Tsvi Jolles

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (11)

11 Stories

247 karma pts

?

“Da Blind Goat” by Tsvi Jolles

At the far end of a baseball field in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago, a goat stood still. When Don Bellushi, who was responsible for the maintenance, refused to believe that it wasn't a joke, he came to view the goat. "What the hell is going on?" Don demanded to know and Stefan Grabowski, the janitor, who ran all the way to the office to tell his boss about the goat, could not stop laughing and told him that the goat got there on its own. “I want it out, fast,” Don exclaimed as if Stefan knew how ...

Read story

“To Be Loved by Bo” by Tsvi Jolles

If you had to sit in front of a machine that cuts perfect pieces of iron, how long could you do it? Consider how many times you could raise and lower the arm attached to the machine, to see how it pulls out circles and more circles and more circles ... more than a hundred per hour. Each hour. Take a look at the machine over there. If you cannot see, try again. Eventually, you will see Bo. <...

Read story

“10th birthday” by Tsvi Jolles

On the day of my tenth birthday, my father came home. Just two days earlier, he had left to fight in the war. Since I knew the war went on and even got worse (Mom told me so), seeing him at the front door was weird, but of course we were glad to see him again. He didn't say anything to us. All he said was, “Don't ask questions!” At dinner, Dad did not want to tell what had happened and what made him retur...

Read story

“On the way out” by Tsvi Jolles

I should have thought twice before subscribing to that health magazine. While I knew it was not a good idea, my desire for a longer life drew me to it. I was inspired after finding an article that commended people for stepping out of their comfort zones to discover happiness. It got me thinking. After pondering for a few days, which turned into weeks, which turned into a whole month, it dawned on me that my...

Read story

“The Cowards” by Tsvi Jolles

As far as I knew, most of my mice friends and family members in our town suffered from some level of anxiety. This was not seen as a problem, but rather as a mouse tradition dating back many generations. Our species knew how to be terribly afraid of predators, of unpleasant weather conditions, of hunger, and, of course, of humans. We were at least slightly better off in terms of weather that month since we started spending the day in a building with advanced climate control. The building belonged to a new drug company called Comedicin, an...

Read story

“The Unlucky Cyclist” by Tsvi Jolles

That Thursday, several years ago, I decided I did not want to be a writer anymore. My dog, Jumbo, a Pinscher mixed with all the breeds, and I were sitting on a bench in the small park watching the local fountain. Jumbo likes to watch stuff and reflect, just like I used to do when I dreamed of becoming a famous writer. It was late in the afternoon, and a lot of kids were playing outside. There was a young man in his twenties who rode a bicycle with a motor that allowed him to cross the park in seconds. Having disasse...

Read story

“Jesus' First Motorcycle” by Tsvi Jolles

Peter, Andrew, Jesus, and I are sitting in one of those new eateries that have popped up like mushrooms after a rainstorm and Andrew remarks that it looks like Judith was hanging out with Abimelech.Peter takes a piece of the bread and says nothing more than: "It's good bread.""What's so good about this bread?" I ask, and he replies, "Nothing. But it's good. Taste!" and he pours some wine into my glass.“Judith, what did you say about her?" he asks his brother. "I saw her with that guy," Andrew says.

Read story

“Watching the Gap” by Tsvi Jolles

As far as I know, Rowan Davis was the first to discover the hole in the clouds. Soon after the discovery, he gathered a few of his friends, as well as myself. We stayed up all night watching the gap. Then we decided to meet again the night after. For three weeks now, the rain has not stopped! The last one of us arrived at midnight. I believe it was Bankin. He joined us in the bedroom. Rowan did not have ...

Read story

“Olson’s Sweetheart” by Tsvi Jolles

At the end of the war, we sat on the floor and breathed dust. Not far from us stood a burnt tank with two APCs behind it, also burnt. There was the sound of warplanes still in the air, but we knew no bombs were going to fall anymore, at least not in this round. We felt lucky. The walls near us were punctured with bullets, mostly broken and falling apart. There was no way to see the distant walls because the air was yellow and murky but we could imagine what our city looked like by now. At four-thirty in the morning of V...

Read story

“Haviva” by Tsvi Jolles

Unlike most people who believe the world owes them a thank you, Aunt Haviva believes she needs to be grateful for what she has, regardless of how little it may look to an outsider. In the morning, when she walks to the intersection near her house, she shakes hands with drivers and sometimes asks them to get out of their cars so that she can give them a brave morning hug.Drinking morning coffee, watching her from a sidewalk table, one realizes her behavior is certainly borderline, and even crosses t...

Read story

“The Pulitzer Couple” by Tsvi Jolles

The dead man lies on the beach, and no one is excited about it. I take out my new notebook and begin writing. This will probably be my first article with the credit, by Brandon Resnik, for the newspaper. Those around continue on with their lives. It is the middle of the afternoon. The temperature is high. Nearly unbearable. Three nights ago, I went on a date with her. She is a journalist. It's unfortunate she left after a mere 10 minutes, but things like that happen. It could be worse. Now I hate journalists and I w...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

Author bio

Since I moved north of Atlanta a few years ago, I have grown to appreciate summer rain, which was not a thing where I was born. Besides writing, I enjoy swimming, nature, and all things related to mindfulness and languages. I speak Hebrew, English, Arabic, Italian, French, Spanish, German, and am trying to learn Portuguese. Feel free to leave a comment in your native language if you speak any of these. My name means deer in English (Cervo, Ciervo, Cerf, Hirsch, الغزال) and it’s pronounced like this: ts-VEE. This is my Sound Cloud page where I upload recorded versions of some of the stories published here: https://soundcloud.com/bklbq36hdxim My email: tsvi@outlook.com I look forward to learning a lot here. This truly seems like a great community for writers.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #131

The Pulitzer Couple – read story