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Eric Manske

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Nov, 2025

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79 Followers
15 Following

15 Stories

679 karma pts

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The Ladder

Weekly Contest #364

Greg frowned. The body slumped over the keyboard in his cubicle was still warm but stiff. The letter opener from his desk protruded from the base of the back of her head. A trail of blood darkened her blue blouse and highlighted the wound. He hoped she had not suffered much. So, the corporation intended to frame him. Providentially, they appeared uncertain of his involvement, but he would have to work fast. Greg sat down his satchel and jiggled the computer mouse until the screens came to life. A presentation of the Bogota facility report fi...

30 likes 18 comments 18
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The Gay Gene

Weekly Contest #362

I remember that day some decades ago when we fell in love. We were in a cooking class together, and I was fumbling with the coq au vin. You arrived late--no partner, no ring, and bronzed skin. You were given charge of the berry coulis. I noticed the stretching of your shirt over your chest and biceps and felt hunger stirring in me then. If you had not sat across from me, we might not have locked eyes. But you did. And we did! That month was the highlight of my life. That was also the year they discovered what was euphemistically called the g...

23 likes 10 comments 10
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The Good Dalit

Weekly Contest #357

Rishi sought the itinerant guru he heard was traveling through the area. The guru went by the name Guru Ved, which was almost sacrilegious in itself, except for the rumors of his difficult but true words, and the following he was gathering across castes. The guru was known to speak stories with shocking, almost offensive, twists and promoted the view of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, the world is one family. To Guru Ved, true spiritual seekers adhered to the idea of sarva bhuta hite rataha, or rejoicing in the welfare of all beings. Rishi was a pand...

23 likes 2 comments 2
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Eternal Explorers

Weekly Contest #354

Gennaro felt honored to be the Chief Science Officer on the Chrysalis for its maiden voyage. Their mission was to explore the Alpha Centauri system and to help set up teleportation relay stations along the way, like those around the solar system. The Alpha Centauri system sat over four light-years away. The hope was that the relay stations would act like hubs in a network that would allow quicker travel from one location to another, much like airport hubs from the days of air travel on Earth in the pre-eternity days. Gennaro strode the corri...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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Choices

Weekly Contest #348

(content warning: consideration of abortion) “Who are you?” I carried you for six months. I agonized over whether to finish the race or stop it short. I rode the roller coaster of emotions fed by hormones, faith, and mistakes. I loved you, but I feared the responsibilities and changes that you represented. In the end, that decision was removed when my obstetrician informed me you were no longer a living entity inside of me. Were you simply developing tissue or a growing living being? Did you have a soul already, or was there such thing as a...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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Harrow the Redeemed

(Content: this story is completely AI-generated and is short so I am adding words here in order that this can be posted. See comments for prompt and discussion.) In the twilight of a desolate wood, a solitary wanderer trudged through ashen groves under a dying sky. Each step stirred ash—the charred remnants of trees that once stood proud. The scorched earth mirrored the wasteland of his spirit, bereft of hope and haunted by regret. This was Harrow, a man burdened by the weight of an unatoned sin. Long ago, in a moment of cowardice, Harrow f...

6 likes 3 comments 3
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Perhaps Vulnerability is Safety

(Content: this story is completely AI-generated. See comments for the prompt and discussion.) “Barista Bubba finished swirling the whipped cream on top of the drink, placed it on the bar, and called out, ‘Half-caf triple grande hazelnut nonfat with whip mocha.’” “Bubba sighed and wiped his hands on the green apron that adorned his ample girth.” Mara kept those two images in a folder in her head: the small, ritualized perfection of a morning order and the quiet, human gesture that followed it. She had watched people like Barista Bubba for ye...

3 likes 3 comments 3
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Lucy Turns 6

Weekly Contest #345

Lucy packed Paulina, her favorite doll, in her suitcase. She had already packed her birthday dress, her pajamas, her favorite shirt, one pair of shorts, a Pull-Up, socks, and a pair of underwear. For shoes, she figured she would use what she wore for the trip. Gigi and Papa already had all the bathroom items, so she did not pack any of those, except her bubble gum Princess toothpaste. They did not have that. Mama and Dad explained yesterday that they were all going over to Gigi’s and Papa’s tomorrow for her birthday party. Lucy had wanted a ...

15 likes 7 comments 7
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The Absolution of Judas

Weekly Contest #344

Max knew it was a bad idea. He knew he was obsessed. He knew the repercussions were catastrophic. He no longer cared. He had spent all his adult life on this project and was going to see it through to the end, no matter what the consequences. Max was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family a couple of decades before time travel became feasible. Once superluminal communication became regulated, he knew it would only be a matter of time, no pun intended. He also had high intelligence, high ambition, and a high EQ. In the distant past, histo...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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Step Nine

Weekly Contest #341

(Sensitive content: substance abuse and sexual promiscuity is mentioned; verbal abuse occurs) Cindy pulled the car over to the side of the road. Shelbyville, declared the sign, population 1,430. Cindy kept the car running and prayed for the peace that passes all understanding. Her heart beat like war drums. Her hair, visible in the rearview mirror, was her normal honey blonde, not the bleached blonde of her seedy days. She phoned her sponsor for encouragement and, to be completely honest, for accountability. She called in all resources to g...

17 likes 14 comments 14
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It's a Messy Life

Weekly Contest #340

(Sensitive content: nothing happens on-scene but allusions to suicide and sexual violence are made) Larry wished he had never been born. All his life he made one dumb decision after another, and now here he was, a high school dropout, kicked out by his parents to make his own way, with no money, no prospects, and no friends. He had nowhere to go, and in one final act of dumb desperation, he made his way to the bridge on the edge of town that crossed the river and cried out to someone he rarely acknowledged. “God, I don’t know if you’re real...

10 likes 7 comments 7
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Barista Bubba

Weekly Contest #339

Barista Bubba finished swirling the whipped cream on top of the drink, placed it on the bar, and called out, “Half-caf triple grande hazelnut nonfat with whip mocha.” As the woman grabbed the drink from the bar, Bubba mentioned, “You ticked all the boxes. I’m impressed.” Unfortunately, she was oblivious since it was the morning rush, and she nearly collided into another customer in her hurry out of the Starbucks. Bubba sighed and wiped his hands on the green apron that adorned his ample girth. He grabbed the next cup in the queue. “Judy, I’m...

18 likes 9 comments 9
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Descenders of the Chariot

Weekly Contest #338

Section 1 You open the ancient-looking, leather-bound tome that your uncle laid before you. “Uncle Martel, what is this?” Uncle Martel’s eyes gleam. He glances around the library to make sure no one is close enough to overhear your discussion. “I don’t know how much you know of the writings used in Kabbalah. One of those is the Shimmush Tehillim, or Magical Uses of the Psalms, a compilation of writing collected around the Middle Ages.” He puts a hand on your shoulder before you can respond. His smile broadens. “This is the Shimmush Tehillim ...

5 likes 4 comments 4
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In a Mirror Dimly

Weekly Contest #337

“Honey, your life is in danger. Don’t you understand?” Renee listened respectfully to her boyfriend’s concerns over her phone. She just had a different opinion. ”Travis, I do understand, and I’m telling you, God has got this. He is watching over this whole situation.” “Rumors from our home office are spreading here. I heard your name mentioned. I don’t think they know we are dating.” Travis spoke more quickly and dramatically than usual. “They want that location, and they want that shelter gone. No one here wants to work next to a homeless s...

6 likes 0 comments 0
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No Fury

Weekly Contest #335

Vanessa inspected the number on the front of the envelope again. 743. The last digit was clearly a 3, not an 8. Definitely not her room. She read the message once more: “I dumped the package in the Hudson. Made some fish a good lunch. I’ll be up to see you at five. Have the money or you’ll be making the fish a good dinner.” Her lips widened into the grin her mother used to call her hyena face. She tucked the note back into the envelope, which she secured in a tight grip. Time to get ready for dinner. The doors to one of the elevators opened,...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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