Rob Ryter

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2021

Stories (22)

22 Stories

484 karma pts

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“Gourmet” by Rob Ryter

Sometimes, Tony Gordon reflected, the best pleasures in life are simple, and free. He basked in relief as he drained his bladder, visceral satisfaction enriched by the long, exquisite fart he simultaneously let rip. Just as well he was alone in the restaurant’s bathroom. The dark, heavy fetor embraced him like a lover as he finished and zipped.Washing his hands, his deflated colon and de-stressed waterworks lending him a strong sense of well being, he marvelled at the restorative power of simply emptying a couple of body cavities. ...

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“Kirkton Burn” by Rob Ryter

“You’ll never know unless you try,” encouraged Gordon Ramsay, as they watched the silver streaked water bubbling in the moonlight. They were a little way off from the rest of the group, the gurgle of the burn mingling with the distant chatter and laughter. A faint tang of smoke - bonfire, tobacco, and other substances - drifted across in the still air. It was Friday 12 August, 2022. Kirkton Burn had become a reg...

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“Don’t Look Back” by Rob Ryter

Simeon Dharsh twirled his glass and shook his head. “I don’t buy it,” he said, with decisive finality. “I mean, if the universe is run by an all-powerful deity, why is there suffering and death? Who makes bad shit happen?”Shona Drien tried her best not to look condescending. “Simeon, it’s way more complicated than that. God is all-powerful, yes, but there is still evil, sin and wickedness in the world. That state of affairs is reconciled by theodicy, the vindication of God. You see, it has to be that way. There simply must be suffe...

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“Distant Horizon” by Rob Ryter

2068: Destination I got the best view in the god-damned solar system. From here, I can pinch the whole shebang between my thumb and first finger; sun, planets and all. And I got the rest of my life to enjoy it. Human eyes have never before seen this blue and black horizon. It goes from pale sunrise to full dark every forty-five minutes. The Sun is pretty weak here, though you sti...

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“Das Gift” by Rob Ryter

Friday, 7 May, 2021Behind tightly clenched eyelids, Bastian Schulz summoned a painful vision of ash blonde and sapphire blue, pert, cheeky and gorgeous, beneath a white woollen cap. Their last winter, a mere memory now. And there would never be another. He dared not open his eyes, for he knew his tears, already hotly prickling, would flow down his face and betray him.A sudden explosion of breaking crockery shook his resolve. He blinked as everything swam into focus. Another crash, as a teacup shatte...

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“Mutuality” by Rob Ryter

In the garden“Are you there, Lord? It’s me, Amelie.”It has been a long night in the garden. She has spent every hour in prayer, with barely a break.The gnarled olive trees stay mute, save for the hiss of the dawn wind through their branches, upper twigs waving like the thin, sharp-nailed fingers of a demented witch as she casts a hex on one who threatens her peace.And then Amelie sees t...

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“Flight and Prejudice” by Rob Ryter

Business Class Lounge, Saudia Terminal, King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Friday 4 February, 2022, 23:00ASTSipping his coffee beneath the bright LED ceiling light, Damien White knew the stark feature illumination would show off the single gold stripe on his sleeve to the best effect, against the deep black of his airline pilot’s jacket. He had chosen a chair close to the business class lounge’s dead centre, where he could make the best impression on the admirers he knew would ...

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“Resolution” by Rob Ryter

Saturday, 28 January, 1995 Snow lay deep, high in the Dinaric Alps, under the slanted afternoon sun. Demyan arrived at the den first. He didn’t think Serafim would mind if he lit a fire. He had it all planned. He’d brought a box of matches. He hoped his mother wouldn’t miss them. He was going to put them back, before she would look for them to light the gas for dinner.

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“Tea For Two” by Rob Ryter

High Tea The picture of bored indifference, completely unaware she was slowly grinding Aanshu into the dirt, Athaline sat splendidly, waiting. One twelve-hour day at a time, slogging on through endless, back-breaking labour, an infinite, dark tunnel, Aanshu dared allow herself no hope of escape. Ironically, Athaline felt the same about her own existence. Living through one day, a...

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“Viscera and Vicissitude” by Rob Ryter

Monday lunchtime Hector Bullivant wiped greasy lips and chin on the starched linen serviette he had just freed from between his ample paunch and his broad lap. The foie gras had been more than usually rich today. That was fitting, because Hector Bullivant was a more than usually rich man. One who could afford to lunch at the Savoy five times a week. Today’s crypto deal had netted him a s...

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“Turning of the Years” by Rob Ryter

Bangkok, 31 December, 2021In this city, no-one goes to bed early. Unless, thought Ben, you mean the early hours of the morning. Krung Thep, City of Angels. No shortage of them, if that’s what you want. Right now, with ten minutes of 2021 remaining at 100.5 degrees east, what Ben Proust wanted most was a tasty meal. He sat down on the simple plastic chair, at the equally simple Formica-topped table, under the fluorescent tube’s honest glare, at the noodle stall on Sukhumvit Road. A patched street dog, lazin...

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“Late Forever, Amen” by Rob Ryter

Monday 20 December 19:30UTCMax Swanson sweated in the back of the Uber and read the electronic boarding card on his phone for the fifty-fourth time. Flight BA247 from London Heathrow to São Paulo, scheduled departure 21:10, gate to be announced, last bag drop 20:10, one hour before departure. Snow fell lightly, flakes melting and sliding down the windscreen before the intermittent wiper blades swept them away. They edged forward in the solid traffic.The driver didn’t seem to have much sense of urgen...

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“Found” by Rob Ryter

Wednesday 16 February: Hide and Seek“I know you’re in here,” Molly called out as she pushed open the oak door, her cheery voice floating on the hollow feeling that she ought not to be doing this.For that matter, neither should Mary, whose feet Molly had spotted, under the curtain. Holding her breath, she padded across the faded rug and jerked the velvet aside, to expose her sister’s hiding place.But Mary was not there. Just her shoes, the glossy leather reflecting the window’s wan light.<...

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“Finale” by Rob Ryter

Dennehy swept forward from stage left, in sole, solitary command before the footlights, white shirt front ablaze in the follow spot’s beam, the gradually filling auditorium his silent, brooding foil. As planned, with time to spare, the killer took up position in the darkened theatre, her target stark, plain before her. It was obvious she was not under suspicion. Nonchalant and arrogant, the target seemed complet...

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“Spent” by Rob Ryter

BryceStainless steel, plate glass, high gloss granite floor tiles, everything squeaky clean. I know this place comfortably well. A few units boarded over, as usual, splashy logos promising me something new and exciting, coming soon.The girls know I can’t deal with trailing round behind them while they browse the boutiques and the kitchen store. I need a goal; a purpose. I go shopping for something. I get it and I’m done. I suppose I do browse a little. My tastes are tech stores and bookshops. Not that I buy ...

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Author bio

2nd career writer

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #125
Late Forever, Amen – read story
Contest #119
Legacy – read story