Patrick Druid

“A Stop on the Way” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #222

A Stop On The WayThe heat of month of June bore down on Harry Wilson, as he got out of his beat up 76 Ford and walked up the hill on Rosewood Lane to meet his next prospective customer, doing his best to remain positive about it in spite of the sweat pouring down his back.Shaking his head as he paused in his walk, to reposition his briefcase,Harry recalled a conversation that he had with his grandfather one week l before he left for college. He met with him that day at the old house and found him sitting in the darkened dining room...

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“Evaluation Day” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #219

As I was reading this one, I realized that I had written about someone who both broke an unwritten rule and followed an unwritten rule and that his fate was determined by.choice of which rule he followed.James Patterson, a middle manager of the Orion's Sword consulting firm, the most sought after consulting firm in the country, got in his little Prius on a wet morning, turned on the radio and started listening to Marketplace, turned on the headlamps and wipers and made his way to the office.He pulled out of the driveway trying to concentrate...

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“Greasy Spoon Sally's ” by Patrick Druid

Greasy Spoon Sally'sOkay, dude, this is gonna sound weird, right? I'm not really a cook and I don't get paid to do anything here. I'm just the guy who got stuck with this diner.No it wasn't an inheritance from a long lost uncle or anything like that. I don't even know who Sally is!So, how did end up here in this diner?************I was heading back home one cold night after a sales conference when I started hearing that rumbling sound heading my way and my barely functioning ac unit was attempting to filter that annoying wet s...

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“Message Management ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #210

I had several inspirations for this one. I can't recall all of them.Message managementHarold Sims woke up in his apartment with a headache, most likely caused by spending too many hours on the computer the previous night.The alarm continued to beep at him in the little bedroom incessantly until he finally shut it off and then sat in bed, trying to remember what it was he was so intent on doing when he got up today."It's my day off. I should be sleeping in but...." he glanced over at his laptop in the corner and saw the image still embla...

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“Thank you” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #203

Thank you. My alarm went off around 7 pm while is was in my room, working another sketch on my drafting table.  I got up from the little office chair and hit the off button.  My little chair squeaked louder than the alarm but that was to be expected asi had bought it at a local thrift store.  It served it's purpose though. I met my Mom in the little hallway next to my room as she gathered all of the clothes into a large, off white cotton bag and set it down, while I reached for the detergent and fabric softener from the to...

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“Finding Etherealle ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #199

This one is basically a first draft of a chapter for a larger story. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!Finding EtherealleThe falling leaves of autumn decorated the campus of Ministry College as the students began their after mid term activities. Jennifer Hayden, a sophomore of almost 20 with wavy dark hair traveled across the campus to the science building for her morning classestrying not to think of the date she had the previous weekend.  Her roommate, Melanie had set her up on a blind date with a friend of a friend from one...

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“Dreams of Escape ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #197

Dreams of Escape Ten year old Kenny sat nervously in the passenger seat of the old, dingy, green 76 nova as his father drove on through the rainy night. He stared out the passenger side window at the gloomy night sky and the streaks of rain sliding down the window. Orange street lights lit the road at various intervals as the car sped onwards towards it's eventual destination. He barely breathed and didn't dare speak.He wondered when or if his nightmare would end and wondered also what he, a boy of only 10 could do about it all? Wa...

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“A Reward On the Road ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #192

A Reward on the Road "Eric, how's it going up there?" Eric sighed.  He and his sister, Lucy had been in their family 's property, goinh through everything in the house, the attic, the barn and everything else in preparation for the sale.      Their parents had gotten older and had decided to retire to a condo in Florida and since neither of the children really wanted the family home, it had to be sold.  Eric had been in the attic for most of the day and was already getting exhausted just looking a...

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“Single Wish Flower ” by Patrick Druid

I actually don't know much about flowers but for some reason I felt the need to write a story like this anyway. Single Wish Flower The graveyard had been located on that hill since the time of the earliest settlers in the county and it seemed to overshadow the town below. It was almost as if someone had wanted to remind the people of the inevitable coming of death. In spite of this, most people ignored it unless they needed to visit a grave or tomb of a loved one. Today, though, the graveyard had a single visitor named Marc...

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“Of Ground and Sky” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #183

Of Ground and Sky The sun blazed across the hills in of Shang Ti village and little children happily running and playing while their mothers looked whilst doing some chores.  The village itself has been built along the side of a mountainbthat often cast a long shadow across the village in the afternoon and evening hours.   It was said that some eagles had made a nest on the other side of the mountain and and sometimes, the eagles could be seen flying on a moon lit night. Young Pan Si Hung,  had recently arrived in...

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“The Burden of Legacy” by Patrick Druid

I stood on the balcony of my apartment leaned over the thin iron railing and watched the rain drops as the cascaded downward pelting street several stories below. The vehicles below continued their long slow journey towards home after their occupants had spent several long hours at work I took another sip of my coffee as I waited patiently for my cell phone to ring. I sighed as I considered all that had happened and how to process it all. It seemed like only yesterday, I was talking with my mother while she was still alive and still able...

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“Aftermath Part 1” by Patrick Druid

Monica's head was throbbing horribly and loudly as she picked up all of her 90 pounds off of the floor and then fell onto her hands and knees again. Something underneath her right hand made a "crunch" that seemed to go off like a howitzer. She looked down in a daze and saw a crushed beer can that was but one among many on the carpeted floor which seemed to be spinning alternately left, then right in quick succession. It was as if the room couldn't decide which way to go. "Just what I need," Monica said aloud pushing aside her locks of curl...

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“Thursday Thing” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #92

Author note: My mother recently passed away last week so I wrote this story to sort of help me to process this experience in some way.The night had covered the sky and the rain began to pelt the roof of the building. The thunder cracked and rumbled as if a mighty engine was suddenly coming to life and then stopped all of sudden as the echoes faded into the air.The sound made Ms. Smith wake up with a start. She found herself in a hard, plastic chair that was joined by a steel bar to other chairs. There was a television fastened to the ch...

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“Destination Mind” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #90

Panting for breath, I ran through to double doors of the city L train just before they closed and a grabbed on to the nearest handle available and held on to it as the engine cranked to life and I, along with the rest of the passengers on this sort of grungy conveyance with half broken seats and musty windows felt the ourselves swaying backwards as the the train lurched forward. "Excuse me" I mumbled to the gentleman to my left after I bumped into him. The other man grunted from underneath his small tweed hat which he had pulled downwards,...

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“Andante of the Hand” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #78

"Breathe it in with every stroke. Take it nice and slow, no rush. " came the low, mesmerizing voice on the cassette, giving instructions. The sound of a slow, even paced breath escaped the lips of the young man sitting at an old fashioned writing desk. He was hunched over the little desk, with his brown, wavy locks dangling and almost touching the surface while he focused his concentration on the paper illuminated by the light of a small desk lamp. After a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair and decided to take a small break to stretc...

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