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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2023
Submitted to Contest #216
I stepped off the ferry to Crete and kissed the ground. I looked around me. All I could see was the azure water and white houses, snaking up the hills. I raised my hands and yelled “I’m free!” Some of the disembarking passengers turned and smiled, some shook their heads. My divorce was final, the kids were off my dime and financially independent and I had quit my job. Thirty years working for the same corporation was enough. The drudgery of doing their accounting year after year had been too much. The board pressured me to find ways to escap...
Submitted to Contest #215
Hey Beelzebub, let’s make a deal!” It wasn’t Tom’s first trip on the river Styx. He had made many pilgrimages there since his daddy turned over the real estate business to him decades ago. At first, he didn’t believe it existed. Those stories of his father’s canoe trips on the river had to be bullshit. He remembered his dad’s long absences during his childhood. He’d always return with a new scheme, a bag of money and a red glow to his eyes. Failed business ventures would suddenly be successful and business partners and adversaries would myst...
Submitted to Contest #213
“You’re going to be as good as new or better. Before you know it, you’ll be running sub five-minute miles again.” I had to encourage Lydia. She was an Olympic athlete with a wonky heart. Who would have thought that a 23-year-old athlete would develop a heart problem. I guess it was genetic. She said her grandmother had a similar problem at an early age. I didn’t know she had contacted her birth parents. The terms the doctors used were beyond my comprehension, but I understood rhythm abnormality and heart block. “Yes, but it’s my heart. ...
Submitted to Contest #212
Dear Mom: I hope you and dad are well. I sit here in a large tent with five families contemplating my life and future. Sarah and the kids are somewhere out there, I hope. We are the victims of the new set of Oregon wildfires. It’s Tuesday morning and I still see particles of smoke in the air. My throat is tight, and my lungs burn. I spent most of the night trying to get to my house and contact Sarah, but I had no luck. Earlier this morning I was directed by someone from search and rescue to a large lot at the edge of the city. Ther...
Submitted to Contest #211
It was Christmas morning, my girlfriend Sandy and I were spooning and in a deep sleep. We spent Christmas eve at her house. A very noisy ruckus disturbed my bliss. I sat bold upright and for a few seconds was totally disoriented. What was that large doll doing on the chair across from my bed? Since when was my room painted pink? My girlfriend’s hug and kiss reoriented me but what was that horrendous noise? It sounded like someone was dying or being murdered. “It’s my cats and dog. It sounds like it’s coming from the garage. They must h...
Submitted to Contest #200
I always loved the G0 Gos. Their song Our Lips are Sealed became my mantra or at least a modified version of it. I hated gossip so when anyone asked me for dirt about an acquaintance, I’d answer with my lips are sealed. I loved that the song became a big hit in the eighties. The Go Gos were considered the first real girl group because they sang, and they played their own instruments. I always wanted to dispute that claim. What about the Runaways? The girl groups of the sixties were also special. Yeah, the Supremes, the Shirelles, the Ch...
Submitted to Contest #198
It was September 1974 and the dean of the medical school was addressing my class on its inaugural day. I was already slightly intimidated by my classmates who, on average, were two years younger and star science students. I was an English major with minimal science background. I figured I charmed my way into medical school with the help of the dean of arts and science who wrote my recommendation letter. I was a novelty. I looked around the auditorium, which was modern for that time. The medical school was a relatively new building. The ...
Submitted to Contest #194
It was the eighties and I was searching for that Heart of Gold. Living near the ocean in Manhattan Beach was nirvana. The blue skies, the ocean and miles of sand inspired me daily. Still, there was nothing like the strand where the beautiful people ran, walked their dogs or just congregated. The houses along the strand were tailor made for exhibitionists and voyeurs. At night, I’d run along strand peering into the lit bay windows. People sat in their living rooms, staring back at me. A few were jumping on trampolines, some were cooking in th...
Submitted to Contest #193
It’s the thought that counts. My new robot friend does not emote, but he does things that are kind and considerate. When the box came from Japan, it was hard to open because it stood six feet high, two inches taller than me. I had to lay it on its side and carefully tear back the cardboard with the help of a knife. I was excited and eager to meet Robotto. As a transhumanist, I believed he was my chance at immortality. Artificial Intelligence had progressed to the point that I could transfer my brain circuitry or essence to a computerized rob...
Submitted to Contest #192
The conveyor belt never stops. It’s been a month. I agreed to work in this car seat factory for the summer because the pay was good. When I wasn’t accepted to any medical school, I stayed on. At first, I made it a game. As the rubber seats come down the line, I’d grab one and run as fast I could to the waiting cart. Who knew the cart’s destination? I didn’t care, I just wanted my times to become faster and faster. I wanted to be the fastest and most efficient worker in the factory. It didn’t matter that I was on the 7 pm to 7am shift an...
Submitted to Contest #190
A Writer’s Lament “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Am I dreaming or am I getting married to Bev again? I have this choking feeling and seem to be in a semiconscious state. Wait a minute! I am dreaming. I am trying to commit suicide. Yup, that’s me hanging from the ceiling fan with a sheet around my neck. I can’t seem to do anything original. Even the note pinned to my tee-shi...
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