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Pete Gautchier

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2024

Stories (59)

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9 Followers

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59 Stories

978 karma pts

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Gobble, Gobble Hullabaloo

Submitted to Contest #278

Prompt: A family argument gets out of hand. Neither side will budge, requiring a mediator with unusual methods.Gobble, Gobble HullabalooThanksgiving has always been a special time for our extended family year after year. Both sides of the family are invited. Uncle Ralph, Aunt Clara, Uncle Joey, Aunt Betsy, and cousin Ralphie from my dad’s side would come. From my mom’s side Uncle Bert, Aunt Dotty, and Pauly would grace us with their presence. Unfortunately, my grandparents on both sides of the family were no longer with u...

8 likes

Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

Submitted to Contest #277

Prompt: Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story. Lost That Lovin’ Feeling People who have seen me say that wherever I walk dark clouds vanish. In their place I leave rainbows and flowers. My name is Melody.  I have one purpose. That one mission is to bring joy, peace, and love to the dark and dreary places I am assigned to visit. Usually my assignments are straightforward leaving me quite full of elation and satisfaction. But there was one town that over the years ...

6 likes

Confined Spaces

Submitted to Contest #274

Prompt: Center your story around a childhood fear that-as much as you try to shake it-still resonates into adulthood.Confined Spaces“Help me! I can’t breathe! I never said I would do this! Tommy, get me out of here,” as I whimpered a cry. My panicky state resulted in an episode of hyperventilated breathing. The more I struggled in the confined space, the more anxious I became. I could barely muster a punch on the side of the cardboard wall.  Then, the tears began to flow as I felt abandoned and le...

6 likes

The Voice in My Head

Submitted to Contest #272

Prompt: Center your story around someone trying to resist their darker impulses-and they’ll either succeed or fail.The Voice in My HeadThere is an incessant voice chatting inside my head.  No matter how I try to block it out it keeps bantering falsehoods and urging me to do things I do not want to do. The more I try to ignore it, the louder and nastier it gets.  I try to keep myself preoccupied focusing on the task at hand. It actually helps, but the effort depletes me of most of my energy.  I am ...

9 likes

A Figment of Imagination, A Coincidence or Stark Reality?

Submitted to Contest #271

Prompt: A character finds a clue or object linking them to a stranger. A Figment of Imagination, A Coincidence or Stark Reality? As the sun descends below the horizon, I find it to be the ideal time to take casual strolls along the beach front near my home. I would say it is not the most pristine of beaches covered in a mixture of sand, gravel, rocks, and high cliffs; nonetheless, looking out over the still ocean waters with the glowing horizon affords me much solitude and comfort as a writer. Rarely is there anyone walking t...

5 likes

A LIttle Bit of This and a Dash of That

Submitted to Contest #270

Prompt: Write about someone searching for a missing ingredient, literally or metaphorically. A Little Bit of This and a Dash of That When I was a little tyke, I used to follow my momma everywhere. Most of the time she would be in the kitchen preparing meals for the day, baking sweet goods and even canning or pickling vegetables and some fruit from our garden. My momma was loaded with energy, especially when it came to food preparation. “Yeah, I am a real dynamo,” she would sarcastically say. One day when I was literally ...

7 likes

Seventy Seven Times

Submitted to Contest #268

Prompt: Write a story about someone seeking forgiveness for their past actions.Seventy Seven Times For most people, seeing the rising sun represents the warmth of a new day.  Today as the sun shines through my bathroom window, I am only feeling on my face the coldness from the bathroom floor tiles.  I awoke to discover I had lain in close proximity to the toilet. My head was still spinning and throbbing. The nausea had not subsided, and I felt the need to wretch the demons from within me again. When it was over,...

4 likes

It's Mine, but Everything has its Price

Submitted to Contest #268

Prompt: Your character gets everything they ever wanted-only to realize the true cost.It’s Mine, but Everything has its Price Have you ever wanted somethings so badly that you would do anything to get it? How far would you go? How would this compulsion change you? Would it fan the flames of moral decrepitude?  Would there be any way to come back from these overwhelming urges? Listen to my words as I share my story. There was nothing startling about my childhood. I blended in with the kids on our block.&nbsp...

12 likes

Words that Hurt, Words that Mend

Submitted to Contest #267

Prompt: Your character overhears something that changes their path. Words that Hurt, Words that Mend You all know the adage ‘kids can be cruel.’ It became a silent mantra I would repeatedly say to myself as I ventured through my elementary school days. I knew best to avoid conflict and to deflect the disparaging comments I overheard with a smile. It was evident at my school. I was distinct. Sort of black, with a blunt, splayed nose. I was a child from a black dad and a white mom. I was still a big guy which put ...

4 likes

Storms a brewin'

Submitted to Contest #267

Prompt: Write your story against the backdrop of a storm. Storms a brewin’ My joints really ache today more than the typical soreness I feel in my older age. A lot more than any other day. I think I may have slept like a pretzel twist.  Then again, when the weather changes all holy hell breaks out in my body. From my bedroom window I checked the skies. Not a single cloud; the sun was brilliant and hot. To confirm my amateur weather interpretations, I listened to the radio forecast.  The weatherman...

16 likes

Oh, Come on, Not again!

Submitted to Contest #266

Prompt: Write from the point of view of a character in a story who keeps getting re-written by their second-guessing author. Oh, come on, not again! “Hey man, I am no Pinocchio and you are no Geppetto, so loosen up the puppet strings on my story, stop this madness,” as I shouted from the pages of my author’s tablet journal. There was silence. Outside the realm of the journal pages an introduction began. “My name is Buddy and I am a figment of my author’s imagination who calls himself Harry. But I know differently. If given the chan...

6 likes

A Wedding Feast Like No Other

Submitted to Contest #264

Prompt: Center your story around two people who meet at a wedding. A Wedding Feast Like No OtherI entered the lobby of my apartment building noting that one of the mailboxes was stuffed full of paper. Whoa! It happened to be mine! I thought I had emptied it the other day. Apparently, in my absent mindedness I had ignored the obvious signs of the postman to “please empty your box.” I struggled with my key to retrieve the contents. As I rummaged through the various ads, bills, and political flyers one textured envelope...

5 likes

More than Just a Heat Wave

Submitted to Contest #262

Prompt: Heat wave: Write a story about a summer vacation gone amuck (with an unexpected summer fling thrown in). (In an era before cell phones and texting.) More than Just a Heat Wave I was humming “my bags are packed and I am ready to go” when the radio announcer interrupted the song with the ominous warning “this is going to be the hottest summer on record. Stay cool and stay hydrated.” This was a warning I did not need to hear. “Oh, this is going to be fantastic,” I sarcastically quipped to myself. I looked i...

4 likes

A Eulogy of Gratitude

Submitted to Contest #261

Prompt: Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards (and as an expression of gratitude to someone.) A Eulogy of GratitudeThe late Frank Sinatra made popular in his song, My Way1 these words:“Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption I planned each charted course Each careful step along the byway And more, much more than this I did it my way”Yes, I did it my way and now I am scurrying to jot down these thank you cards before I fall asleep. Thank you…Mom ...

3 likes

A Hero for a Hero

Submitted to Contest #261

Prompt: Write a story about some unsung hero. A Hero for a Hero “This is 911. What is your emergency?” And the litany of questions begins to pour though the earphone. “Tell me exactly what is happening now?  What is the address of the emergency? Are you safe? Is this the number you are calling from? The voice over the phone extends a calming, soothing tone. After a deep breath, the caller responds with the important information. The operator says “Help is soon on the way.” Most of us are old ...

7 likes