WRL Battle

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2020

Stories (28)

28 Stories

508 karma pts

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“Worth a Gamble” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #273

Five-hundred-thousand dollars. Five-thousand Benjamins stacked on top of each other, cramped into one black, leather suitcase. The bartender doesn’t look that impressed. I know walking around with that amount of cash with me is asking for trouble, but this is a classy establishment. No matter where I look there are at least two security officers within view, and everyone knows there are cameras everywhere. I would like to see someone try and snatch this suitcase away. I think the bartender didn’t hear me. Why else didn’t ...

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“A Familiar Face” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #271

“Have we met before?” I was caught off guard by my own voice. I don’t usually speak up, especially to strangers. I try my best not to step out of my lane. This is why I work at a bookshop. Everything about my job doesn’t require talking to people for too much. I just keep the shelves stocked, but mostly I’m at the counter where all I have to say is, “You found everything?” “That’ll be this amount of dollars,” “Thank you, have a nice day!” and that’s it. Whenever I saw a customer buying a book that I really liked, I'd tell them...

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“A Dinner with Mister Capazino” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #270

It was supposed to be a simple Italian dinner between two respected gentlemen. I swear, I have no idea how it went so wrong. I thought Capazino and I were on good terms. We never became buddy-buddies, but we were working on a mutual relationship.  Capazino is what you call the unofficial official of the city. You want to get something done? You talk to Capazino. You have a hard time with your business? You talk to Capazino. Do you know the saying that money doesn’t grow on trees? Well, Capazino proved that saying as a bunch of hooey. He...

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“Our Worst/Best Vacation Ever” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #262

The Summer of 2010 was by far the worst summer I ever had. While my friends were going to theme parks and other countries on the other side of the globe, I was stuck in a scorching hot, brown Dotson. The car was sputtering all the way from our home in Montana to Nevada. It was a miracle the car got us as far as it did. The air conditioning was shot, so we had to drive with the windows rolled down. The radio didn’t work, and neither did the CD player. My mom tried to get us to sing some songs acapella style, but she gave up after fifteen...

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“Cal's Date” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #255

There are only so many ways I can tell Cal that his date is a no-show. His date was supposed to be here by seven-thirty. According to my phone, it’s nine o’clock and the server informed us that the restaurant will be closing in an hour.   Poor guy. I kind of feel sorry for him. He returns to the dating game after fifteen years since his break up, and he’s ghosted on his first date. This guy stressed over which clothes to wear, spent at least an hour in the shower, and spent another ten minutes shaving the stubble off his chin.  I a...

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“A Joke Gone Too Far” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #254

Do you want me to start from the beginning?  Okay, sure, but promise me you won’t get mad.  It all started around lunchtime, I was in the cafeteria with my friends having fun. The menu for that day was mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll, and Salisbury steak, or at least that’s what the menu said. The mashed potatoes and the green beans were drowning in water. The only things that weren’t dripping wet were the Salisbury steak and the roll which were bone dry. Instead of looking like a white cloud, the potatoes were like gray booge...

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“Sir Fredrick's Discovery of the Damned Village ” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #245

I, Sir Fredrick son of Dal, knight of King John, Ruler of Edinbrough, do hereby solemnly swear by Mary and all the Saints that my testimony is the truth and nothing but the truth. If I should fabricate my account in any way, may the Good Lord Almighty strike the ground on which I stand.In the Year of Our Lord 1354, I, Sir Fredrick son of Dal, was ordered by King John, Ruler of Edinbrough to scout the lands in the West for enemy outposts and to report back by the end of the year. I traveled many months over hills and mountains, fields and mea...

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“The Writings of a Mad Man” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #241

They're going to betray me, I know they will. It's only a matter of time. They're going to betray me like Judas did to Jesus, or like how Brutus betrayed Caesar. I know what they talk about when they think I’m not listening. But I listen. You see, that's how I'm going to beat them. I'm too smart. Always have been too smart. Sometimes I wished I wasn't so smart. If I were dumb, I would be content with the simple pleasures of life. But I'm not dumb, I'm not stupid.  I started noticing patterns and hidden messages everywhere, from the news...

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“My First Date with Miss Laura Pilliam” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #237

JOURNAL ENTRY FEB. 18TH, 2024 Let me just begin by saying I didn't plan on going out on Valentine’s Day, nor did I intend on dating a complete stranger. Honestly, looking back on it now, I cannot believe I was oblivious to the signs. I should have known that my paternity brothers were setting me up, but I woefully underestimated their mischievous nature. But then again, the only reason I joined Zeta Delta Mu was because they were the most intellectually and mentally mature paternity on campus. They never screamed or acted like wild, untamed ...

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“Death of a Rug” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #203

"Well, he's gone, gone and went, never to come back!"I stood there, frozen in place. My mind was an emotional crockpot. The ingredients of shock, fear, and disbelief came together in a fowl stew that rendered me motionless. I couldn't stand to look at the dead body, lying on my floral pattern, cashmere rug, but at the same time, I couldn't look away. I thought imagining him as a wax sculpture would ease my nerves, but the pool of foam and vomit shattered the illusion into a million pieces. "This is not good! This is not good!" crie...

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“Customer Service” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #186

"Thank you for calling the Mumbo Electronics Customer Service Hotline. Para Español diga, 'Español.' To order a Mumbo Bot V-3 say, 'Order V-3r.' To speak with a representative, say, 'Speak to a representative.' To report a malfunction or a defective unit, say, 'Report defective unit.' For more options say, 'More options.'""Report defective unit.""Okay. Before we proceed, I need some information about your personal Mumbo Bot unit. Please say the eight-digit PIN, located at the back of the unit's neck."“Six, two, five, four, four, zero, two, t...

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“Never Be a Medium” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #156

Man, I used to love my job! Now, look at me.  Would you believe me that I got big bucks just to lie?  Of course you wouldn’t, you’re too trusting of other people. That’s your problem. You expect everyone to be honest with you. Well, guess what. That’s exactly how people like me take advantage of people like you. We rely on your naivete and willingness to see the good in people to our advantage. I’m only telling you this now because there’s no point for me to lie any longer.  You see, like many people in these neck of t...

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“The Marples vs the Ozbotz” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #153

Top Five Things I Didn't Plan on TodaySeeing a tiny car drive through a hallway. Tripping over a crystal ball.Being hit with tarot cardsStepping on a rubber shoe. Getting hit in the face with a cream pie. Now I know what you’re thinking. How did I get myself in this situation in the first place? Well, I didn’t do it on purpose. Allow me to explain. I am friends with two fortune tellers, Janice and Patricia Marple, but people called them the Marple Sisters. Every Thursday they would walk into my mom’s floral shop and invit...

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“The Great Sinkhole of Anderstown” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #149

Anderstown is home to the world’s largest sinkhole!On the fateful night of July 18th, 1909, the citizens of Anderstown were woken up by a loud bang and a blinding white light.To their astonishment, they found a fifteen-foot hole at the edge of town!Today that hole has tripled in size!But that’s not all!A storm rages within the hole.Dust clouds swirl within the hole at speeds clocking into fifty miles per hour, and lightning bolts flash every second! of two billionYou’ll have to see it to believe it!Come to Anderstown to see the hole that has...

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“The Tale of Wendy McAllister” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #147

There was no place like the Grenton Drive-In Movie Plex. The older people joked about how the local teenagers hung out at the diners and bowling alleys, but their assumptions couldn’t have been further from the truth. While the adults and little ones were fast asleep by ten, the town's youth were just getting started. They would arrive around eight-thirty, just so they could get their hands on fizzy drinks, salty snacks, and greasy foods. Once the theater closed at midnight (one o'clock on weekends), some would either head back hom...

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Author bio

Hello, there! My name is W.R.L. Battle, and I like to tell stories. I'm sorry for not making more short stories on here. Not a lot of the prompts have peaked my interest, and I have been busy with other side projects and life in general. I'll still write on here from time to time, but not as frequent as you might expect. While you're here check out my book at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578921782 And follow me on X at:https://twitter.com/WRLB2 Thanks!