Vince Calma

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2019

Stories (5)

5 Stories

88 karma pts

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“Shadows Becoming Taller” by Vince Calma

Submitted to Contest #27

We are nearing the entrance of New Crest when Julian sneezes, shaking the whole car. His hands waver, and with a smooth swerve he positions the car once again to a perfect alignment with the white traffic lines. There are no other cars on the road, but one can never be too cautious.“Oh, you better hurry,” I say, craning my neck to look out the window. Indeed, ominous-looking clouds hover at the mountaintops. “This one looks big.”“Yeah,” Julian agrees. “Gray monster coming up.”I continue fiddling with the radio dial, searching for better stat...

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“Willows Cottage” by Vince Calma

Submitted to Contest #14

When she was twenty-eight, my mom nearly died of drowning. She broke from the surface of the water seconds away from death. A year and a half later, she went back to the same lake to kill herself.When her corpse was found, she was almost unrecognizable. Her whole body was swollen and bleached, her skin a greenish-black color. She was breaking down, slowly, underwater, and I imagined bits of her scattered unevenly on the bed of the lake.Were her memories stored there, too? The sound of my voice when I rattle off mathematical equations? The fe...

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“A Dying Beauty” by Vince Calma

Submitted to Contest #12

Levi Griffin followed his memories of the route to his best friend’s house along gloomy country roads and forty minutes later turned his car onto a paved driveway. A porch light cast an orange glow over the small redbrick house. He pulled to a stop and the screen door screeched open, revealing Margaret Tanner’s silhouette. As Levi climbed the porch step he could see she was wearing outdoor clothes, her handbag still slung on her shoulder.“Levi, it’s you,” Margret says, her eyes a bit wide, reaching out to him with both fo her hands. Levi let...

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“House of Clouds” by Vince Calma

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #11

The man smells of laughter, his cheeks are grease-stained, his eyes a hue so softly gray it could have been pencil-drawn. He is at my front door. “I can fix your house,” he says. He’s holding his breath, like a starving child gazing at the displays of a bakery. “I . . . I don’t think so.” I am blocking the doorway so he wouldn’t be able to see the dark inside. “You think I can’t?” He licks his lips with cautious hope. “You can trust me, I promise I’m good.” I shake my head. “I know you can fix houses.” I don’t know how I know this. I just do...

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“When Darkness Gave Birth To Beauty” by Vince Calma

Submitted to Contest #10

Once upon a time, there was a special mirror. It was said to have ears, for it could hear whispers of secrets. It was said to have eyes, for it could see through your reflection and unravel your desires. And it was said to have a mouth, for it could speak the truth.Half of the kingdom feared the mirror, claiming it was an object of magic. But the king saw it for what it was: an artifice, a way to deceive people through the superstitions. And so he hid the mirror away from sunlight, down to the deepest dungeon of his castle. There, beneath th...

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Author bio

I've been James my whole life, but at twenty it's never too late to change my nickname. Right? I live in the Philippines with my dog and five smug cats. I write furiously, but I think reading is more of my strength. Also, Rainbow Rowell is my hero. Check out Carry On and Landline. They're not my books, but I love them like they're my own.

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #11

House of Clouds – read story