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Colin Devonshire

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories
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180 Followers
227 Following

150 Stories

1632 karma pts

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The Colour of Lies

The author’s note: “This story is written in good faith, only meant to be read by 'little people' under the age of fourteen. And under no circumstance admit to reading it. If you do by chance, lie about it.” In a cramped and ugly room, the brickwork, sloppily painted and crumbling, dust littered the bare concrete floor. “Do you know why you are here?” “I know nothing.” The lie detector continued with its job. The black line jerked up and down. Scrawling its route to the truth. Aoife, young and beautiful studied Ciara the frumpy policewo...

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All At Sea!

Weekly Contest #87

“Not now, Samantha, thank you, can’t you see I’m thinking.” “Yes, sir.” Chief Jones flapped his fingers at the door behind her, Samantha ducked her head and backed out to her desk in the adjoining room. Chief Jones was not the chief of anything, but he was managing director of Westwing Lines and had more than his fair share of problems. “How can I see if he’s thinking?” she muttered to herself. She returned the bank manager’s call, “Sorry, Mr Arbib, he’s tied up, I’ll get him to call you.” “Don’t worry, I’ll call him, maybe I’ll be lucky...

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Who Are You? Who Am I?

Weekly Contest #86

A gentle click and a kittenish hum accompanied Amy’s unladylike yawn. She looked around and apologised to no one, at least no one awake. “It’s six o’clock, you asked me to call you,” as a lively nurse popped her head around the door. Amy checked her watch. “Thank you, I’d better go,” Amy dabbed her eyes as she did every day. She twirled her engagement ring as she did on the hour. As she did every hour. “Miss Amy, can you hold on for a moment, the doctor wants to talk to you?” “Is there any change?” Amy asked hopefully. The nurse ducked ...

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Only In Bangkok!

Weekly Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city, you can do anything here,” said Pope. “Why do they call you Pope?” “The simple answer, it’s my name.” “Yeah? I don’t believe you.” “And I’m supposed to believe Gratis is your name?” The two men laughed and drained their beers. “You were saying about the city?” asked Gratis. “You can get away with a lot more here. We have a similar problem.” “You don’t know me, how can you know about my problems, if I have any?” “Because I can read,” said Pope. “What do you mean?” “You are on Facebook, Twitter and...

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Tasks For Big Al

Weekly Contest #84

“I need to see you, now!” whispered Big Al. A whisper that melts phones. “On my way,” JD knew better than to argue with the man who paid his wages. He also knew that when Big Al whispered you had better move… fast. JD badly needed a shower, there was no time for a shave. There was no dress code for this meeting. He slung on last night’s jeans and t-shirt. Sniffing the Levis, he changed his mind and quickly found some clean light brown canvas strides and a denim shirt. Satisfied that his body odour would not insult Big Al’s nostrils, he gra...

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Jed Pee Nong Hotel

Weekly Contest #83

“Jet Pee Nong, what the hell is that?” asked the walk-in customer. “That, my friend, is the name of a magnificent hotel in a brilliant resort, on the holiday you’ve been dreaming of,” answered the overly keen sales agent at Rickets Travel Bureau. “I noticed the ‘deal of a century’, you’ve been plugging on social media recently. Tell me more.” “You are in luck. We only had one spot available, and it had been booked,” said the young man with the bright yellow blazer with the over-sized letters, RTB, plastered over the breast pocket. Below t...

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Courting

Weekly Contest #81

“It is great to see you smiling,” said Garth, beaming, his straight white teeth flashing in the glare of spotlights. “Yes, I was not sure I could ever be happy again. You can't believe the relief I feel,” Alice said. Cameras clicked, journalists called out questions as the police allowed the happy pair through the throng of eager news reporters looking for an unexpected scoop. “Please, may I buy you lunch?” asked Garth. “Now you’ve finished your job, don’t you have to go back to the office?” “As a new partner in BA Scots and Sons, I can...

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Don't Go Out In The Rain!

Weekly Contest #80

“To end today’s ‘World News Report’, we have some sad news of our own. Experienced journalist Robert Perkins has died at his home tonight, after reporting on the storms in the Lake District. His wife informed us of the devastating news an hour ago, we have nothing extra to add at this time. We are all sorry to announce the passing of a well-respected reporter and a good friend to many.” The news-desk broadcaster was at a loss of words. They signalled her to carry on with the report, “Please bear with me, there are more shocking reports comi...

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Mother's Day? Father's Day? Why Not Brother's Day?

Weekly Contest #79

“Why the evil eyes, what’s the matter with you two?” a cheerful Mum asked her two sons. “Keep smiling Mum, at least there is one lucky person, unbowed by grief. I haven’t seen Andy’s cheerful mug for weeks,” smirked Mart. “I’m sick of the sight of you if you must know, Mr Perfect, ha, nothing goes wrong with your life?” said Andy. “Big brother is not happy. I do not know what I’ve done to upset him?” said Mart, looking at his mother. “You two, please settle down, let’s have dinner with no more arguments. It’s so nice to have you alone to...

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Stuff It!

Weekly Contest #78

“I’ve known you for months now, you’ve taken me out to gorgeous restaurants, we’ve seen wonderful shows together, and you have even met my parents, so why have you never invited me to your place?” asked Annie. Annie pushed down with her chubby fists into the small pockets of her baggy cardigan. Chris wondered how the knitting didn’t fall apart. Her habit was one of the many quirks she fascinated him with. “My house is a mess, you wouldn’t like it,” Chris answered. He aimed to take her, but only when he was ready, not before. “Do you know ...

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When Cold Sets In

Weekly Contest #77

“Did you shut the door?” asked Joe. “Of course I did, do you think I’m stupid?” answered Greg. “It’s bad enough having to work on a night like this.” “Did you drive in?” asked Greg. “Yeah, I would not walk,” said Joe. “You live near enough, I didn’t have a choice,” mumbled Greg. “Aargh, look, the light is on in the accounts department.” “That’s Polly, she’s new,” Greg’s eyes lit up. “How can they force a girl to work on a night like this? Especially a new member of staff. A brilliant manager she has,” said Joe. “She messed up an ord...

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I Told You I'd Remember!

Weekly Contest #76

“Beautiful day,” said Dr Pinkly. “I’m so glad you decided not to keep us inside today,” answered Pauline. “Sun shining, fresh air, what could be better?” he said. “I could name a few things,” she answered. “Please don’t think of this as part of your treatment. Relax and enjoy,” he said. “What? How can I think of it any other way? It’s not as if we could be mates, is it?” “My job is to make you feel better within yourself.” “And my job is to make you work for your money,” she laughed. They strolled on, bees were exploring the fresh gr...

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Before Yesterday

Weekly Contest #75

“Eighteen today? A big boy now,” said June. “Yes, mum, does that mean you’ll allow me out?” “Jimmy, we’ve been through this. You can go out, you always could.” “I mean, on my own,” said Jimmy through clenched teeth. "Open your gift. Do you like it?” his Mum asked. “Thank you. It would be better if I had somewhere to wear it,” he answered, lobbing his new jumper onto the sofa. “Have you any schoolwork to catch up with?” “Most people my age have quit school by now. Why do I have to keep learning?” asked Jimmy. “We’ve been through this ...

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Day Nine

Weekly Contest #74

Day nine was Christmas Day, the family had all gathered; they decorated the table with holly and crackers. We were all smiling, Dad had been generous with gifts this year. Mum carried the turkey from the oven. Uncle Pete stood, pulled his Browning and shot his brother, my father. The bullet entered below his eye, killing him instantly. Mum dropped the bird and stood opened-mouthed. My sister screamed. Granddad pushed his chair back and started after uncle Pete. The door slammed. Uncle Pete fired the engine and screeched down the otherwise qu...

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Beat Stops!

Weekly Contest #73

“Your seat, sir,” the air hostess cleaned some imaginary dust from its cushion. The passenger looked around before answering, “Thanks, I’d like to sleep, so no interruptions.” His crumpled Daily Mail hit the floor. The headline glared up at him, ‘Guitarist - Dead’. “I know you,” wailed a girl sliding into a seat nearby. Mr Giles Goodly tutted and glared at the hostess. The Thai Airways lady offered an embarrassed smile. “You’re the drummer! I know you. Why have you cut your hair?” she continued. The once bouncy black curls now styled a...

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