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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022
Submitted to Contest #264
By the end of Saturday morning, I had interviewed everyone connected to Greg Allman who rode the Princess Voyager. Cruise ships should be joyful places and it was Greg's 10th wedding anniversary, but by now, I am no stranger to the dark side of these vessels. At 9:45 AM, Greg’s nephew, Dylan Allman, sits across from me at the interview table. Aged nineteen, thin, and jittery, he has an earnest stare that demands the listener believe him. His leg bounces incessantly under the table. “I can tell you’re a smart kid.” I lean forward slightly to ...
Submitted to Contest #263
Andre stared at the scars on his face in the mirror, each one a testament to his refusal to back down from a fight. Thirty years after high school, and he still took pride in never having run, no matter how outnumbered. Back then, using threats of violence helped him to extract homework, money, and food from his classmates. Admittedly, being part werewolf made it easier.Being a bully in school was perfect training for his current role as gang leader. From his 10th floor nightclub, Andre the Cruel ruled over the border town of Golgak. The vod...
Submitted to Contest #262
As Stephanie stepped out of her Gulfstream G300, the hot pavement beneath her feet felt like a frying pan through her flats. She squinted against the sun, and that’s when she saw him–the man standing in front of her, who had a youthful masculinity that made her heart race. He was smoking hot.When you are ultra-wealth category, you need to keep a distance. It’s too easy to be scammed by people who see you as a dollar sign. She pretended not to notice him as she approached.“I will drive you anyplace you want to go,” he said, his voice was...
Submitted to Contest #260
The CIA never confirmed it, but Daria Ahmadi knew her ability to speak fluent Farsi is what led to her recruitment. Six months out of Ohio State, having sent hundreds of unanswered job applications, she had been working at her parents' Subway sandwich shop in Minneapolis when the US government flew her to Washington DC for an interview.Three weeks later, she was at ‘The Farm’, deep in the Virginia woods, training on how to be an intelligence officer. She learned how to tail targets without being seen, how to collect dead drops, mastered all ...
Submitted to Contest #259
Dylan loved baby elephants. I try to keep this in mind as I picture my old roommate Miles bursting through the door, then making everything about him. I’ll focus on the elephants. We’ve all had that friend–the one we were inseparable from in school, but as the years go past, find ourselves drifting away from, until one day, we wonder why we were ever friends in the first place. For me, that friend is Miles. I feel a gentle squeeze on my arm and turn to see Clara, my wife. “It’s Dylan's day today,” she murmurs. Her eyes sparkle...
Submitted to Contest #257
Janitor Tobe Adeoyo trudged through the dimly lit halls of 50 East 34th Street. The clock had just struck 8 pm, and he proceeded wearily from office to office, ready to clean any mess left behind by the editors, sub-editors, publicists, and literary agents of New York’s publishing community.Fourteen long years have passed since he left the small town of Otukpo in Eastern Nigeria to chase the American dream. Life in the Big Apple was like a bad plate of jollof rice: spicy, unpredictable, and occasionally burnt. One thing remained certain –Tob...
Submitted to Contest #255
DenialJune 1997 Raymond Mok’s parents believed the world was ending when the Chinese flag was raised over Hong Kong in 1997. Friends had fled to Vancouver, but the possibility of leaving the city hadn’t even occurred to them. They owned a noodle shop in a public housing estate, and with 14-hour workdays, and the constant bustle of customers, there was little room left to contemplate such a drastic move.In the following weeks and months after the handover, things turned out to be not as bad as they had expected. Tanks didn’t roll through...
Submitted to Contest #253
4 June 2026 8:25 amWilliam's mobile displayed his favorite minute of the day. He always knew when it was 8:25am. He was very concise about his daily schedule and when he ate his breakfast.He sat alone at Ned’s Coffee in front of a plate of scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, baked beans, and a heap of sausages, all topped by two slices of bacon. With all the shit happening in the world, thank god he could still get a proper English breakfast. Worst of all, the plant-based food maniacs were hounding everyone with their agenda, so this style ...
Submitted to Contest #252
-based on a true storyI like to steal things. It matters little whether it’s an unattended iPhone on a coffee shop table, a Barney jacket taken from in front of the sales staff, or a packet of almonds snatched at CVS. The value is inconsequential. The act is exhilarating. But after three close calls–each of which I needed to talk myself out from–I realized my little hobby clashed with my grander ambitions. And why steal things when people will simply give them to you?I study her from head to toe. My girlfriend Amanda is standing before me, a...
Submitted to Contest #250
Ayesha was ambitious, good at school, and now had a real job. When her mom asked her to keep an eye on Dad, the pint-sized first-grader took the assignment to heart. Later that afternoon, on hearing noises in her dad’s study, she tiptoed to the door. The wood felt rough as she pressed her ear against it. Her heart raced in anticipation. From TV, she knew parents usually take drugs or kiss other people behind closed doors.Dad was talking, but the words he used were confusing. “The testicular biopsy results show a stage 3 carcinoma…” He w...
Submitted to Contest #247
The dark forces of the barbarous East were growing in strength, and the Free Villages of Elden needed to dispatch a hero to defeat its tyrannical ruler, Grothian, before his power grew too strong. That was the official line, anyway.On the outskirts of Skoevën, the smallest and least free of the Free Villages, Frandolf of Mistybrook spent the week interviewing a parade of candidates. It was not a simple task to fill the shoes of a hero. A line of hopeful peasants stood before Wyvern Tower again this morn. A hero would need to climb ...
Submitted to Contest #246
Seventeen-year-old Nigerian-American Elijah was a chess prodigy–a new force to be reckoned with in East Bay's competitive chess circuit. For the past two years, he dissected famous chess matches like a surgeon. The infamous 2005 showdown between Carlsen and Nepomniachtch flickered on his screen when his little sister, Zuri, burst into his room.“Hammy is…gone!” Zuri wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks.“Zuri, don’t interrupt me while I’m studying!” Elijah snapped, his mind spinning with chess moves. But he immediately felt regret seeing ho...
Submitted to Contest #245
Elena waited anxiously at the meeting point in front of the Yuantong Temple gate. Standing outdoors on the high plateau that Kunming is situated on, the refreshing coolness of the breeze brought her senses alive. It was a stark contrast to the relentless heat of San Francisco, where stepping outdoors felt like entering an oven. In Kunming, despite it being the middle of July, the temperature was a comfortable 90F. Even more exciting than the cool weather was that Kevin was due any minute. She hadn’t seen Kevin, her ex-boyfriend, since ...
Submitted to Contest #244
April 1stAlone in the wide expanse of green, Arabella, stood with the building’s majestic facade behind her. She was careful to adhere to the 2024 selfie guidelines from Glam! Magazine: hold the camera at a distance, angle it slightly downward, reveal a hint of teeth, but not too much. An intelligent woman shouldn't smile as if she's in a children’s birthday photo. And, never let the worry on the inside show to her 340K followers. She felt a wave of intense anxiety. There were a million possibilities that could go wrong. Her hair might ...
Submitted to Contest #243
Just as the subway doors begin to close, I rush inside seconds before the train leaves Capitol Heights station. Sitting on a cold, hard aluminum seat, I feel the weight of a dozen pair of eyes examining me. I’m scared and trembling like a leaf. I still don’t belong, and I need to figure out why.Devious, that’s what my mother calls me. My biggest challenge at the moment is the daily battle to outmaneuver my government watchers. I realize this sounds crazy, but please, hear me out. I woke up as the first person ever to be taken out of a c...
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