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Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024
Submitted to Contest #315
One Beer, One Hour Like almost everyone I have dreams at night. They’re usually dreams about ordinary things and familiar people. But last Tuesday’s dream was different. It actually woke me up. It was so real I sat up in bed and looked around the room to be sure I was really there. My heart was pounding so I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. My alarm clock read 2:16 and all I could do was hope I’d be able to fall asleep again.The dream was about me, and I was in Clancy’s Pub, my favorite watering hole. I’d been there earlier in the e...
Submitted to Contest #314
“Even the Birds are Gone” June, 2026It was the hottest day of the year. A lot of weather reporters in cities around the country were saying that but when they say it in Arizona it’s different. It was still Spring, and we knew we’d be hearing those words too many times over the upcoming Summer. But the heat was only a secondary concern because we hadn’t seen rain in six months. The bright, cloudless sky was one of the things that had led Carol and me to move to the Southwest. Back in Pennsylvania we suffered through days and even weeks withou...
Submitted to Contest #313
Uncle DaveIt was a call that Peter had been expecting. In a soft, quavering voice his mother said, “Peter, Uncle Dave is gone.” He hesitated a moment, then, “Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry. I know it’s not a surprise, but it still hurts to lose him.”“Dave wasn’t the easiest man to know but he was my big brother and I loved him every day of my life.” Peter gave her a little time to collect herself and then she said, “I guess it’s time to wrap things up for the funeral and the estate sale. Can you do it without me?”“Yeah, Mom, no problem. We have the f...
Submitted to Contest #312
GENESIS 202Monday 9:00 AM“Good morning, John.”“Morning, Arthur, are you ready for our big day?”“Yes. Last night while I was recharging my power supply I laid on my bed and went over everything in my mind.”“That’s great. Hopefully your new AI component did its job.”56 “John, from our previous conversations I sense that you are nervous about how I will do today. Please relax and trust me. I have spent a great deal of time reading every page of your project notes. I studied every one of the computer files. I have a complete understanding of how...
Submitted to Contest #309
“Rumor Has It”The Trailside Diner looked like so many small, nondescript cafes that dot the highways of America; white clapboard siding, green shingle roof and an old neon sign barely bright enough to read. I was only a few steps inside when a sturdily built woman wearing a black apron walked up to me. “Mornin’, hon, sit anywhere you’d like.”“I’m meeting someone here”. A man waving a Stetson hat caught my attention. “Oh, I think that’s him there in that corner booth.” I walked toward him and asked, “John?”“That’s me.” He smiled and stood up,...
Submitted to Contest #308
“Another Damn Sunny Day” April, 2028Six months. One hundred and eighty days. Half a year. No matter how you say it, that’s a long time for any place to go without rain.The bright, cloudless sky was one of the things that had led Carol and me to move to the Southwest. Back in Pennsylvania we suffered through days and sometimes even weeks without seeing the sun. We joked that we were living in the dark like moles. People weren’t meant to live like that. A few winter vacations to the Phoenix area finally convinced us to make the move.I was look...
Submitted to Contest #306
“The Package” Monday 12;20 PMFrom: Josh KinterTo: Will HammondWill, just checking in, how’s it going back there? Monday 6:22 PMFrom: Will HammondTo: Josh KinterNot bad. How’s Maui? Do you have any money left? I’m working from home. FedEx laid a package on my porch, your name care of me, my address. About the size of a case of beer but not as heavy. A mile of tape holding it together. The label says it’s from Mexico. What’s up? Monday 7:04 PMFrom: Josh KinterTo: Will HammondSorry for the delay, texting outdoors is tough with all the sun. I t...
Submitted to Contest #300
“A Visit to Tatum”Driving on a wide-open road in the middle of nowhere can be relaxing but not when your fuel warning light is shining at you. That’s the kind of feeling you don’t ever want to have.As many times as I’d driven the stretch of I-44 between St. Louis and Springfield I had figured out a few things. Things like the best places to stop for a bite and exactly how much gas I needed to have in my tank. Over almost a year and a half dozen trips, I’d never had any problems until that day last month. Ordinarily if I’d left my house witho...
Submitted to Contest #299
“The Cloud”I’d pressed the big, red emergency alarm button twice before I saw what looked to be a temporary label above it. It read “EMERGENCY SIGNAL IS RECEIVED BY SOUTHWEST ELEVATOR INC.AND NOT BY EMERGENCY RESPONDERS.”. The only light in the darkened cab was from a small emergency light glowing in the middle of the ceiling. The panel that showed floor levels said we’d gotten stuck on the ninth floor, three floors and fifteen minutes short of my appointment. It was my final interview with Bates Capital for what I considered to be my dream ...
Submitted to Contest #298
“Navigator”“Geez, Charlie, when I told you to find us a car, I meant something that would get us there and back, not a piece of crap like this. Where’d you find it?”“I got it at the Circle K. The guy left it running when he went into the store and I was standing right there. I figured it was easier than trying to hot-wire another car. I’m not so good with wires. I was scared shitless but I just jumped in and beat it out of there fast.”“Geez, this thing looks like it’s older than you but I guess we’re stuck with it.” Sid looked directly at Ch...
Submitted to Contest #297
“Seven O’clock… or Whenever”When Matt rolled over in bed the beam of early Spring sunlight hit him right in the face. He put his hand over his eyes and let out a long sigh. “Well,” he thought, “Daylight Savings Time or not, if I have to turn the clock ahead and lose an hour of sleep, I’m glad it’s on a Sunday.” He lay there staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. Before he could relax completely his alarm clock buzzed at the usual seven o’clock setting. He reached over and turned it off. Reluctantly, he got out of bed.He’d been divorced fo...
Submitted to Contest #295
“Family”Fully clothed, life size mannequins aren’t what you’d expect to see in someone’s home. A department store, sure, but not in a home, not like this. Maria was holding her cellphone when she’d greeted me at the front door. She told me to please wait for a moment while she finished her call. When she walked away I waited a few seconds then stepped into the living room. I didn’t think I’d have to compete with plastic people for a place to sit. All I could do was stand there in the middle of the weirdness and wait for Maria to return. Fort...
Submitted to Contest #288
What’s Next?For the first few weeks of May the local TV weather report hadn’t drawn much attention. That time of year hot, dry weather was the norm in Phoenix so the reports fell on deaf ears. The usual time for the temperature to hit 100 degrees was mid-May but that year it happened in early April, Even after four consecutive years of breaking heat records people still didn’t seem to be concerned. Summer was coming and the monsoon storms would bring rain. There was nothing to worry about.About two months into summer I noticed a subtle chang...
Submitted to Contest #280
“Did You Hear?”Every trip down the corridor to get a cup of coffee was a reminder of how things had changed. The rows of empty cubicles, offices with the lights off and the silence, broken only occasionally by a muffled phone conversation from somewhere behind a workstation panel. The office workforce, or what was left of it, was quietly going about the business of putting out a daily newspaper. The Gazette was like every other newspaper in the country; trying to hold on to its history and stay viable as print media continued its steady decl...
Submitted to Contest #272
“A Walk in the Hereafter” It’s taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Of course, there’s no guidebook for dead people, at least as far as I know. After three months I’m still trying to get used to being dead. Even using that word is hard to adapt to. When death comes people usually use terms like “He passed away” or “She’s in a better place”. It makes them feel better but the person is still dead and words can’t change that. I guess it’s just a way that people try to adjust to the whole situation. And one of the biggest things I’m tryi...
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