Tag: WritingPrompts
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“When you miss us, just look to the heavens”
The sole person at the western gate guardpost looked up and silently watched as the young colony administrator approached on foot. The guard saluted when the man reached his window and signed out one of the armored rovers. The big boss saluted perfunctorily as he turned and climbed into the driver’s seat, obviously lost in…
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A Blessed Engagement
Her mother answered the front door and let the nice young man in. They exchanged pleasantries, and he was invited to wait in the family room. He selected a corner of the sectional sofa, sat down, and folded his hands in his lap. Her mother said, “Dinner will be ready in a moment. I’ll let…
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She Said, He Said, Meow
“… so anyway, it was that sort of day at the office.” “I believe it. Hey, don’t forget to stir that.” “Am I cooking, or are you?” “Fine, I’ll feed the little monster, then.” “No need, babe. I did that when I got home.” “Cool. Hey, did you hear the new song released today by…
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Nearer, my god
A solitary figure, heavily bundled in warm clothing, slowly left the top step of a staircase that had been roughly hewn into the mountainside so long ago that it looked like a natural feature. Hunched over against bitterly cold wind, mirrored goggles were clear above two months of unkempt white beard that had long since…
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I Should Have Told Death To Ride Shotgun
I was sitting in my own car’s passenger seat, holding my phone in my right hand while cradling the remaining half of a drive-thru fast food hamburger that had gone soggy in my left, thinking about the long strange trip this had been. Have I been shadowing him for over eight hours? I thought. I guess he really…
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The Farmer
The hairless apes show up again. You ignore them as best as you can, as you push another seed into the ground with the heel of your left palm. You shift the bag slung across your other shoulder, now feeling almost empty. You are nearly halfway done here, and you can see that a pile…
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Obviously, with Joe Smith
“Welcome back! Seventy-five percent of you paused this while streaming my show to use the bathroom, then hit the fast-forward button until the end of our last messages. You missed a pretty flower in the third commercial. For those of you distracted by your phones, this is Obviously, with Joe Smith which is obviously a…
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Mana from Evan
The landlord of the brick building on the corner of 18th Street and Elm sometimes wondered exactly how his longest and best tenant, a cafe with a board game theme, could stay in business on this side of town. There had been maybe two other patrons inside each time the landlord had visited in person…
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The Old Man and the Station
An old man closed the hatch in front of him, flipped a switch, and pressed the large button on the launch panel. He heard a muffled whump and looked through the small window. The coffin-sized emergency pod floated away from the station before firing its two engines. That ship was programmed to fly on autopilot…
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Life’s Compass
I finished my drink and placed the empty glass on the bar. I really wanted another, but my right hand was itchy. The owner of this place was playing bartender, in case I needed a reminder of just how auspicious and thoroughly-commercialized a guest I was. His name was Frank, maybe. He approached and cleared…