Ralph Aldrich

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (85)

85 Stories

1877 karma pts

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“Can I Ask You Something” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #252

It’s a quiet Sunday evening, and as usual, Bob and Betty are sitting home doing nothing in particular. Bob places a bookmaker in the journal he’s reading and exhales slowly. He wants to talk to Betty about a subject but is uncertain how to broach the subject. After all, they are always home on the weekends because Betty doesn’t like going out or having anyone in for a visit to chat or play a game. Betty doesn’t like games. “They’re too competitive.” Besides, she doesn’t like Bob’s friends but has none of h...

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“Secret in the Sand” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #251

With a gleam of excitement in his eye, archaeologist Humphrey Abbot strokes his pride and joy, a massive black mustache. He has gathered a group of financiers in his mahogany paneled library to persuade them to invest in an expedition to Eygpt. After the brandy’s been poured and the cigars lit, Abbot clears his throat. “Gentlemen, I have invited you here this evening to tell you of a remarkable discovery I have made while researching the Great Pyramid of Giza. I found the following notation in an 1838 book, “Giza...

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“Desperate Remedies” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #248

A dry desert wind blows across the surface of planet Argot. Thick dust clouds fill the air, twisting and turning, constantly changing the appearance of the dunes. Its citizens have moved underground centuries before. Argot was one of the first planets in all the galaxies to produce life after the Big Bang. Over millions of years, its population had used all its elemental resources. Their scientists worked hard to solve the dilemma but with little success. They eventually achieved a momentous victory when they le...

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“The Rainforest” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #247

January 5, 1990. My name is Jonathan Preston. I’m a college professor and fellow researcher at Oxford University, England. My research involves plants that contain properties of anticancerous substances. Recently, I heard of a plant that grows in a very remote area of the Amazon rainforest, and am arranging to go there. My informant tells me that this plant is closely related to Tawari (Tabebioa incama) and is about ten times more potent in its ability to treat tumors and cancerous cells as well as fight infections...

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“The Proof is Out There” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #244

Haru is an avid science fiction fan who has a firm belief in the existence of aliens. He fell in love with space travel and all its components when he was young a boy living in Japan. His first movie was “Prince of Space.” After that, he couldn’t get enough. When his family moved to the States, Haru hit the SyFy jackpot. Of course, there was Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, but his all-time favorite was Space: 1999. It is a show about a colony of people living on the moon which is suddenly thrown out of it's ...

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“Robert the AI” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #243

“Greetings, dear readers. Let me introduce myself. I am an AI-driven robot. To all appearances, I am human. My intelligence has been temporarily left at a juvenile level. The reason I am at the juvenile level is because my creators want to assess how much an AI like myself can learn under the unsuspecting tutorlage of what may be considered the average human being. In other words, someone unsullied by higher education. Just your average working man or woman going to the same job day in and day out wit...

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“The Trip to the Museum” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #242

It’s Saturday morning and Oscar is getting ready to watch Matlock. Matlock is Oscar’s favorite show. He watches it so much that Dolores can’t stand to listen to it anymore. At the sound of the theme song, Dolores screws up her face and clenches her fist. She barks, “Oscar! You’re not going to watch that show again, are you? I swear you’ve seen every episode at least fifty times!” With his eyes glued to the TV, Oscar mumbles, “I’ve never seen this one. This one’s new.” Dolores rolls her eyes a...

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“The Wind Whispers” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #240

Baltasan is relaxing on the porch swing of his white cottage that overlooks Madeira Bay. He was born on Madeira Island and has lived his whole life by the sea. Ever since Baltasan was twelve, he had worked on commercial fishing boats. He retired thirteen years ago. He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. The company was moving to the mainland. So now he sits staring out at the ocean he loves so much. At eighty-three, Baltasan’s face shows the wear and tear of life at sea. His skin is wind-burn...

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“Tarrdic” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #239

It is Ralphie’s third birthday and his Aunt Maude has just given him the most exciting gift. It’s a teddy bear. But not just any teddy bear. It has moveable arms and legs and is covered in brown bunny fur, making it super soft. A red satin ribbon is around its neck, and its eyes are made of black plastic.Ralphie’s Aunt Maude, his great-aunt, is s widow. Her husband passed on years ago. Having no children of her own, she dotes on Ralphie and his three sisters. Smiling, she watches Ralphie unwrap the gift as he sq...

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“Commitment” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #238

Oscar is in his fishing boat on his favorite lake, watching his bobber bob up and down in the sun’s glare. Light dapples across his face as a soft breeze tosses the few strands of his balding head. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in his side. He is snapped awake. Dolores’s bony elbow has hit him hard in the ribs. She hisses, “Oscar, wake up! You’re in church!”Oscar grumbles back, “I’m not sleeping. I’m listening.”“Yeah? Well, your eyes were closed!” Oscar lifts his chin defiantly, “...

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“SETI” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #236

So sad. Mom has passed away. Cancer. I have to empty out the house so I can sell it. I hate going through so many memories, but I will have to. I’m going to have an estate sale, so I must prepare for it. The saddest part is that in 1995, Dad just up and disappeared. Mom came home from shopping, and he was gone. No note. No sign of being unhappy. He just left, and we never heard from him again. For the rest of her life my mother never got over that loss. She had hoped...

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“One for the Road” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #233

As conciseness begin to creeps back, I open my eyes a crack. My head lays upon my folded arms that are resting on the bar. I try lifting my head, but it feels like it weighs a million pounds. Smacking my lips, I realize just how badly I need a drink. Pushing myself away from the bar, I sit up straight. I see the bartender’s back as he washes some dishes. In front of me sits a glass of what looks like tomato juice. “Ahh,” I think. “A Bloody Mary, just what I need!” ...

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“Dusk to Dusk” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #232

It has taken three years to reach this shitball of clay. The mining company I work for had sent a rover in advance to look for precious ores. The report they received back from the rover was that the upper regions of the planet consisted primarily of nickel. It also reported that it found no forms of life. With that information under their belts, they assembled a crew of miners, of which I am one.The planet is RKT 607, and it circles a red dwarf sun. The planet rotates just enough to have a small amount of gravity bu...

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“The Easy Go Bar” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #228

My name is Jared Jamison. My grandfather always told me my name reminded him of some big-shot lawyer. That’s why when it was time to pick out a career, I used the money he left me and went to the “Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law” at Arizona State University. My major is in Patent Law. And just so you know, patent law specifies the subject matter to obtain patentability. After years of grueling study, I recently passed the Bar Exam. Yahoo! I have sent out several resumes, and today I received a requ...

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“The Snow Queen (a fairy tale)” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #227

Once upon a time, when magic filled the mountains and valleys of ancient Russia, there was a small village called Zhigansk. It was nestled in a valley at the foot of the Verkhoyansk Mountain range. A deep, lush forest with clear mountain streams surrounded it. The village folk worked hard but loved the life they were living. They gave thanks to the gods of the four seasons by celebrating with song and dance. The summer god is Anatoly because his name means “Sunrise.” The village folks give him thanks and prai...

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Author bio

I am a 74-year-old retired barber from Massachusetts now living in Arizona. I have two sons, 42 and 39. I've married the same girl for 44 years and still love her very much. My oldest son is a college professor at Pima Community College and teaches writing. My younger son is in security. I myself have never taken a writing lesson but enjoy the experience of writing out ideas. I use a tool called Grammarly to help me in my efforts. I really appreciate Reedsy for all the opportunities it offers new writers and beginners alike. So please forgive my bad spelling and punctuation I'm sure as time goes on, I get the hang of it. Thanks for your comments I really take them all to heart. Ralph

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #258

The Camera of Tomorrow – read story