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Andrew Darrah

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Sep, 2024

Stories (18)

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Library

7 Followers

1 Following

18 Stories

257 karma pts

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Walter

Submitted to Contest #339

The wipers swoosh as they push the rain from my windshield. The rain’s gone from a steady march to a torrential assault. I roll my eyes. I was so done with this. We’ve had a week of this crap.The meteorologists were all wrong today too, making it worse. Today was supposed to be the reprieve, our long-awaited break from the rain. No such luck.I flip through the stations on my car radio. I’d been traveling more for work, mostly around the state, so I’d sprung for satellite radio. I’d been on a 90s kick for a while, some Nirvana and a little Ho...

0 likes

Ten Minutes

Submitted to Contest #338

“Just so you know… we’re closing in ten minutes.”The bell to the little boutique shop gave a friendly ding, and the store clerk looked up from his crossword with a smile as he gave her this news. Tina scraped the snow off her shoes and rubbed her hands together. She’d seen this shop in passing, but had never stopped in. Now seemed as good a time as any. She had a general idea of what she needed, but was open to suggestions if the proprietor proved to be knowledgeable. Sometimes these folks could be quite useful - you never know. But as usual...

1 like

Dear Sir

Submitted to Contest #334

Dear Sir,You don’t know me. Well, we met once. The day after Christmas. Boxing Day, if you will. Our interaction was brief, one you probably barely even remember. But for me, it meant everything.Our conversation saved my life.I was having a rough time. A really rough time. The worst Christmas of my life. And you, good sir, you treated me like someone who mattered. Someone special. Someone worth being alive.Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas treeWhy have you abandoned me?Sorry, apparently we’re getting to the homewritten poetry part of this lett...

11 likes

The Date

Submitted to Contest #328

I realized my mistake just a half second too late. I ran straight through the stop sign. Whoops. Thankfully, the driver coming into the intersection from my right anticipated my mistake and slammed on his brakes - not without laying on his horn first.I shouldn’t have been rushing. I wasn’t running late. I was actually pretty early. But I was nervous. This was my first date since the breakup. After a seven-year relationship, I was newly single. It took a while to get to this point… but I was ready. This girl - Molly - seemed really cool. She...

5 likes

Eyewitness

Submitted to Contest #325

CW: Themes of substance abuse, loss by miscarriage, mental health struggles and suicide “I’m pregnant.”The words seemed to involuntarily slip from Dani’s mouth, like she didn’t actually intend on telling me that. Like it was all just a mistake. Her voice was weirdly void of emotion, neither happy nor sad.She was probably in too much shock. Was she happy? Upset? Did she even know yet?I’d been dating Dani for a few months during my junior year at OSU. It started pretty casually, and then things got slightly more serious - but never too serious...

7 likes

Our Place

Submitted to Contest #309

Summer is dragging on. It’s only been about a month, but I am already bored out of my god-damned mind. I guess I could spew out some killer analogy (“summer is dragging on like blah blah blah”), but the boredom has killed far too many of my brain cells. Or maybe it’s just the sweltering summer heat. Who has the energy for analogies, really? My body is about 99% sweat right now.Parker Park (seriously, who comes up with these names?) is pretty dead today. What day is it again? I think it’s Tuesday. No phone to check the date. The splash pad’s ...

5 likes

ASK ME

Submitted to Contest #300

I remember it was a humid night last summer, maybe June or July. The sun had just begun its descent into the Colorado horizon. All the local kids were out playing, embracing their summer freedoms. Bouncing balls, swinging sticks, tossing curses and insults. Meg and I were sitting on a nearby bench, fiddling through our phones, occasionally glancing up to check on Jaxson. Just a typical summer night. Or, it should have been. A supply truck - transporting potato chips - pulled over to the side of the road not far from where we sat. A man exite...

4 likes

Science Fair

Submitted to Contest #299

“Do you feel ready for tomorrow?” asks her mother. “Ugh… no,” responds an exasperated Li. She’s been dreading tomorrow for months. When the project was first assigned, she’d been SO excited to take this on. It would be vastly different than the usual essays and word problems and reading. A chance to CREATE something! A chance to showcase her creativity and innovation. But… no. The project’s been a complete disaster. Tomorrow she’ll need to admit this to everyone, all her teachers and fellow students. Her project failed. SHE failed. “Well, y...

8 likes

The Snorkel King of Florida

Submitted to Contest #298

[March 1992] I passed my exit and kept driving south. Nope, no work for me today. Ohio’s a boring state, but I kept going. I powered through the mundane. Determined. Unsure where I would end up, but anywhere seemed better than there.Goodbye to my boss. Goodbye to my friends. Goodbye to my father.Cornfields and bridges and rivers and trees. Mile after mile of Ohio scenery I hoped to never see again.Eventually I stopped to fill up, use the restroom, and grab a snack. I took the map from the glove compartment to look ahead. It was purely ceremo...

3 likes

Ray

I learned an unfortunate truth about myself on July 19, 1995 - I’m a coward. Even today, years later. I’ve carried that guilt with me for my entire adult life. It’s defined who I am.Today I’m meeting my old friend Ray for a quick lunch. We see each other every now and then. He’s struggling, as usual. He’s still not right.“How’ve you been, Ray?”“Doin’ good,” replies the eternal optimist, slurring his words just the slightest. “Doin’ good. How about you?”I just nod, as if that explains anything. I look down at his hands, which are shaking a li...

0 likes

Orange River

Submitted to Contest #292

We’ll never forget the day the river turned orange.We called it Pig’s Foot River. Can’t really say why, to be honest. The name had been in place for centuries by the time any of us were born. Ole’ grand Pig’s Foot, with its mighty waves and currents. A fierce beauty, such a steady, integral part to our little burg.Little Charley Plimton was the first to notice the change. A boy of eleven, notorious for skipping class to go fishing. It was a Tuesday morning, and sure enough, Charley should have been in school but was not. Miss Atkins had step...

3 likes

Houdini

Submitted to Contest #290

The man emerged from the mist, a little magic trick under moonlight. One moment, nothing. Then, the man. Like a shadow monster, a silhouette standing tall amongst the light seeping into the alleyway.  Ahh, here he was. The man Emma had been searching for for months now. Houdini, as her coworkers referred to him - for obvious reasons of course. The slickest, most uncatchable criminal in the whole city. He’d become almost mythological. Emma hated that. And here he was! Just standing there. Waiting in the alleyway. Hands in his pockets, co...

7 likes

3,808 Miles

Submitted to Contest #287

After the day’s game concluded, Henry promptly returned to his dingy little motel room, kicked off his shoes, untucked his shirt, and sat on the bed. He was not a large man, but the mattress eagerly submitted to his weight. Finding himself now several inches closer to the floor, Henry sighed, debating whether to just go to sleep at 7:30. He preferred night games, as they left him exhausted upon return, ready to let the night consume him. But today’s earlier start - and finish - left him with too much time to kill.  He was depressed enou...

4 likes

Everpresent Radiance

Submitted to Contest #281

“Who’s that fella over there?” asked one of the rabbits.“Not sure. I’ve never seen him before,” replied a deer.“Well, he kind of looks like you… except for, well, you know,” a squirrel chimed in.“Yeah… what’s the deal with that?” asked another deer.“And what’s he doing here? Was he invited?” inquired a chipmunk.“Hey, it’s Molly’s party,” said the first deer. “She may know him.”The woodland animals had no idea what to make of this mysterious guest. He just wandered into the clearing, where they were holding a birthday party for their friend M...

8 likes

The Narrator

Submitted to Contest #280

Umm… is that a dead body? Whoa. Yeah, I think it is. Shit. Shit. Holy shit. Yeah… Is that….? Mm hmm. The narrator. Oh my god. The narrator’s dead? But how? Shit. Shit. Well, what should we do? I suppose we should call the cops… Thats what people do, right? Probably. There’s a lot of blood. I think I might… oh god. You alright?... Hey? Did you just…  Ugh. Sorry. I just… wow, it never gets easier no matter how many times you see it. Sorry. No worries… so, the cops? Yeah. Do you mind? Sure… hi, 9-1-1? Yeah, we’re at the park on Walden St. ...

2 likes