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Barney Defanfaler

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Mar, 2024

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12 Followers
8 Following

13 Stories

214 karma pts

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The Ocean Forest

Weekly Contest #324

I head North, snaking along California's undulating, twisty two-lane Coastal Highway. Since dawn on this lovely, early foggy morning, my eyes have scanned westward seeking the great Pacific Ocean. I hear the seagulls squawk and an occasional Walrus bellow. I hear the crashing and splashing of the massive salty waves as each one, in synchronicity, like a slow heartbeat, pummels the rock cliffs. The sounds are dulled, as if they are farther away than they truly are, and their origins remain elusive thus far through the dense atmospheric water ...

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The Ocean Forest

In progress editingI head North, snaking along California's undulating, twisty two-lane Coastal Highway. Since dawn on this lovely, early foggy morning, my eyes have scanned westward seeking the great Pacific Ocean. I hear the seagulls squawk and an occasional Walrus bellow. I hear the crashing and splashing of the massive salty waves as each one, in synchronicity, like a slow heartbeat, pummels the rock cliffs. The sounds are dulled, as if they are farther away than they truly are, and their origins remain elusive thus far through the dense...

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AIsha “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

Weekly Contest #319

In Queen Ann’s Grand Theater, the audience is buzzing in anticipation of today's sold-out event. News crews representing the major networks with cameras in hand line the front row seats. From stage left, a tall, thin redhead in a cobalt blue silk gown walks to center stage.“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sheri’ Monet. I hold a doctorate from the French Science Academy in applied electrical mechanical engineering and have been a staff writer for Sci-Tech Today magazine for over a decade. I am honored to be your host for toda...

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Lincoln's Special Horses Team, Mission Sheri Lynn, a silent film

Weekly Contest #306

Lincoln's Special Horses TeamMission Sheri Lynn***These days, folks are well aware of elite Special Forces units. Few people are aware of President Lincoln's covert Special Horses Team and their early martial arts training. One team specialized in covert Congressional oversight. During my time at the National Archives, I discovered, buried deep in the basement, a report from a Black Ops Unit penned by Captain "Doc" Elijah Humphries. The sole report referencing the team, I assume, was misfiled from its proper place in the President's archives...

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Ghost Author

Weekly Contest #304

I’m a retired extreme athlete, an old man with a worn-out body. Within the last year, like my lumbar disks, I noticed my mind slipping. I cared for my Grandmother and mom through their final decade of life as they slowly slipped into dementia. I was determined to stave off brain rot. I started walking regularly again and reduced my intake of saturated fats. Mentally, I had become inactive, addicted to movies and audiobooks. I decided to exercise my neurons, in some way, beyond online games. I have always enjoyed reading, so I enrolled in a s...

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Black and White

Weekly Contest #294

The Board RoomThirty-two students awake in a dark room. The lights flash on. Thirty-two fearful high school students scan their surroundings. They’re in a square room: the walls are lovely nature murals, the floor is a large square black-and-white checkerboard, and they’re in costumes, sixteen are black and sixteen white.Esther starts the confused student’s conversation, “Oh, my lord. Where are we?”Barney, the school's head nerd, is dressed in Black leather and a crown, “How did I got here?”Johnny, the high school star quarterback, is dresse...

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Barneys Time

Weekly Contest #285

Barney, “High Suzie. I’m on my way. I should get there on time.”Suzie, “Oh, Barney. You’re the keynote speaker.  You can’t be late to present our county's sustainable development proposal.”Barney, “I know. I had to fix a flat on my bicycle.”Suzie, “OK, but hurry. I don’t want to be late. Please don’t get distracted. You know how your genius gets tangential. Bye.”  Barney is peddling his clunky bicycle to Suzie’s, thinking, ‘Ah, heck, I forgot my cell phone with all my data on it. I need to let Suzie know I’ll be late,’ when he...

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The Creek Did Rise

Weekly Contest #271

The Day BeforeI said, "See You Tomorrow." She said, "God willing, and the creek don't rise."I smiled and tapped the red button on the phone, reflecting, 'How many times had Sherry and I exchanged this archaic mountain idiom. And how many times has it come true?' The Day OfI was awoken at five AM by Mr. Spec, a Queensland Heeler who was whining and shaking, his standard response to his hearing thunder no matter how distant. I listened to the rain on the dome tent for a minute. It sounded heavy, and the creek was thunderous. I had to urinate, ...

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The Lightning Pact

Weekly Contest #267

Meet seven young men who stand out from their high school crowd because of their sensitivity, compassion, and caring natures. In contrast, many of their male peers are often rough and bully-like, regularly engaging in unkind mockery and teasing. The local group of initial outcasts includes boy genius and socially awkward Allen, secondary to Aspergers and his adopted African-born brother Abraham. In his younger days, the majority of the boys referred to Abraham by a crude black name. Since he matured into a brutal star on the football fi...

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Gideon

Weekly Contest #263

Gideon is a superhero with physical and mental abilities far beyond the vast majority of the human species bar his teammates. Unlike the comic book character, Gideon cannot move faster than a speeding bullet but is a marathon-level athlete. Gideon can fly, although he requires a wing, and, with the aid of a jet-pack, can leap over tall buildings in a single bound. His up close and personal fighting skills are akin to those of any martial arts warrior, and his proficiency with a vast array of weapons is masterful, whether up close or at a dis...

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Paintings, Where do you want to escape today?

Weekly Contest #242

PAINTINGSWhere do you want to escape today?By Barney Defanfaler ‘Ah heck,’ thinks Barney as he hears steady footsteps plodding up the Windsor Gallery stairs and sees a flashlight beam coursing across the opposite wall. His wristwatch displays midnight. ‘Why is she so early? I’m trapped.’Barney runs around a corner into the art gallery's second-floor east room and hugs the wall. His head bumps into a painting frame, and he quickly grabs it to steady it.‘What the flip?’ he thinks as his hand sinks beyond the canvas. Barney turns to find a fami...

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The Undiscovered Sapien Extinction

Weekly Contest #241

The Never-Discovered Sapien Extinctionfrom “It Only Gets Better” by Barney Defanfaler============================================================== “It has been said: 'To repeat the past is to make the same mistakes.Let me add, “To repair the past is to prevent the mistakes.” Allen, Princeton 2014 Shui, in a saffron robe, is walking from the plane through the international baggage check when he spots a large sign entitled ‘Shui Pu Chan.’ As he walks towards it, a familiar face peaks over the sign, then under it, then to the left a...

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Red Feather Flight

Weekly Contest #240

Red Feather Flight By Marc Stutzel Eagle Tehan is mindfully sensing the afternoon's northern breezes as the tranquil young man sits upright, yet relaxed, with lids gently closed.  His legs dangle over a wooden platform that sits atop a Great Grandaddy-sized lofty Red Oak. The focused young man is full-blooded First Peoples in heritage: his mother, Cherokee, and his father, Lacota. Eagle’s stocky, lean, well-defined muscular anatomy is fitted with cream-colored leather shorts. His Indigenous DNA-expressed bronze skin is gently toned from...

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