Zack Powell

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2021

Stories (43)

43 Stories

4642 karma pts

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“The New Language” by Zack Powell

We called it Yopanko. No real reason why, other than the fact that it was a word we could all pronounce equally. There were no S sounds for Georgie's tongue to mash into lisps. No Rs to trigger Kelvin's Elmer Fudd syndrome. And no Ls to make me self-conscious about my hand-me-down accent, the byproduct of my mother's emigration from Nagoya, Japan to Seattle, Washington. Our speech impediments, our insecurities, our home and school troubles—suddenly none of that seemed to matter.What mattered wa...

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“The Many Lives of Oberon” by Zack Powell

CW: Themes/mentions of death***He waits in his car for nine minutes before approaching my parlor. He stops at the window, leans forward to stare at the shop sign, waits for the person behind him to continue down the sidewalk. Only then does he glance over his shoulder, throw open my door, and scamper inside, holding an ash-gray cat as close to his chest as a love letter.He shuts the door then turns to take in the shop's interior: the jars and vials on the shelf labelled "Potio...

99 comments 99 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Different Today” by Zack Powell

She's different today, my human. She shed her fur. Yesterday it was blonde and it flowed down her back like water from a fire hydrant and it smelled like strawberries when I nuzzled it. Today it's gone. I shed mine too sometimes, like when the weather gets too hot outside, or when I've gone too many days without being walked. Sometimes it just happens on its own. Maybe that's true for her too, my human. Maybe she woke up today and her fur spilled out over her pillow and left her with the too-short table scraps she has now. Maybe it just h...

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“Why I Summoned the Devil” by Zack Powell

"Let me get this straight: you summoned me because of a toaster?""Yeah, you got it, bucko. That orange one right there. See it?""Of course I see it, mortal.""Okay. Good. So, I was thinking. Maybe you could just wave your hands and do your magic mumbo jumbo and make it work again, Satan.""Satan?""That's your name, isn't it?""No.""Lucifer, then?""No.""Beelzebub?""...

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“Dancing by Moonlight” by Zack Powell

It started with that damn plié.And look. Let's get something clear right off the bat: I am not a bigot. I'm not one of those guys who's angry at the world just because his son has a little sugar in the tank. I knew what was up a few years ago, when we were on the couch watching a Toys-R-Us commercial and Jesse pointed to the screen, begging me for that atomic-blonde Holiday Barbie. Right then I saw he wouldn't follow in my footsteps. I knew he'd never join the varsity football team or get his championship photo superglue...

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“My Apology to You for Camp Crescendo” by Zack Powell

Content warning: Themes/mentions of physical abuse and death***I apologize in advance. For the lateness of this, and for any details I get wrong. Twenty years has been nothing but one long tidal wave, crashing onto the beach of my memory. I can never quite recall what all I told you out there, how much of myself I let you see. I only know for certain how it all ended.***Camp Crescendo looked like any other summer camp you'd find in Iowa, and maybe that was th...

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“Resolutions for the Great Full” by Zack Powell

Content warning: Mentions/themes of death and mental health issues***Name: Timmy CalhounGrade: 1stDate: Friday, Decimbur 15, 1995Resolution #1: Be more great fullPlease explain: That's what my aunt Lola tells me all the time. That I should be more great full. That means when some one does some thing nice for you, you should say Thank You.I do say it some times. Like when Suzy Brown holde...

106 comments 106 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“How to Win an Unwinnable War” by Zack Powell

This year it's my turn to host our family's annual war. That's why we're doing 75 along the highway now, me and Mom and Dad, who's sitting in the back seat loading our guns. It's one of the reasons, anyway.The timing couldn't be better; there's nothing I need more than a diversion from my own war with Jasper last month. That was messier than anything will be today. The way we turned the living room into a battleground, hurling books and words like live grenades. The way he packed what was left of his stuff and screeched ...

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“The Best Part Is Not Wearing Pants” by Zack Powell

By Phil's humble estimation, the best part about the pandemic was being able to work from home without wearing pants. It was even better than the superiority he felt from being "pretty much bilingual thanks to Telemundo" in a country of arrogant English-only speakers. Even better than not having to smell a client's day-old-tuna-fish breath. Even better than turning up to a job jelly-limbed and wasted, which he could do so much more easily now.Take today, for example. Nine in the morning and he'd already downed three Iris...

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“Other Ways to Say Hello” by Zack Powell

The winter I turned fourteen, my mother asked me to do her job for her.One night over spaghetti and meatballs, she told me about a boy in her ESL class: Ivan."Sweet boy, I think," she said, twisting a cyclone of noodles around her fork. "But I just can't seem to get him to talk. I thought it was just nerves. Some kids are like that, you know? Even ten-year-olds. But it's been a few months now and nothing.""That sounds like something you should talk to the school about," I replied.<...

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“Seeds” by Zack Powell

Content warning: Allusions to teen pregnancy and child loss *** The tree, like most things, is Beth's idea. It is August, late summer, too hot for TV and too cool for bathing suits. School starts again next week, fourth grade. Now is the perfect time, Beth says, to plant a tree. "They need sunshine to grow, Annie," she adds, holding her watering can in front of her...

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“10 Ways to Explain Your Husband's Death to Your Son” by Zack Powell

Content warning: Themes of death***1. Tell the truthBe gentle but honest. This is your son's first time experiencing death, his only rodeo.He is five years old, wild-eyed and sugar-crazed and baby-toothed. A sweet boy. He doesn't complain about going to church or preschool. He picks up the toy cars in his room without being asked, lowers the seat after using the toilet. Some days you feel as though you've won the lottery.At night, he helps y...

181 comments 181 WINNER 🏆

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“Perdidos” by Zack Powell

Mamá's lost her mind again. It happened sometime last night. I know because it's Saturday morning and her station wagon is gone, and the house doesn't smell like huevos rancheros, and I woke up an hour ago to find Papá sweeping broken lamp shards off the floor.This is the third time it's happened, so we know what to do now, what to expect. Last time someone found Mamá swimming in a fountain in a park a few towns over. Papá went and got her and she was home by dinner, shivering and sneezing like a Chihuahua.Maybe t...

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“Wally's Water World” by Zack Powell

Content warning: Swearing"I know it's your first day on the job and all, but don't worry, man. You're gonna do great. Trust me. We're happy to have you here at Wally's Water World.""Thanks. I'm happy to be here.""Great!""I gotta tell you the truth, though. I only applied because my mom told me she would kick me out if I didn't get a job. She said thirty-five is too old to be unemployed.""That's great too. Exactly the type of can-do, highly motivated,...

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“Wish You Were Here” by Zack Powell

Bonjour from the city of love! I don't have much space on this postcard, so I'll keep things brief. I'm heading to the all-you-can-eat crêpe buffet soon anyway. My new lover, Jacques, doesn't mind a woman with a few extra curves. More cushion for the pushin', you know?Oh, you should see him. Jacques is quite the looker, a total zaddy. Like George Clooney without the drug problem. I'm talking high cheekbones and a strong jawline. An accent that can turn cheddar into gouda. Washboard abs you could do two and a half loads o...

184 comments 184 WINNER 🏆

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Author bio

Man of many words, master of none. 29, LGBTQ+, Gryffindor. I have no clue what I'm doing, and I'm loving every second of it. Hobbies: Reading, writing, collecting rejection letters. Personal favorite stories: 🦑 Poor Unfortunate Souls 🔦 Perdidos 🐈 The Many Lives of Oberon email: zdpowell94@gmail.com Copyright © 2023 Zack Powell - All Rights Reserved. Using content without written permission is prohibited.

Winning 4 stories 🏆

Contest #163

10 Ways to Explain Your Husband's Death to Your Son – read story

Contest #157

Wish You Were Here – read story

Contest #143

What Happens in Vegas – read story

Contest #131

Love Ain't Blind, Grief Is – read story

Shortlisted 7 stories ⭐️

Contest #187

The Many Lives of Oberon – read story

Contest #179

Resolutions for the Great Full – read story

Contest #150

Hana, Hanako, Hanabi – read story

Contest #148

The Storm of the Decade – read story

Contest #134

The Mistakes We've Made – read story