps a desire to please. Sometimes it might just be a good shove.“You should probably get yourself up to the field to run some stairs in the bleachers this afternoon. Building up your calves will help with that first step off th...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Oasis in the Sky” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #160

Oasis in the Sky(Perhaps a bit crude in places.) Two-a-days. The dreaded curse of any young man who ever squeezed a football helmet down over his ears, high school through the pros. It’s hard work, the bone shaking “hamburger” drills, the mind-numbing repetition, the harsh scoldings for a misplaced footstep, and …the heat.It’s like trying to explain parenthood to someone who never had children. If you haven’t spent two hours in the hot sun in full football garb, you may have trouble relating to this snapshot in time. Try thinking of spending...

12 comments 12
Read story

“Stamps” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #159

Stamps­­The sight was disturbing, overwhelming. Matt froze in his tracks, shaken by the scene before him. His first thought was that he would somehow die in this awful place. He didn’t know how he would die, but he knew he couldn’t survive it. The moment foretold an inglorious end to what had once been a pretty good life.Sixty-five grown men stuffed into one large room, two to a 7’ x 10’ cubicle, bordered on one side by bunkbeds, desks and lockers on the other, and open at the end. Sketchy looking neighbors in full view just 4’ across the ai...

3 comments 3
Read story

“Herb's Plan to Become a Better Person” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #158

Herb’s Plan to Become a Better Person“If you’re trying to find yourself , a good place to start is where you were yesterday.”                                                                      &n...

0 comments 0
Read story

“1-3-5-17-23-8” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #157

1-3-5-17-23-8                    "For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have.”-John Steinbeck, The PearlWally was a simple man, not stupid but not too bright, not ugly but not handsome, not sickly but far f...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Dumb Ass and Shit-for-Brains” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #156

Dumb Ass and Shit-for-Brains                                           “How much love is in a friend? It depends                             on how much you give them.”   &...

1 comment 1
Read story

“1.72 Seconds” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #155

1.72 Seconds                 “Youth is easily deceived, because it is quick to hope.”                                                              &nbsp...

7 comments 7
Read story

“Hey! What About Me?!” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #154

Hey! What About Me?!                                    “I don’t get no respect.” – Rodney DangerfieldThis is nuts. Dark, crowded and wet. I about can’t take it anymore. Day after day, week after week, month after month. Dogs are two months. I could live with that. Or how about mice? Twenty-five days tops! And I have to put up with this for nine months? Life ain’t ...

7 comments 7
Read story

Author bio

Dartmouth, then Law School followed by years in mind-numbing law practice; now have more time to write. "Brevity is the soul of wit."

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #195
A Simple Act of Kindness – read story
Contest #170
The Rosary – read story