Ralph Aldrich

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2021

Stories (90)

90 Stories

2014 karma pts

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“Writer's Block” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #260

Lawrence Cummings, the author of the secret agent series, “Luke Manor,” as well as fifteen separate novels on the New York Times bestsellers list, is sitting in his den staring at the blank screen of his computer. For some time now, sales have almost stopped, and the monthly royalty is only a few dollars at best. His best books now sell in second-hand bookstores, Goodwills, or flea markets for twenty-five cents each, five for a dollar. In the words of his publisher, the reason for his decline is, “Your books aren’t selli...

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“The Camera of Tomorrow” by Ralph Aldrich

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #258

Ryan Perkins is a gentle, quiet thirty year old office worker who enjoys collecting antiques. He resides in New York City and is well-known among the antique dealers. However, while walking to the convenience store this afternoon, something down an alley caught his eye. He notices three gold balls hanging over a door. Knitting his eyebrows together, he adjusts his hornrimmed glass. “ A pawnshop?” He tentatively enters the alley for a look, for he hasn’t seen that advertisement in years. ...

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“What's the Point” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #255

Bedford Home for the Aged is located in Chatham, New Hampshire. It was orginally an Victorian house that has been converted into a nursing home. It was built in the eighteen hundreds and has a wrap-around porch with a sky-blue ceiling and a battleship grey floor. It faces east and often receives a cool easterly breeze, so many of the occupants don’t use it much. It’s too cold for the elderly. The only steady customer is Earl. Earl likes to be alone, so the coolness suits him just fine. People think that Ea...

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“Rumor Has It” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #254

Dust rises behind George Pentland’s carriage as he arrives at his nephew’s manor in Wiltshire. The date is August 8, 1889, the significance being it is his nephew’s eighteenth birthday. Lord Joseph Pentland of Wiltshire, to be exact. George has been Joseph’s legal guardian and overseer since Joseph gained the title at the tender age of eleven, when both his parents died in a horrible accident. George, a tall, good-looking gentleman in his early sixties with a large, well-maintained grey mustache, is met at the door by th...

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“Starting a new Life” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #253

March 21, 1912. Buffeted by wind and rain, Jackie Byrne rushes down a filth-filled street in a slum of Dublin. One side of the street is for apartments and flats, the other for commonly shared outhouses. They are so full and need pumping that they constantly stink to the high heavens. Jackie smiles and thinks, “At least the rain and wind will wash away some of the crud.” Bursting through the front door, he shakes off the rain and calls to his mother. “Mum! I’m home!” Scurrying from the small kitch...

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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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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