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David Nutt

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2021

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87 Stories

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A devoted lost soul

Weekly Contest #363

A Devoted Lost Soul Have you ever been subjected to a pesky, devoted fly? There you are, relaxing and quietly reading. Our friend the fly comes buzzing around you. You gently raise your hand to shoo it away. It disappears, only to reappear minutes later. You go to the kitchen; within seconds, the fly has followed you. Your next port of call is the garden. You still hear the buzzing right before it lands on your arm. You flick it off, and it merrily flies off. If only you could discern its features, I am sure the fly’s face would show content...

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Bon appetite

Weekly Contest #362

Bon AppétitI have heard those words, bon appétit, many, many times in my life. But what do they really mean in English? Oddly, I never asked myself. As the title of this story is “Bon Appétit,” I feel it is my duty to explore the actual meaning of this familiar phrase, employed throughout the Western world when we are in the act of eating. Translated into English, it literally means "good appetite." However, over time, it has come to convey a wish: enjoy your meal, enjoy, dig in, tuck in, have a wonderful meal. In a formal environment, and g...

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The summer I will never forget

Weekly Contest #361

The Summer I Will Never Forget It was Saturday. I sat in my office, looking at the rain slapping against the large windowpanes. The view was like being underwater and looking up at several tall glass buildings. In some way, it was a pleasant change from the miles of brick and concrete that generally caught my eye. I had devoted my life and leisure hours to the highly successful company I had created. Frankly, whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowing, I hardly noticed.But today, for the first time, I had a feeling of uneasiness—maybe because i...

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Stamps...My passion

Weekly Contest #360

Stamps… My Passion When I entered the attic, it smelled slightly damp and dusty. I could not see anything at first; it was as dark as a cellar, the only difference being the thin shafts of light piercing through where the roof tiles did not quite overlap. My hand reached for the light switch. Before me lay what my mother called Granddad’s…”things.” Within a few seconds, I was gazing over a multitude of objects. The scene reflected the life of a man who loved collecting: stuffed animals, piles of books, a stack of pictures, several hats, bino...

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The consequences of a fathers and son's disagreement

Weekly Contest #359

The Consequences of a Father and Son's DisagreementThe year was 1938. The setting was a luxury hotel in the south of France during a family holiday. For as long as I could remember, our father had insisted that the five members of our family take a two-week summer holiday together every year. To him, it meant everything; this annual gathering was comparable to a devout religious believer making a yearly pilgrimage.It was on the fourth day of our holiday, at breakfast, that an incident occurred which shattered the very fabric of what had, unt...

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Obsessed

Weekly Contest #358

Obsessed The doorbell rang, followed immediately by a voice shouting from the porch."Muriel, it's only me! I just came round to give you your ticket for the golf club dance on Saturday.""Margaret, please come in! The door is open. I’ll be with you in a minute."Seconds later, Muriel hurried into the hallway to greet her friend. Feeling a wave of comfort in Margaret's familiar presence, she invited her into the kitchen for a cup of tea and a quick natter.With the kettle on the boil, the two friends began their chat. The first subject was Satur...

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Our true friend for life

Weekly Contest #357

Our true friends for lifeIt hadn’t stopped raining all day. I was wet, cold, and alone. I wandered the streets aimlessly, looking for a place where I might shelter from the downpour and find a corner to sleep. At that moment, I saw old, blind George on the opposite side of the street, led by his guide dog. The rain was coming down hard. They didn’t even notice me. As I passed, I wondered what life meant for them. Old George lived in perpetual darkness and could only see things through conversations with others. Living in a dark world must fe...

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Life and Color is like Wine and Cheese

Weekly Contest #352

Life and Color are like Wine and CheeseFather was always a mystery. I see him occasionally in my dreams: wearing a bowler hat, carrying a black briefcase and the inevitable, tightly rolled umbrella, leaving the house to catch the morning train to London. When he left, not only did my mother and I heave a sigh of relief, but even the house and garden seemed to exhale, like the air slowly escaping from a balloon or a tire. It was not that we didn’t dearly love our father; it was simply that he was such a disciplinarian. Even his conception of ...

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The elegant Mr.Pepper

Weekly Contest #351

The Elegant Mr. PepperHe lay there, dead. My dearest friend, Mr. Pepper. I had lived with him for fifteen years, and now I stood above him like a statue drowning in a waterfall of sadness. In a comforting, delicate motion, I felt my pet snake, Sam, crawl up my leg and wrap himself around my neck. The three of us had shared fifteen years of joy; now, the magic was broken.Dear readers, for you to understand my grief, I should explain why this was such a devastating blow. Once I left university, armed with a degree in English Literature, I knew...

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Lost and finally found

Weekly Contest #349

Lost and Finally FoundEvery year for the last ten years, a small, intimate group of us has thrown off the shackles of daily life to spend a week on walking tours in the French Alps. I originally had the idea, so the other five in the group relied on me to organize everything. It has always amazed me that humans are a bit like sheep; once a leader is established, they don’t give a second thought to organizational requirements.There we were, toasting the success of the upcoming tour in the bar of a mountain hotel. The group consisted of two ma...

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Am I living in today's world or tomorrows?

Weekly Contest #348

Am I living in today’s world or tomorrow’s?“Hello, Sir Harold calling. May I speak to Captain Farmer?”There was a pause as the person on the other end of the line went to find him. I heard the phone being picked up. “Harold, my dear chap! When are you coming to Tokyo?”“Ah, Chris! Great to hear from you. I will be there in ten days, staying at my usual hotel, the Okura, for a week.”“Harold, old man, please pencil in an evening with me. I want to take you to dinner and a very interesting new nightclub I’ve found in town. Send me an email with ...

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Diamonds Forever......Until

Diamonds Forever… UntilI didn’t ask to be born. In fact, I had no say in the matter. The love of two people decided they wanted to have a child. I lay there with no capacity to understand, but with an innate need for food and water to survive. This was given to me by what I soon learned were warm and loving hands. If for some reason this nourishment was not available, I developed a cry to make myself heard. These were my very early years. I soon understood I belonged to a happily married couple who treated me as a son to be loved and cherish...

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The wedding that never happened

The Wedding That Never Happened The whole village was very excited. This was a big event: the wedding of the mayor’s adopted daughter. But a dark cloud overshadowed what was otherwise a sunny midsummer day. At the start of the marriage service, the father of the groom stood up in response to the priest’s question:“If there is any person present who knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, then they should declare it now, or forever hold their peace.”The mayor was a man dearly loved by the villagers. For thirty years, he had looked af...

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Two world apart ...one ambition

Weekly Contest #342

Two worlds apart….one ambition. I stood in the middle of two other skiers. We were standing on a small elegant raised platform. Starting from the left hand side each position on the platform was raised to denote the importance of the person standing. My position was in the middle denoting that I was considered the most important person. I leaned forward, bent my head slightly and a silk ribbon with a medal hanging from it was placed around my neck. As I rose my body to my full height I heard the Stars and Stripes. For a fraction of a second ...

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Your path through life does not always conform to your youth's dreams

Weekly Contest #332

Your path through life does not always conform to your youth’s dreams.There was a loud knock on the door. A voice shouted “Ben there is some foreign woman on the telephone asking for you. I looked at my wrist watch. It was only half past six in the morning. “Wait a minute while I get dressed.”I extracted myself from the arms of last night’s conquest. A very pretty Argentinian girl. She rolled over in a state of dreamy slumber. Dressed only in my jeans I open the door. In a distant sleepy voice I said. “ Morning Mateo, where is the phone?” “...

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