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Joshua G. J. Insole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Aug, 2019

Stories (189)
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189 Stories

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Teething Troubles

Submitted to Contest #336

The hypnotised woman’s footsteps thudded on the stairs like a child’s as they trudged to detention.Agilauf Blaug smiled. The time had come; Dexter was about to take his next step toward becoming a feared night-stalker. Agi had kept the lad safe and fed, but now Dexter had to fend for himself. It was like any parent and child: you want to keep them safe under your bat wing, but at some point, you have to let go. With one hand raised like a puppeteer, black nails sharp enough to cut glass, he guided the woman up the next floor.On the way down ...

4 likes 4 comments 4
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Unliving It Up

Submitted to Contest #321

The plastic bag in his left hand split, spilling its brains across the road like a zombie after a shot to the dome.Ted Davis groaned like the re-dying undead as it realised it was dead once more. God, life was relentless. Here he was, alone, mid-thirties, having accomplished little beyond staying alive. There had been so much he’d wanted to try. He’d always wanted to have a teenage rebellion, to be cool, to act out, but he’d never dared to. Now, he was almost a decade and a half too late. He’d always played by the rules, and now look at him....

19 likes 8 comments 8
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The Best Revenge Is an Afterlife Well-Lived

Submitted to Contest #317

The nursing home’s windows cast pools of light on the street like puddles of luminescent dog pee.Albert Wilkinson made a slight ‘Hm’ noise in his throat. So, this was where his nemesis lived. The great Big Mean Hughie. It wasn’t as grand as Al had expected Hughie Tyler to end up in – gold, marble, gargoyles, guards. But he supposed one had to surrender such luxuries when one became a burden on society. Or, instead, your children surrendered them for you. He craned his neck and searched the facade.Panes of glass gazed back at him. Robed figur...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Crucifixer-Upper

Submitted to Contest #312

The letting agent delivered the blow with a grin that drifted across her face like cemetery mist.Peter Grey blinked once, twice, thrice. He grasped the bannister to keep from wilting to the floor like a bedsheet after the ghost had fled. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘the rent is how much?’She smiled even wider and nodded. ‘Three thousand. It’s a pretty standard number, considering the location and the square footage. Oh, and the walking distance to the train station and the shops. Never mind the proximity to an excellent school. Do you have childre...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Career Suicide

Submitted to Contest #304

The letter was there when he came back from stocking up on whiskey to keep up with Hemingway’s quart-a-day diet.Buck Moreno sucked in a breath of air through his teeth. He’d sent them his best novel yet, and they were bound to pick up this one after the slew of rejections he’d suffered. He’d show those who’d said his publishing deal was either a fluke or the result of a publisher with little left to live for. He snatched it up and took it to his writing desk. With a flick of his wrist, he slit the envelope’s neck with his letter opener and p...

24 likes 17 comments 17
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Following the Herd

Submitted to Contest #296

The zombies surged at the humans like an ocean wave at a wannabe influencer about to lose their phone in the water.Gavin Jenkins’s heartbeat thumped faster. It was happening. He was going to kill and eat someone, another human being. But what was a man to do? It was either fit in or stick out. And look at where sticking out got you – this poor couple was a minute shy of evisceration. No, he needed these zombies to believe he was one of them. He didn’t want to die today, but it was hard when most of the world had an interest in eating the liv...

19 likes 8 comments 8
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No Bombing in the Pool

Submitted to Contest #293

The swimming pool sent the morning sun’s rays dancing across the mansion’s facade.Behind his Ray Ban shades, Theo King – one letter away from ‘The King’ – closed his eyes and let out a world-weary sigh. Peace at last. Had it been too much to ask for? With a flute of Krug champagne and the newspaper opened to the financial section, he shuffled to the pool’s edge.Theo’s flip-flops slapped against the tiles. The sound reverberated off the eight-foot fences he’d erected for privacy. But, other than that, there was almost silence. Somewhere, bird...

19 likes 20 comments 20
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No Body Wants to Work Anymore

Submitted to Contest #288

The rain lashed against the lab windows like God was tapping along to a Neil Peart drum solo.Victor Frankenstein gritted his teeth, his mop of a fringe plastered to his forehead by the sweat. He needed to hurry up; the storm would soon be upon him. He was so close, and if he didn’t have the creature ready in the next few minutes, he’d have to wait until the next storm. And who knew when that would be? No, it had to be now; it could not wait.Lightning flashed on the horizon. Fifteen seconds later, the thunder rumbled, distant. The rain became...

27 likes 15 comments 15
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Jurassic Pork

Submitted to Contest #286

In the distance, the T. rex roared like a man stubbing his toe on the coffee table after getting up to pee at night.Marsh Buckley’s gut dropped, a Jeep falling from a tree. Unlike a few unfortunate souls in their party, they’d scraped through the last encounter. Who knew toilets could be so dangerous? Marsh wrapped his arms around the kids’ shoulders. ‘Now, don’t you worry, kiddos. I recognise that roar, I learned it in dinosaur school. What he’s saying is, “I am sufficiently full for the foreseeable future. I wouldn’t even contemplate chowi...

21 likes 9 comments 9
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Thumpety Thump-Thump

Submitted to Contest #281

Leon, Timmy, and Spike ran down the road, throwing snowballs at each other, laughing and yelling.Davy Dennis sighed. It was easy to have a snowball fight when you had friends. It was only workable to do it solo if you loaded up an automatic ball launcher with ice and stood before it. It was also tricky to join in with a group of kids he didn’t know. Throwing a snowball at a buddy was funny. Throwing one at a stranger was assault. Besides, Davy had never been very good at approaching others, hence his predicament. Dad had told him to go outsi...

18 likes 16 comments 16
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Stake News

Submitted to Contest #278

Even if the girl hadn’t been wearing headphones, she wouldn’t have heard a thing.Farvald Braddocke fell from the midnight skies like a raindrop, liquid and silent. He fluttered behind her, exploding out of a swirl of black ink to take human form. Farvald landed on his feet, mid-stride. He bloomed his cape out behind him for good effect – as was the vampiric way.The girl, sensing something out of the corner of her eye, started to turn. One hand went to her over-ear headphones, which blared music loud enough for others to hear. ‘Huh?’Farvald g...

17 likes 12 comments 12
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Shortcuts Lead To Dead Ends

Submitted to Contest #277

The janitor hit the light switch as he left, leaving the school in darkness before locking the doors. Frank Elliot let out his breath. This bit was always the most anxiety-inducing; would Ol’ Zeph catch him? But Ol’ Zeph had been the caretaker here before God was a student. He performed his duties on autopilot and put in the least effort to not get fired. Ol’ Zeph shuffled about like a zombie, waiting until retirement. Besides, even if he had bothered to do a quick sweep, Frank had hidden himself inside a locker. He discovered it was possibl...

22 likes 9 comments 9
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His Dark Is Worse Than His Bite

Submitted to Contest #274

The woman groaned when the streaming service on the TV paused, asking if she was still watching.The Shadowman lingered outside her lounge window, waiting for his moment. It was never the same time – her sleeping schedule was all over the place – but he knew when roughly. It was coming soon. He had only to wait.She ran a hand over her eyes and mumbled to herself. ‘You know you should call it a night when Netflix starts getting all judgemental. All right, all right. Time for bed.’The Shadowman grinned.She turned off the TV, got up, left the lo...

20 likes 9 comments 9
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Jack the Ripper

Submitted to Contest #273

The police car sped past on the road outside, siren wailing and lights flashing.Jack gasped. They were onto him; he didn’t have much time. He had to make as many as possible for Them, didn’t they understand that? Still clutching the juice-covered butcher’s knife, Jack ran to the window and peered out.The car screeched to a stop before his neighbour Sam’s house. Two police officers burst out of the vehicle. They ran up to the door, hands on the butts of their weapons, heads twitching from side to side. The front door swung open before they co...

22 likes 10 comments 10
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Out for the Count

Submitted to Contest #272

A knock-knock-knock came from the top of his coffin lid.Ekkehard Freudg closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. One day’s sleep was all he wanted, one day of peace. That damn boy would jump at the shadows of his own bat wings. Ekk pushed up his coffin and glared at the boy, not even deigning to sit upright. He kept his arms crossed over his chest. ‘Yes, Dunstan, what is it?’Dunstan Grieves stood there in his PJs, holding a blanket. He shifted from one foot to the other, looking awkward. ‘I heard a noise, Ekk.’Ekk’s eyebrows rose. He tried to ...

29 likes 20 comments 20
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