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Colin Devonshire

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

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174 Followers
211 Following

131 Stories

1518 karma pts

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Why Were You There?

‘GREAT IDEA. We come out here in the freezing cold for what?’ asked Mandy. ‘Because I need you to see,’ answered Pippa. ‘See what? There is nothing out here.’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘What are you talking about? I’m going back home.’ ‘Look again.’ ‘There is still nothing.’ ‘Now follow me slowly and quietly. There, through the branches, see.’ ‘Have you gone mad?’ asked Mandy. ‘Can you see anything moving behind that Robin?’ ‘I can see some smoke. Is that what you mean?’ ‘My God, it is not smoke. Can’t you see a face?’ ‘Have you been drinking?’ ‘Of co...

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A Fat Zero

'OH, CHRIST,' Bertie screamed as he tumbled head-first between packed tables. 'Sorry, I'm so sorry,' he said, repeatedly pulling himself onto his feet. Diners brushed noodles from their clothing. Bertie was lucky; he would be mopping up blood from a punch on the nose in England. Here, people accepted accidents and a refreshed bowl of limp noodles. His shirt smelled like a filthy kitchen after a night shift. He wrung cold soup from the once crisply ironed cotton. It was no longer the pristine white as it was when it came from its box that mor...

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Best Mates

'HOW COME WE are meeting in here?' Alex asked. 'What? Not good enough for you?' Grimsy answered. 'I thought we had moved on a bit.' 'Who ordered the full brekkie?' asked the cafe owner, slapping a greasy plate in the centre of the table. 'Mine's a coffee. The food is for him,' said Alex, pointing across the table. 'Just because you wear a suit now, you can eat here, with me, you know.' Alex snorted and studied the sausages and the rest of the stuff he wouldn't feed his Alsatian. His coffee arrived in a chipped mug, filled to the brim. 'W...

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Thailand's Finest

‘I’VE BEEN SITTING here for ages. What are you doing?’ said Will. ‘I’m on my way. Who is with you?’ ‘No one, who would be?’ ‘I can hear people,’ said Anna. ‘Well, you would, wouldn’t you? There are other customers. Do you think they open up just for me?’ ‘It sounded like you had a girl there.’ ‘A girl pushed her way past, is that what you mean?’ ‘You said, “Sorry” in a sweet way.’ ‘I’m losing my temper and won’t be so polite next time. If you take much longer, she’ll have finished her drink and come past me again.’ His wife, Anna, got the me...

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New Staff?

Can they resist darker impulses? 'ALL THE GIRLS here fancy him, even the married ones,' Peggy nudged the new girl. They both slyly giggled. 'So, is he the boss, or what?' Sandy asked. 'No, nothing like that. He is only one step up the ladder from us.' 'I wish I could afford clothes as classy as his,' Sandy said. 'Yeah, I know what you mean; he's the same each day, immaculate, clothes, perfect manners, the lot.' 'But?' 'He is not interested in any of us. Jessica fancied him, but she left.' 'Oh, gay, is he?' 'We don't know, but I don't think...

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Do Not Touch!

'WOW, DAD, WHAT have you got?' asked Louise. 'Do not touch. I am going out; no one or anything touches that. Hear me? I mean it.' 'But, Dad, what is it?' 'Never you mind. Come on out of my office, please.' Louise was looking over her shoulder as Dad marched her to the door. The lock clicked as Professor William rushed to his car. His daughter pressed the handle down, and sure enough, it was locked. 'Whatever was that?' she wondered as she pressed her school friend's number. 'Pete, come over as soon as possible and bring your Dad's "special" ...

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Running At Eighty

'DO YOU RUN every day?' asked Pippa. 'Yes, young lady. Why do you ask?' said Fred. 'I've seen you run down this street many times.' 'I like to run early in the morning at first light or night as it gets dark. It is cooler, and you must look after your body when you get to my age.' 'You look in pretty good shape. Can I ask how old you are? In Thailand, it is common to ask that, but I know you foreigners can get touchy.' 'Your English and knowledge of "Falang" traits are excellent.' 'Can you speak Thai?' 'No, a few words only. You asked my age...

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A Message In A Shadow

'WHAT DO YOU reckon this is?' asked Rita. 'Oh, Grandma, what are you talking about?' said Gung. 'Ever since your Dad brought me to live with you, weird things keep happening.' 'No, they don't. It is you. Do you miss England so much that you are making up stories?' 'No, dear, whenever I'm alone, something odd happens. True, things like that didn't occur so frequently in London.' 'Maybe, London is so noisy? Now you live by the sea, we get peace, a restful quiet and that freaks you out?' 'Oh, darling, it's not that. I have had some odd experien...

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School Upsets

"Buri Ram Farmer Upset with School Board". The national paper's headline jumped from the front page and slapped Simon's face. A farmer lives with his wife and daughters in the northeastern region of Thailand known as Issan. Rice farming has been a way of life for generations. Many families, including Simon's Thai family, rely on the land for their livelihood, and the rice they grow is a staple food in the region. But for one rice farmer from a small village outside Buri Ram, a recent incident involving his daughter and the school board lef...

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Just Tapping Your Brain

'Right, off to work. See you all later.' 'Bye, honey, have a good day. Oh, and don't forget.' A puzzled look crosses his face. Then a grin splits his face, 'I've not forgotten, don't worry.' He jumped into his work van and disappeared down the drive. 'It is my birthday, and I want to do something special,' said Pixie. 'You will, darling. You are now a teenager, so how about we go cosmetic shopping? Then later we can all go for ice cream.' 'Tell me this, mum, yesterday you wouldn't let me wear lipstick, but today you want to buy me some? Yest...

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Siamese Feast

'I thought we were going to a shoe factory?' said Rose. 'We are,' answered Amanda. 'This doesn't look like a place they build boots or clogs. We are in the middle of nowhere.' 'Hey, Mr Taxi Man, we thought we were going to a building on an industrial estate?' The taxi stopped, and the driver held his hand out for two hundred and twenty Baht as he pointed ahead to a bleak-looking gateway. 'Why not drive us to the entrance?' Amanda asked as she found two, one-hundred Baht notes. 'Lend us a twenty,' she said to Rose. The Toyota slammed into rev...

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It's Mine!

There was a small village nestled at the foot of a towering mountain. In this village, there lived a young girl named Lily who had a prized possession: a beautiful ruby necklace that had been handed down to her by her grandmother. Lily treasured the necklace, and now as a teenager, her mother allowed her to wear it everywhere she went. The necklace sparkled in the sunlight, and it was the envy of all the girls in the village. One day, as Lily was walking through the town, she noticed a girl staring at her necklace with a look of pure jealo...

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Beach Work

'Yes, I'll do it. Give me a break,' Mark said. 'I mean now,' Check said, scowling at his employee's mobile number. Mark was pleased his boss could not see his scrunched-up features. His phone saves his life daily. Now, meant now, he dressed in his favourite pumps, a colourful beach shirt and shorts. Mark accepted his orders without complaining. However, he had work to do. Mark's scooter started the first time, as always, and cruised the beach's frontal road. He pulled up near the beat of rap and watched. 'Christ, I hate that racket,' he m...

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Let's Go

'Let's go for a walk, son. I need to talk to you.' 'Sure, dad, what do you want?' 'It's not what I want. There is something I need to explain to you.' Father and son clad in warm winter jackets and their walking boots. The sun was glistening from the ice-covered puddles. Further on, ducks quacked, frozen in the pond. The pair walked in that direction. Birds swooped and called, and a wolf howled deep in the forest. But not a sign of human life; that was the idea. Duncan Blower had bought the cabin fifty years ago. Nobody lived near them, and ...

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School's Out

'Come on, let's sit at the back,' Belinda said. 'They,' Mel pointed back, 'won't want us. Sit here instead.' 'If we don't try, they will never accept us.' 'No, thank God. Who wants to be in their gang?' 'I do.' 'You go ahead then; I'm sitting here,' Mel's mind was made up, and she plonked herself next to the window. The school coach was filling fast with excited teenagers. 'Right, you lot, what is going on?' Mr Jones, the English teacher, shouted and clapped his hands. 'She started it,' a broad-shouldered, overweight boy, stiff-finger poi...

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