Richard De Vries

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2025

Stories (3)

3 Stories

21 karma pts

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“The Night the Engines Died” by Richard De Vries

Submitted to Contest #293

The passengers of Flight 227 had just completed their meal. The cabin buzzed quietly with the clinking of silverware, an intermittent laugh, and the faint sound of rustling newspapers—ordinary, routine sounds that masked behind the fragile facade of safety the horror that loomed just beyond. A stewardess laughed at a joke told by a passenger. A man in first class swirled his wine, enjoying the final sip.Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life, its static sibilant as a snake wrapping its way around the unwitting passengers. Then the voice—cal...

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“The Reset” by Richard De Vries

It began quietly, almost without notice, like a problem with eyesight or a trick of a tired mind. Colors became slightly less bright, and reds and blues faded into lighter, sickly tones, as if the world was losing its brightness. At first, people ignored it—maybe the autumn sun was less strong this year, or maybe their eyes were just getting used to the shorter days.Then, as the days drew closer to the election, the change became visible. The skies did not just lose their blueness; they grew dark and oppressively dense, like a great blanket ...

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“An intoxicating invitation” by Richard De Vries

Submitted to Contest #290

Romeo had observed her for weeks, each fleeting second leaving an imprint upon his mind as the creases of an unwritten sonnet. Julia, she was poetry, an intoxicating refrain repeating over and over in his mind. The way she flowed so effortlessly, the line of her fingertips tracing so gently over the spines of novels, finally landing upon one, the subtle tilt of lips lost in worlds of paper and dreams, it all enchanted him beyond reason.He knew the sound of her steps, the cadence of breathing when she lost herself in thoughts, the precise til...

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Author bio

I am a security professional, author, and thought leader who has earned a reputation for assisting organizations in countering cyberspace's ever-evolving threat paradigm. Therefore, I have shifted my focus to thought leadership and have authored countless blogs, articles, and publications on cybersecurity-related topics. My latest books are The Digital Grinch (2025) and Inside the Shadows (2023). You can follow me on: https://x.com/RADEVRIES2 https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-de-vries-0327b35/