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Derek Deschamps

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2025

Stories (3)

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2 Followers

4 Following

3 Stories

37 karma pts

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The Alley

Derek Deschamps

Submitted to Contest #299

The bowling alley. A fixture of the town. Birthday parties. Friday night hangs. Funerals. The place smelled like cheap mozzarella sticks. Cliff was used to it. He’d been running the place since he was 15. Took over after his dad suffocated under some pins. Cliff was spraying the shoes with some canola oil. Ran out of deodorizer. A guy rapped his knuckles on the counter. Cliff looked over. Older guy-child’s haircut. “Can I help you?” Cliff asked. “Saw the help wanted sign on the window,” the guy said. “It’s actually stuck there—I tried to t...

4 likes

Halloween Eve

Derek Deschamps

It was extra dark that night. No moon. No stars. Isaac and Tommy sat in the back seat. They both looked out their windows. The trees were crooked blurs. Their dad was driving fast—too fast. No one spoke. The radio was off. Engine hummed. Tires gripped the pavement, an occasional bump split the vibration. Otherwise, silence. Isaac’s clown mask sat on his lap; his ridiculous long shoes wedged under the passenger seat. Tommy’s football shoulder pads were like an added safety measure, in case of impact. His helmet sat between his legs. It...

0 likes

Elder Care

Derek Deschamps

Submitted to Contest #288

A breeze brushed against his skin, awakening David from a deep slumber. Moonlight lit the room and a haze wafted through the air, causing him to choke a bit on the first inhale. His throat was dry and scratchy, his eyes tingly as he scanned the room. Smoke? David thought. Looking to the window, he realized it was wide open—the windows having a barn door design with no screens, common in older Victorian style homes. His eyes darted around, searching for other sources of smoke—under the door, from the vents—but... nothing. David...

11 likes