Perseus Patroclus

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2024

Stories (10)

10 Stories

304 karma pts

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“Little Nephew” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #283

As Michael walked cautiously into the room, he felt heads swivel towards him in awkward shock. Like a record scratching in a movie, conversation halted and all eyes fell on him. His cheeks reddened, but he tilted his head high in defiance. The silence was deafening, continuing on and on for what felt like years before his brother came over to greet him. Jeremiah was visibly uncomfortable, but Michael ignored it and made a beeline towards the bar. His family slowly continued their talking, but the air still held tension. He cracked open a Cor...

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“A Pointless Conversation” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #280

Trigger warning: brief mentions of sexual violence, coarse language, brief mentions of mild gore, mentions of homophobia/transphobia"If you had to give up one part of your face, which part would you give up?""What.""I almost thought I would immediately- with certainty I would say an eyebrow.""But that- I'd probably give up an eye because then I can like- then I could wear an eye patch and look cool.""An eye? You would give up an eye?! I could draw an eyebrow on!""Yeah, but I don't wanna do that.""You're giving up one of your eyeballs!""Yeah,...

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“The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #277

When the prayers came to me, I wasn't fazed. I knew what had to be done. I watched as Sarah, rumored the most beautiful woman in the world, was whisked into the arms of the spiteful and cruel pharaoh. Abraham fumed silently under the ruse of her brother, wise enough to avoid confronting the king. I could see his thoughts, the deep regret of putting her in a box (a fairly stupid and misogynistic idea) and trying to get through customs with said case. No amount of money he offered could stop the security guards from opening the lid to see a st...

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“A Letter to Myself” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #276

Dear Me,In the middle of fourth grade you wrote a letter to your eighth grade self. I- being in eighth grade now- am returning the favor.Remember you ended the letter saying what you wanted to be when you grew up? You had just watched season 13 of Drag Race with mum, and one of the contestants was the first transgender man to be on the show. The feelings you had regarding Gottmik were confusing, I know, but you managed to comprehend enough of your brain to tell me that’s who you wanted to be. I can say for certain you do not want to be a dra...

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“Mature” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #273

I stride in with my chest puffed out. The room is small, stuffy, walls splattered with different paints and posters. It's difficult not to feel insecure. I had spent a good thirty minutes on my fit- not that I had much to work with- and managed to pull together a black denim jacket with the sleeves ripped off accompanied by navy cargo shorts. Everyone turns to me, a little shocked."I saw the flier. You wanna drummer?" A beat of silence follows."How good are you?" The guy who responds is probably around 20, 25. He's smoking, sprawled across a...

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“The Halloween Harvest” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #272

January 15th, 2024Before you listen to this, you must understand that I had no choice other than to play along. You must understand the people that I was forced to interact with, the actions I had to endure. I do not know who will be hearing these entries. My plan is to ship this to the police once I'm done recording the message, but I can't insure it'll work, especially because I'll be dead. So, without further ado, here's my story.January 16th, 2024My grandmother died a couple of months ago. I inherited her small house- a cottage, if you w...

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“A Lavender Brother” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #270

Marcus Adler's mouth twisted bitterly at his brother across the table. The waiter poured a small portion of wine for him, and as Marcus swished the rich liquid around, sniffed it and tasted it, Jeremiah Adler tapped the table impatiently. More bloodred splashed into the glass after he approved, a small drop running down the cup onto the pristine white tablecloth. At this the waiter frowned, swiping it up with the fabric previously folded by the crook of his arm, taken from its resting place on the smooth black linen that ran down the man's b...

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“Side-by-Side” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #267

I'm calm. I have no idea how. I haven't cried, thrown up, screamed, anything. I can’t tell if I’m in shock or if this is just how I feel. How do people normally react when they realize they’re dead? Pain? Relief? Probably not that- I didn't kill myself. Jesus, I had a life ahead of me. College, marriage, career- all of it down the toilet because I was being an idiot and pushed my brother. Then, as he had every right to, he pushed me back. What he didn't expect, though, was for me to trip over a branch. My head hit the stairs leading up to ou...

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“Cyanide Apples” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #257

We were schoolboys, oblivious to the outside world. Children, pure and uncorrupted. Best friends. Star-crossed lovers. Romeo and Juliet, every fiber of the world trying to tear us apart. At least that’s how it was in my mind, hoping one day he’d realize how much he actually adored me and I wouldn’t have to wait any longer. Perhaps it was more like Helena and Demetrius, me lapping at his heels and begging for affection, him unaware of my feelings. It seemed he was my one true love, even if he wasn’t fully aware of it. I tried not to lust afte...

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“Heart Failure” by Perseus Patroclus

Submitted to Contest #247

Stars. Twinkling bursts of light. Bloodshot, glassy eyes. He has given up.He was supposed to save everyone. Save the world. Save it because the crops wilted. Save it because the water rose and flooded. Save it because the ice dissolved. He was supposed to save it because the earth was about to combust, like his aircraft did a few milliseconds ago.The view would probably take his breath away if he could breathe. He knew what would happen. He was not holding his breath- if he did, his lungs would expand, turn into balloons, and eventually pop....

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Author bio

I write surreal stories that are either cynical or hopeful depending on the day. Welcome to the ramblings of a mentally ill transgender. Don't expect it to be good.