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Daniel R. Hayes

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2020

Stories (76)
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1030 Followers
1008 Following

76 Stories

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Heart Half Emptied

A thick blanket of snow covered the Henderson’s two-story cottage in Bristlewood, New England in what was the first of many cold days and even colder nights that would plague the winter of 1999. The mighty pine trees of the Green Mountain National Forest engulfed the marshmallow fields like an army of poleman in the Middle Ages gearing up for one last battle. Frank Henderson sat at the kitchen table plucking the white hairs above his wrinkled lips like there were no razors left in the world. His steely eyes were fixed on the window above th...

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A Ghoulish Treat

(CW: Mild Language, Violence, Blood, and Gore.) “How does it fit?” asked Mary, peering over her thick rimmed glasses to get a good look at her daughter’s Halloween costume. Ana ran her small hands down the silky, pink princess dress and padded the peplum with eager blue eyes. “It feels good, Mommy!” “Fantastic!” Mary said, lifting her brow. “It was the last one in your size and I know how badly you wanted it.” Ana twerked her lips to the left and replied, “Everyone is dressing in superhero costumes this year, but I’m not into that kind of s...

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The Monster Beneath the Sheets

(Content Warning: Violence, Gore.) In the still of the night on All Hallows Eve, an eerie wind blew through the little suburban town of Elmhurst and rocked the empty oak trees. Tiny limbs rattled many windows like lost banshees begging for a warm embrace. A piercing howl reminded every creature, dead and alive, that the season of evil was in full swing. Bobby’s eyes snapped open like a rolling blind, and saw a wicked branch waving hello. As he took a deep breath to steady his booming heart, he noticed his closet door cracked open. The t...

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Couldn't Put It Down

(Content Warning: Violence, Blood and Gore, Language.)What is it about a good book? It’s a question that has plagued my mind for thirty years. Maybe it’s the way the authors weave their tales together with vivid imagery like: “Cotton candy as fluffy as the clouds.” Or perhaps it’s the way they infuse their personalities into each story. Who knows, and who cares, really?Ahem…well…I do care, thank you! I just love a good book. Don’t you? My love for reading began when I was a toddler. While other kids grabbed their crayons to plaster smil...

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Heavy is the Night

(Content Warning: Violence, Gore, Murder, and Abusive Situations.)Alicia’s whimpers brought life to the darkness in the cold, musty cellar where the spiders crawled, and the slugs oozed toward the black molded cement blocks. The damp soil she sat on was a warm cocoon of filth that delivered no comfort. It was a harsh reality of her failed marriage. The heavy chains around her wrists and ankles were chafing her pale skin. Thick cobwebs were layered throughout her long black hair, and the carpenter ants explored her dry-rotted clothes.The only...

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The Search for Fully Popped Kernels

(CW: Violence, Blood, Gore and Crude Humor) In the dark, cool womb of rotting soil beneath Elk Grove Cemetery, a faint buzzing sound rattled Ed O’Neal’s freshly planted corpse. One might think it strange to be buried with your phone, but if you knew Ed, you’d think nothing of it. A control freak for perfection in the living world, he left explicit instructions in his will for that glossy android device to be plastered to his side in the event of his passing. Passing…such a strange word for death. Catastrophic would have been the better ch...

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Stout

In the lands between the great mountains in the North, an emerald green pasture gives way to a vast apple orchid where the Periannath stood on wooden ladders, plucking the succulent fruit with their rugged hands. The winter season was quickly approaching, and there was a lot of work to be done.What are the Periannath, you ask? Well, my friends, they are not unlike you or me, and the only way one could tell the difference is from their short statures. You see…a Perian, in singular form, is a person true and through—not unlike the sea dwellers...

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From the Catacombs

Submitted to Contest #258

(Content Warning: Violence and Gore)I open my bloodshot eyes and watch the shadows dance from the flickering torches hanging on the cold, dripping bricks. My legs and buttocks are numb, but I can’t deny the annoying sensation coming from my right hallux. I see a pair of tiny red eyes looking up at me. My mind screams in silent terror as a piece of flesh is torn from just below my curved toenail. The rats are unrelenting in their quest for flesh.My long tenure in this malicious prison has eroded the cobblestone floor. Thick iron chains keep m...

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Mistaken

The sickly-sweet aroma of decadent freshly cut flowers filled Tomblin’s Funeral Home like a warm breeze blowing through a floral garden. The delicious splash of color did little to hide the tear-stained faces sitting on the golden benches staring at a yellow pine coffin. The mourners were dressed in their finest clothes, which was fitting for the moment, but the dead don’t care about such frivolous things. The man on display was Sam Horner. A father to a long-lost son, husband to a loving wife who had passed the year prior, and a man who had...

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My Father's Words

Submitted to Contest #255

“When life throws you crackers, you have to deal with the crumbs.” Straight from my father’s lips to my inner soul, I never understood the meaning of those words until now. He first said them to me on the banks of the Tygart Valley River on a cool summer morning just before the humid heat had a chance to bake the day. The fish weren’t biting, and I remember icy daggers stabbing my heart. Somehow, he knew how I felt. “It’s okay,” he would say. “It’s not about the fish.”  I remember those long walks home after a hectic day at Jennings ...

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What A Day Yesterday Was

(CW: Murder, blood, gore, violence.) Ben Warden opened his eyes and let the white light penetrate his soul. The cream-colored walls lacked sympathy and the shrill beeping sounds pounded his ears like a construction crew working overtime on a busy Friday afternoon. He tried to scream, but something was lodged in his esophagus. His arms lacked the strength to move, and a dark cloud of weariness licked his consciousness. “Now, now, deary,” a feminine voice whispered. “Stay still while I fetch the doctor.” As the ventilation tube was remo...

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A Legendary Love

Submitted to Contest #253

“I wish we could stay here forever,” Althea said, staring into Mesa’s hazel eyes. He pulled her close and pressed his soft lips on her forehead. “It really is a beautiful place,” he said warmly. “We’ve been coming to this secret spot in the jungle for years, and every single time…you make me want to stay.” One look at Althea’s cocoa eyes, and he knew it was true. She always had a tender way with her love; it was a precious gift he would never take for granted. “You make me want to stay too, Meu Tesouro.” Althea’s nickname for Mesa meant my...

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King Mesa

(This is a continuation of High-Heeled Princess) Althea’s gleaming black hair flowed like a majestic river flowing through a beautiful countryside as Mesa eagerly followed her through a vast jungle behind their village. The scent of white tea and citrus permeated his senses and filled him with glee. The aroma was a delicate blend of soft perfumes made from natural ingredients because Althea had sensitive skin, and nothing else would do. Mesa understood that completely because he suffered from skin allergies, too. If a single pollen spor...

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High-Heeled Princess

Submitted to Contest #250

A soft, red petal gently kissed Mesa’s front door and floated in through his mother’s kitchen window like a love bird searching the lands for a new suitor. The warm breeze delivered the delicate parcel to the table just before Mesa could take a bite of his Frosted O’s.“Mama, look what the wind blew in!” Mesa said with a dash of exhilaration. “What is it?”Lola removed the scrambled eggs from the hot stove and brushed them on an empty plate. She turned her attention to Mesa, who was wearing his Ninja Turtles pajamas, and smiled. His black hair...

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The Field of Crystal Dreams

Submitted to Contest #249

(CW: Violence) The aroma of cedarwood and cheap beer filled the air like smoke from a forest fire. Tapping cowboy boots and high-heeled stilettoes matched the raunchy country music blasting from the hi-def speakers in Old Charlie’s Bar. It was a Saturday night, and the place was packed with stressed-out patrons who wanted to let loose and have some fun after a long work week. A sea of flannel shirts, blue jeans, and twirling summer dresses filled the dance floor like one would expect, and every seat at the bar was taken. Framed pictures o...

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