Thomas Wetzel

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2024

Stories (38)

38 Stories

1175 karma pts

?

“Abasement” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #268

Patient: James Thomas Jordan, 22 years oldDate: September 23, 2013Status: 1st stay at New Life Recovery (voluntary)Comments shared at first group thereapy session: “Hello, my name is James Thomas Jordan and apparently I am a drug addict, although I don’t really feel like I am. And I know I look like some over-privileged country club kid, and that’s basically because I am, and I also have three first names so if anyone wants to trade a last name for one of mine just let me know. I can throw in a pack of smokes if you have a good one.“Anyway, ...

11 comments 11
Read story

“Camille” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #267

Perry Dupree shot the driver of the laundry truck as soon as he exited the vehicle and offered to lend a hand. He was a devout Christian man named Elwood LaRoux from just down south in Saint Francisville, and he probably would have stopped to help even if the road hadn’t been blocked, but Perry shot him anyway.It was the morning of August 17th, 1969 and his car was stalled out right there diagonally across the middle of the Tunica Trace along a narrow bend and there was no getting the truck around it with a deep drainage ditch close on eithe...

9 comments 9
Read story

“A Day To Remember” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #266

Saturday 12:00pm – Nathan was out late with some friends the night before so he slept in that day and awoke to the sound of birdsong outside his bedroom window and soon he was smiling up at his ceiling. He got out of bed, did a few stretching exercises, and then went out for a run. Upon his return he grabbed a towel, hit the button on his coffee maker and then headed into the bathroom for a nice hot shower. Today was going to be a big day and he was eager to get going.Afterwards, he toweled off and got dressed in a nice white polo shirt, a n...

18 comments 18
Read story

“They Won't Say What Happened” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #265

The sun had set over two hours earlier but the international terminal at JFK was still crowded and busy outside the boarding gate for the red eye flight to London-Heathrow. The bar just across the way only had a few open seats when the man in the light grey Brooks Brothers suit walked up, trailing a roller-bag behind, and took one up. He ordered a Bushmills on the rocks and made a phone call. He looked to be around 35 years old. Surely no more than 40. He wore a Panerai Luminor wristwatch that cost more than many fine luxury import automobil...

7 comments 7
Read story

“Just Outside Of Kandahar” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #264

Staff Seargeant Kenny Langstrom of the U.S. Marines 15th Expeditionary Unit took two AK-47 rounds – one in the shoulder and one in the thigh – on a mission just outside of Kandahar on 30 November 2001 during Operation Rhino. Others were not quite so fortunate that day. The fighting was fierce; the memories of a greasy column of thick black smoke blowing away from those two burning towers at an oblique angle against the backdrop of a clear blue September sky were still very fresh in everyone’s minds. Perspective would come in time but this ha...

8 comments 8
Read story

“A Real Hot Corner” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #262

The tall and dark-haired NYPD officer who clicked the cuffs on Gabriel and stuffed him in the back of the patrol car clearly looked Italian and he was almost certainly from somewhere in Brooklyn or Queens based on his accent. He was a nice enough guy though and didn’t get rough or angry or anything like that, but this was Gabe’s third pop in the last year or so. They wouldn’t be seeing him out on the block for a while. He wasn’t gonna make bail. He was going to Rikers, and then somewhere up north for a while.Angel came back out and sat on th...

16 comments 16
Read story

“Four Roses With Father” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #261

It was almost 12:30 a.m. as I pulled up to the end of the long driveway beside the staid and prestigious old house where I had grown up in the toney and uber-wealthy outskirts of Greenwich, Connecticut. Despite the late hour I wasn't surprised to see that the lights were still on inside the study. Whether he had fallen asleep in his deep leather chair with a book in his lap or if he was still awake - browsing some well-thumbed novel by Vidal or Mailer - was another question. My father’s sleep schedule was anything but on schedule lately, mai...

20 comments 20
Read story

“The Lesson” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #260

Teacher: It is time. Are you ready to begin? Student: Yes, Master.Teacher: And are you prepared?Student: Yes, Master.Teacher: Very good. Today we will continue our lesson covering the history of the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization.Student: Yes, Master. Further discussion of The Children of Madness!Teacher: That is not an accepted scholarly term. And please remove that facsimile of a smile from your face. You are here to learn. There will be time for play later.Student: Yes, Master.Teacher. Very go...

19 comments 19
Read story

“The Road From Cabazon” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #259

The trail leading into Los Rios Ranchos was dry and dusty, it being August and not a drop of rain had fallen in over five months. The temperature was high even for this time of year and Diego’s horse, Alejandro, was moving slowly, in need of water and shade and more. Diego himself was well aware that his own body felt much the same way. He was encouraged to see the village not far up ahead and even more so when he reached the stables behind the saloon. Alejandro was well-lathered and clearly worn out by then, in need of rest. It had been a l...

26 comments 26
Read story

“An Appointment With The Todesengel” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #258

“Wake up, Pavel. He is here. Wake up!”The voice was little more than a raspy hiss in my left ear but I was awake immediately. I propped myself up on the bed, pulled the sheets back and swung my legs out to the cold wooden floor and sat upright. For a moment I became slightly dizzy and swayed a bit. I had eaten little over the last few days and I could see the immediate flare of concern in Viktor’s eyes as he looked at me, but I recovered quickly and took a deep breath to clear my head.“Hand me some cards, right now. You hold some too. Quickl...

12 comments 12
Read story

“I Don't Like Mondays” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #255

CW: This story contains themes of various potentially disturbing topics."I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS"After the police came to the house that night and I went through the system and the court-mandated 5150 hold and almost 30 days in the psych ward, when I was scheduled for release within 48 hours I had to meet with yet another new psychiatrist who would be responsible for making an assessment as to whether or not I was a continuing danger to myself or others. Whether or not I could go home.I was tired. I was tired of all of it. I was tired of t...

16 comments 16
Read story

“The Bacchanalia” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #254

The back of the SUV was loaded with all the necessary supplies; the cooler full of food, several cases of beer, camping gear and, most importantly, all the pagan costumery. The radio was turned up loud and the four 20-somethings traveling north across the Oregon border were all in high spirits.The Bacchanalia was no Coachella or Burning Man. It was not meant for the masses. It was not a commercial venture. The organizer’s didn’t even have a website or any social media accounts. The whole point was for any potential attendees to be clever and...

4 comments 4
Read story

“The Golden Loop” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #253

The Golden LoopMy great grandfather, William, was a professor of Middle East history at Oxford and traveled extensively throughout that region of the world for decades, learning about the history and culture while also acquiring rare artifacts for various museums and individual collectors. In the process, he also acquired an impressive collection of his own during his travels.His son Peter moved to America upon graduating from Cambridge and took a position as a junior professor of chemistry at Georgetown. When his father died, two large wood...

10 comments 10
Read story

“More Gray Than Blue” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #252

CW: Contains themes of substance abuse and suicidal ideation.More Gray Than BlueHe doesn’t really wake up because he never really went to sleep. He just sort of shifts back and forth on the tired old mattress in an ever-increasing state of discomfort for a few hours after he shuts out the lights until the sun is fully up and he knows that any prospect of sleep is gone. Then he rises, and he feels every bit of his 55 years in his lower back, knees and a dozen other places. He grabs a towel and heads for the shower, passing by the room where h...

6 comments 6
Read story

“Ain’t No Fun When The Rabbit Got The Gun” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #252

CW: Contains themes of drug trafficking, violence and profanity.Ain’t No Fun When The Rabbit Got The Gun“Ay yo, Mo-Mo, maybe you should be careful what you wish for. Things is basically goin’ all right now but they can get worse real quick I think. We can prolly smooth this shit out. We should try and talk wit them, for starters at least. Shit.”He just looked at me, with something dark and dangerous swimming through the shallows behind his gray-green eyes.Sure, it would have been easy to just go along with the rest’a them but my pops raised ...

13 comments 13
Read story

Author bio

Amateur writer of short fiction. Just working on the craft and trying to write some words that are worth reading. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated. I would still write even if no one was reading but it's always better when someone connects with it. Thanks for your time!