Tom Jones

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2024

Stories (2)

2 Stories

30 karma pts

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“A Payphone in Honolulu ” by Tom Jones

Submitted to Contest #285

JANUARY 13th 2018, HAWAII“They’re just better, I’ve always said this. Of course people are coming crawling back now that the network service is down. Too many outgoing calls. With a pay phone there’s a really satisfying clunk when you put the coin in and you can hear it rattling around inside. Nice dial tone too. Sometimes on a night walk I’ll stop by and pick up the receiver just to listen to it. They’ve been left to rot though, it’s a real shame. Some of the receivers have been pulled off and it's just a frayed bit of cord which I find sor...

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“Absolution” by Tom Jones

Submitted to Contest #278

The tour has been cut short and rumours run that the money is gone. Some say the sword swallower cleaved off the promoter’s ear as collateral, that he is wearing it about his neck on a string. Down their shivering flanks the lions’ ribs are showing. The tamers know that soon the beasts will turn. Pavel leaves the horse on the outskirts of the camp. All the way to the Big Top, the winter mire sucks at his boots. He asks the clowns. “I am looking for my brother, Pyotr, The Ringmaster.” The mime hocks and spits on the name. He peels up a corn...

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Author bio

Tom Henry Jones is a writer and teacher living on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. He writes dark fables and surreal stories where the banal and profound collide. He loves the work of Claire Keegan, Hilary Mantel, Cormac McCarthy and Natalia Ginzberg.