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Russell Waterman

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (12)

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Library

44 Followers

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12 Stories

235 karma pts

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Once I Was

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city, Penny, it’s got everything. And look at that view. It’s beautiful ain’t it?” After a brief pause, Clay’s eyes meet hers. “Just like you.” “Ahh, Clay, you’re making me blush,” said Penny. Even after all their time together, she was still enamored by him. She giggled and tilted her head. Her hair dangled in front of her face covering up her rosy, red cheeks. Clay leaned in playfully. “Penny, you in there?” She continued to laugh as he divided her hair. They kissed. Picnicking in a secluded and peacefu...

8 likes

M.A.D.D.

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #65

“Do you think you can stay awake this Halloween?” “Yes. I had a nice nap right before I came over, so I’m ready to go. But, you have to admit, I almost made it last year.” “Ha-ha, almost.” The Memorial Park Cemetery sat on the outskirts of town—where there was room to grow. To an outsider, the haphazard plots and aged headstones made it look like a sprawling mess. Locals described it as organized chaos. Still, it provided a modicum of respect for the departed. Under the mature branches of the evergreen, Margaret laid a quilted blanket on...

10 likes

A Cat Nap

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #57

Arthur hunted for an A on his Underwood typewriter. Feeling exasperated by the randomized alphabet, once he found the key labeled with an A, Arthur sighed and pecked it hard. Readjusting his glasses, he squinted and searched the keyboard for the next letter. Peck! After striking each key, he flinched, gritting his teeth. His fingers felt weak and brittle. He thought that at any moment they would snap in two like old match sticks.For days he worked on his will in short bursts before becoming fatigued, causing his RA to flare and his back scre...

10 likes

Danny’s in a Hole

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #50

You’ve really done it this time, Danny. Just look at the hole you’ve dug for yourself, or should I say fallen into? Trapped like the bug you are. Mama tried to warn you about those who mean to harm you. “They’d just as soon as have you for dinner then look at you—literally,” She’d say. But you had to play the rebellious youth, didn’t you, Danny? Acting tough and forging your own way. You wanted to see what all the hullabaloo was about regarding conical pits. It turns out you’re just another punk kid who tempted fate and lost, getting too clo...

9 likes

WHAT’S FOR DINNER

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #44

Amok, squatted, his rear hovering above the hole in the ground, his feet buried in ankle-deep mud on either side. Normally, he’d be in such a compromising position for the exact reason rolling around in your head. But this time you’d be wrong. His stomach growled. He clutched his stick and cocked his head while his pea-brain wobbled. Ta (the woman who claimed Amok for herself) had a craving for water-shrew meat with her dino eggs. Amok knew his punishment for failure would be severe. His long matted hair hung down partially blocking his visi...

6 likes

SOLITAIRE

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #43

The music was so loud you couldn’t hear a sound. It wouldn’t have mattered if the volume was set to five or cranked up to eleven, the shoddy condition of the woofers and tweeters still gave off a relentless buzzing with annoying efficiency. In the end, anyone without earplugs would walk away with their bones rattling and one hell of a headache. Marvin seemed immune to it all. He was in his nineties, nearly deaf, with a mind half-eaten by dementia. Months ago, Marvin was unceremoniously dropped on the doorstep of Blissful Valley, location irr...

9 likes

CRAZY FOR SALTINES

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #42

The phone call I received telling me that my best friend had died came at the most inopportune time. Let me explain. I checked myself into Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital a lifetime ago. It was completely voluntary, originally. I was experiencing some hallucinations and hearing voices in my head as most stressed-out people do these days. And no, it wasn’t God or the Devil whispering in my ear. My best guess is the voices were coming from my last wife. I always thought she’d drive me crazy one day. Long story short, she split and left me in deb...

11 likes

You Owe Me A Fish

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #37

A single gunshot can spoil the mood, as can a hungry wood tick. After latching on to your armpit or worse, nestling into your nether regions, ticks dine on your blood passing along disease. Removing one is easy provided you have a little Vaseline or alcohol—rubbing or otherwise. If not, a match will do; lucky for the Dick he’s never without one. Private Detective Dave Diamond relaxed on the riverbank fishing; a hobby since he could spit. Dressed casually with his dark gray fedora tilted just enough for the breeze to cool his brow, he lit a L...

4 likes

AN EARLY DEATH

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #35

The trouble with springtime is that everything grows. The temperature rises, the snow melts, the birds start their incessant chirping and there are more bugs than you got Raid. The sun begins baking the ground, melting the snow in the mountains, waking everything up that’s been sleeping all winter. Flowers and plants blossom and tree seedlings pop their heads out of the thawing ground. If you’re lucky with a wife and been snowbound all winter you might even have a baby being born soon. But that’s not my story, never could’ve been. In my case...

12 likes

THE STAND MAN

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #32

The bed was soaked in sweat. Covered up to his chin in blankets, and the afghan blanket knitted by his recently deceased Grandma (may God rest her soul), Teddy Simon, lay sick, and dying. Last week the twelve-year-old was playing stick-ball out in front of his ten story Bronx apartment building with his friends Harold and Lenny. Teddy heard that Lenny came down with a bad case of the flu, or something bad, a few days later. Anyway, Lenny was taken to the hospital in one of those Ghostbusters cars, with bright lights and sirens, just to be sa...

4 likes

THE UMBRELLA

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #31

THE UMBRELLABy Russell Waterman Londyn Conway brought his umbrella everywhere. His fellow clothiers likened it to a proverbial third leg—it was always with him, but rarely used. The umbrella was a family heirloom he recently inherited from his late father, Robert, a stuffy businessman who spent the majority of his time schmoozing clients and attending banquets. Londyn drooled over it as a child and dreamed of one day owning it himself. His father took it out only on special occasions to help close deals, otherwise keeping it safely tucked aw...

4 likes

THE EXECUTION OF STANLEY BEST

Russell Waterman

Submitted to Contest #30

THE EXECUTION OF STANLEY BESTBy Russell Waterman Stanley Best sensed something slithering up behind him. His skin started to crawl off his bones. When he turned to look his suspicions were confirmed: it was his boss, Krishna Pyata. Krishna was dressed in his usual drab khakis, brand name sneakers and his finger styled hair had just the right amount of product spiking it in place. A devout Hindu, Krishna’s forehead was decorated with the symbolic red bindi dot. Stanley noticed that his boss’s ever present condescending grin was mysteriously m...

5 likes