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Michael Jefferson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2022

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150 Stories

4553 karma pts

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We’re Going To Treat This Town Like a Couple of Dogs in a Fire Hydrant Factory

Weekly Contest #299

Chris Carey looks down at the chlorinated water from the edge of the high dive, remembering Dennis Davenport’s pointed words: “Don’t be a wuss. This is for the kids.” The campers point at Chris, who is wearing a polka dot jumper, a frizzy red wig, white gloves, and oversized Crocs. Looking at the shimmering water fifteen feet below, Chris breaks out in a sweat. A drum roll sounds. “Helluva time to realize you’re afraid of heights and deep water,” Chris says to himself. Dennis Davenport, the camp director and head lifeguard, raises a bullhorn...

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He Was Good At Hiding His Dark Side Until He Wasn’t

Weekly Contest #298

Detectives Troy Quartermain and A.J. Palin sit in the observation room’s front row. “Full house,” A.J. comments. “These families have been waiting fifteen years for this… and so have I,” Troy replies. “I’m still uncomfortable that their bodies were never found.” “The girls are dead, A.J. Their blood was all over the parking lot. Milne’s shyster lawyer used corpus delicti to get him a second trial. He didn’t count on getting a second jury that was more convinced of his guilt than the first.” “There was another suspect…” “Yeah, Rollo Lloyd, th...

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Oops, Can I Do It Again?

Weekly Contest #297

Freeman checks the connection between Jean and the generator. “This isn’t right,” Sylvia, his assistant, says. “She’s not a car battery. We can’t just attach a cable to her and start her up again.” Sylvia adjusts her thick, oval glasses and checks the equipment. Wearing a baggy turtleneck sweater, loose-fitting pants, and tan Wallabees, twenty-eight-year-old Sylvia appears heavier than she is. Although she’s quick-witted and resourceful, her chin-length auburn hair, freckles, and potato-shaped nose give her the appearance of a socially awkwa...

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Dancing on Air

Weekly Contest #296

Mammoth, Arizona 1888 Mayor Cash Ridley gazes out of his second-floor office window at the carriages and horses navigating through Mammoths’s dusty streets, speaking with his back to Deputy Mayor Stephen Sharpe. “We’re going to execute Cynthia Greenstock.” “We’ve never hung a woman before,” Stephen replies. “People are going to be angry about it, particularly the women.” “Women don’t vote. At least not yet.” Appearances are important to Cash, who wants people to see Mammoth live up to its name. Broad-shouldered, with a large, blonde waxed m...

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Taliesin

Weekly Contest #295

“It could be halfway across Maryland by now.” “I shot it twice before it escaped.” “Might slow it down,” Zane replies. Zane Hawke had been the first agent for the Extraordinary Bureau of Investigation (E.B.I.) to arrive on the scene. At fifty-seven, the stocky, unsmiling former Navy SEAL has seen atrocities that have driven other men insane, making him ideal for tracking aliens, demons, and dangerous mythological creatures that threaten humanity. What Zane has seen so far isn’t encouraging. He runs his hand over his bristly crewcut, thinking...

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Shoot First

Weekly Contest #294

“That’s him. I’m sure of it,” Lane whispers. Caleb glances at the bearded, heavy-set man in the black Fedora sitting alone in the back of the bar. Nursing a draft, the man’s obsidian eyes scan the room. The four other soused patrons watching a soccer game are unaware they could be in imminent danger. “Same uni-brow,” Lane utters quietly. “The jagged teeth, the humped back. His right hand still shakes from that bullet he took at the Battle of Numar. It’s definitely the Shark, Caleb.” Karl “the Shark” Nimitz’s malignant stare preys on Caleb. “...

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Buckle Up, Kids

Weekly Contest #293

CW: This story contains violence, self-harm, and sexual themes. Will isn’t upset that he’s sitting in the very last row of the plane. He’s read that in the event of a crash, the people in the tail section usually survive. He isn’t upset that he’s in an aisle seat. With his nervous stomach and a prostate the size of New York, it’s better that he doesn’t have to climb over people to get to the bathroom. What’s upsetting him is the couple next to him making out like hormone-crazed teenagers. The gangly man with a porn mustache and the pneumatic...

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Painted Black

Weekly Contest #292

“You’re always a step ahead of the other agents,” Prentiss Moneymaker says, handing Estelle Mitchum a $50,000 bonus check. “You’ve sold more homes than all my other agents combined. What’s your secret?” Estelle smiles slyly. “I’m clairvoyant.” *** Back in her split-level luxury penthouse, Estelle studies her portrait hanging above the fireplace. This morning, it showed her closing her three-million-dollar sale. The picture now shows her face down on the floor. Blood pools around her dead body. Estelle hears a shuffling sound behind her. “May...

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The Shadow Men

Weekly Contest #291

Danno sees a shape from the corner of his eye, causing him to cut himself with his razor. He turns to look at the shadowy figure. There’s nothing there. He mumbles, “I need to get my eyes checked.” Looking in the mirror, Danno sees the shadow standing behind him. It has no face, no features, only a pair of probing eyes that blink inquisitively. Danno turns around to confront his intruder. The shadow man is gone. Danno sits up in bed, relieved it’s a dream. *** Lolly sucks on a chocolate Tootsie Pop. At twenty-six, Lolly knows he has a plum, ...

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Baloney

Weekly Contest #290

Roger and Heddy cringe, walking low to the ground as they sneak up the driveway to their car. They can hear Viper Axton's dogs scurry across the dirt, banging against the wooden fence that shields them from their yard. The dogs bark incessantly, intent on getting at Roger and Heddy. “Well, trying to keep quiet didn’t work,” Heddy comments. “Dogs have a great sense of smell.” “When are we going to move?” Heddy whines. “Axton’s dogs bark if someone walks by. They bark when we take out the trash. They bark if the wind blows. Speaking of which, ...

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Park

Weekly Contest #289

The stranger on the bench opens his eyes. A dark-haired little girl stands over him. “You okay, mister?” The stranger sits up, noticing a sign that says, “Welcome to Crystal Cove Park.” At the end of the lush park is a large body of water. Waves caress the sand, soothing his anxiety. A warm breeze wafts against his face. But he’s unsure if he’s looking at the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. “…Yeah, I’m fine.” The diminutive girl’s blue eyes sparkle, and she breaks out in a dimpled smile. “My name’s Lorna. What’s yours?” The stranger dwells on...

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There’s No One Here But the Dead

Weekly Contest #288

The other soldiers laugh at Francois, who is wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the oppressive hundred-degree heat. The rest of the men in the Third Lovari Regiment have stripped off their thick uniform shirts, fighting in their camouflaged T-shirts. “Aren’t you hot?” Herve Verdun asks. “We’re not supposed to be out of uniform,” Francois replies. “If you think our Helican officers care, then the heat really has gotten to you.” A beagle pads through the muddy turf toward Herve. Herve picks it up, stroking its fur. “Good ole, Karma…” “What do you...

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Bless Me, Father, for I Have Sinned

Weekly Contest #287

Seventy-two-year-old Father Ronin McIntire shuffles alongside Killian Coyle, the director of White Birch Hospice Care. Balding and quietly spoken, with tranquil blue eyes peering out from behind round, steel-rimmed glasses, Ronin listens attentively to Killian. “After all these years, Ronin, you’re still putting in twice as many hours as the rest of the staff. You’ve been running on fumes ever since COVID. You used to look like a linebacker, but now you’re a string bean. You should take some time to rest and take care of yourself.” “The pati...

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Take Me Home, Maureen

Weekly Contest #286

Fontanelle, Nebraska 1882 Myles Killebrew coughs up blood. Doc Hurtz wipes Myles’ lips with a rag, saying, “It won’t be long now.” Deputy Tennessee Longacre mutters, “Good riddance” under his breath. “I may be dying, but I’ve still got ears, you know,” Myles gasps. The rail-thin deputy pretends to spit. “Then hear this, you back shootin’ sidewinder. I hope you suffer for an eternity with that hole in your belly, then Ole Scratch comes and takes you straight to Hades where you belong.” Myles coughs, chuckling. “Still mad that I killed your b...

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Turniptown

Weekly Contest #285

Captain Garrick Lassiter takes a few deep breaths as the tank skims past a row of cherry blossom trees. Carson Steele pops out of the hatch, standing alongside his commanding officer. “Allergies?” he asks. “Just taking in the last of the clean, fresh air. I hear it’ll get pretty foul once we cross the border.” “It’s something more than that, Captain. You look troubled.” “I’ve got a feeling of Déjà vu. I remember passing these trees…I remember their smell, like vanilla…” A glint of recognition crosses Carson’s features. “They’re pretty common...

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