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Andrew Grell

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

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71 Stories

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Noisy on the Eastern Front

Weekly Contest #80

NOISY ON THE EASTERN FRONT “So, is this like Cool Runnings? America will play Gorodki? Who in America, exactly, will play this game? And why? Russians left Russia so they don’t have to throw sticks to play, like dogs to fetch, in America, we can bowl, golf, shoot hoops, sorry, is that right? Is that what you do in Basketball,” Olezka Denisovitch complained; he wanted to be the consummate Yankee. “It’s not at all like Cool Runnings,” Boris Earpinsky explained. Wynnewood, Pennsylvania is only four degrees of latitude...

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HOME IS WHEN THE HEART IS

Weekly Contest #74

HOME IS WHEN THE HEART IS By Andrew Paul Grell “Are we going to have a house when we get back? And if so, will there be anything in it?” “Jolene came highly recommended by Mark as his temporary replacement while we were away. The Ford’s used her from time to time and they said she was first rate. Every surface was shining as if it were still in the showroom. I wouldn’t worry about it, unless you need something to worry about while we’re in the Uber, which seems like it’s taking the whole way around Utah,” Hyacinth said,” ...

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DOWN BEAT

Weekly Contest #73

DOWN BEAT By Andrew Grell “Tell me again why my baby shower is at Don’t Tell Momma,” a very pregnant—37 and a half weeks— Lisa Carpenter ordered her husband, Clave. “I was looking forward to having it in the gazebo at my grandparents place. But. You know. Sadly.” Clave wiped away a tear from his beloved’s eye, shed because of the plague death of Grandma Rose, her favorite relative. “Most of the other places are shut down. Ya know, I don’t think I’ve ever been here in the daytime. Momma has enough room to be so...

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the cookie game

Weekly Contest #71

THE COOKIE GAMEBy Andrew Paul GrellThe Mazda Miata slid into the Aerie’s parking lot, did the right doughnuts to leave an outline of an Alpine butterfly knot, and came to rest three feet from the Nest.The Aerie wasn’t called “The Aerie” because old Eagle Scouts in the northeast gathered there, but because it was fairly high up in the Adirondacks. The name attracted the scouts. Carl Hardcastle, being more or less local, was in charge of organizing the reunion, and showed up first.“Hey, Lauretta, still crazy after all these years?”“Wouldn...

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That Crazy Darned Green Cat

Weekly Contest #70

That Crazy Darned Green Cat “Your money’s no good here, Ignatz. One shot of rye for you and out ya go when yer done,” Snapper Don, Rix’s bartender said in a stage whisper, straddling the fence on the Ignatz question. Fortunately, Iggie could nurse a drink like he was testing Zeno’s Paradox: When he drank half a shot, there would be half left over, then another half after he drank that one, and so on, and the glass would never be empty. “Appreciate the hospitality, Rix. Considerin’ the weather out there. And the weat...

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The Battle of Lake Chautauqua

Weekly Contest #68

The Battle of Lake Chautauqua “General Alarm. General Alarm. Zkreen address in five minutes. Repeat. General Alarm.” The nine adults in Shelter 17 did what they had to do to wake up and pay attention; pinching themselves, pouring night table water over themselves. The trailing sleepy heads were treated to Phil shouting “Drop yer cocks and grab yer socks.”  Phil was a nonagenarian Korean War veteran, according to him one of the original Eight Jewish Korean Veterans who founded E. J. Korvettes. The main Zkreen came al...

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THE TREATY OF PHOBOS REGARDING THE ORION-CYGNUS BRIDGE

Weekly Contest #67

THE TREATY OF PHOBOS REGARDING THE ORION-CYGNUS BRIDGEBy Andrew Paul GrellArticle 1. The minor spiral arm known in human language as THE ORION-CYGNUS BRIDGE, an arm radiating from the main body of what is known in human language as THE MILKY WAY and which intersects a line between the as-seen-from PLANET EARTH constellations Orion and Cygnus, shall be a protectorate of the HUMAN – VISITOR JOINT SPACE PROBE AGENCY, with said Visitors being inhabitants of the planet known to humans as Ross 128 b.“Think they’re gonna show?” Larry Vine thre...

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THE FORTUNE TELLER

Weekly Contest #66

THE FORTUNE TELLERBy Andrew Paul Grell“More anatomy books, Walt? Birds, this time? Planning a career change? Veterinarian? Barb’s poodle Dixie had a torn ACL, cost her $5,000 for the surgery. Prices like that, you might consider making the switch.” Audrie and Carl Henshaw shared a laugh; Carl’s bonus from last year paid for ten shelter dog rescues, plus flights to their forever homes, in addition to contributions to the grandchildren fund and a vacation in the Gaspe. “I like seeing the way the pieces fit together.&nb...

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THE DEAL

Weekly Contest #65

THE DEAL By Andrew Paul Grell “Dink, I heard him with my own ears. I just walked into Stiffy’s lookin’ to wet my whistle, and I see Bad Brad at the Euchre table in the back with Panhead Pete and the Constable. Absolutely positively I heard Brad say that the biggest deal of the year was going down on Halloween night at Gates of Mercy Cemetery. The stuff was going to be hidden in crypts and graves,” One-eyed Jack informed his friend and occasional nefarious partner, while righting himself from parallel to perpendicular on th...

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PARROT ICE

Weekly Contest #63

PARROT ICE By Andrew Paul Grell Yellow perch this morning. Fun game. Sam and Janice teach. Corner of porch, no can see from road. Wait humans on two-wheels. Say “Hey, you got a flat.” Human stop, no see me, no see nobody, get off wheels, look. Sam, Janice, laugh. I laugh same back at them. Give oil palm fruit, yum. Give cracker, yum yum. Love Sam Janice, love Sam Janice house. Better than Skipper on boat. Boat smell bad, Skipper talk smell bad, smell rotten fruit. Get six on two-wheels...

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THE GUY

Weekly Contest #62

THE GUY By Andrew Paul Grell You’ll have to excuse the presentation of this confessio; at 108 years of age, it’s a little difficult to write with ten fingers on each hand. And, gentle reader, I forgive you in advance for not getting all the words; perhaps you are reading this with four eyes. Every town back then had a “The Guy,” and Runcible River was no exception. I remember that line from a TV series maybe 60 years ago, Jericho, or Jordan, something like that. They were cut off, and everyone’s cover or story line began to un...

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NOT FAR FROM THE TREE

Weekly Contest #61

NOT FAR FROM THE TREE Walt Kitchener scrambled down from the right-hand seat of the NOAA T-38 and shook hands with Shirley Lewis, pilot in command for the trip from Trinidad to Pax River. A limo was waiting to take the exhausted scientist to his Lexington Park home, an expanded cream, split-level ranch with all the trimmings: yards, pool, multi-sport court, all set comfortably well back from Great Mills Road. Walt saw the press in front of the house, had the driver circle back around and let him out at the Dembitzer’s house, immedi...

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SLOW NIGHT AT THE NAJM AL-ZAWIYA

Weekly Contest #60

Safe is a relative term in Baghdad. Najim’s was the closest thing to being absolutely safe in a place smack in the middle four sets of people, each with their own funny hats and dead-serious weapons, who hated each other. The habitues of the joint were the cashiered-out vets running hustles, expats who would rather be in the fire line rather than where they originally came from. The sort of people who knew how to set a watch for terrorists and malcontents and could smell c-4 or ammonium nitrate from 300 meters. It was a place a man...

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ANOPAQUUM

Weekly Contest #59

ANOPAQUUMBy Andrew Paul Grell“We’re here because we’re here because we’re here, kumquat.” Roman Nixon always had a piece of himself in summer camp, no matter how far he advanced in his successful life. “Gaze down upon our new domain, my blushing bride. See if you can pick out our new house. Tell me if you detect the enchantedness of our little hollow’s forest. Over there on the left.”“I see a town’s main drag, two churches, five bars; ticky-tacky houses fronted with sensible cars. A school and a pool, a theatre ...

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THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON GEORGIE

Weekly Contest #58

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON GEORGIE By Andrew Paul Grell Stupid song, but the Skipper could no more not sing it before running a test than he could piss on the induction coils. “So, hoist up the Georgie’s sails, and see how the main sail sets.” I never got the point of the original song. Did they go anywhere? Were they carrying cargo? Tourists on a three-hour tour? Naturally, I was compelled to answer his dramatic tenor with my lyric coloratura. “My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light, slept with a me...

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