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Paul McDermott

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

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12 Stories

201 karma pts

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Chance Meeting

Weekly Contest #375

A pair of tiny, gold-flecked orbs were staring straight at him. The pupils of the eyes narrowed, became vertical, unlike any Ryan had seen before. He sensed alarm, even panic, and realised these emotions were not his own. They belonged to … whoever was watching. They became the features of a perfect, delicate face: one which had no page or chapter in any book listing the flora and fauna of the natural world. A foot in height, female in form: hair the colour of purest gold cascading to her waist and held in place by a coronet plaited from fre...

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Second Thoughts

Weekly Contest #372

Second Thoughts Phil dragged his heavy head from his arm and his unplanned nap. He focussed one bleary eye on the couplet he’d decided he could work with after a night full of false starts. The waste bin next to his desk was probably more than half full of crumpled pages. He was starting to stiffen up: time for a change of position, or at least flex a different set of muscles. He pushed away from the desk, grateful for his decision to invest in a mid-range comfortable office chair which protected his back, regardless of the hours he spent i...

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No Time

Weekly Contest #234

No Time Coming off the ferry late on a Sunday evening, they’d run into traffic, which wasn’t the best possible start to a much-needed and eagerly anticipated holiday. On the other hand, it was immediately obvious that the Home team had won, and Dublin’s victory over Limerick in the Hurling finals looked as if it would be celebrated long into the night. The traffic all seemed to be moving west, the same direction they were travelling, and there really wasn’t any significant delay. “Can you imagine what it’d be like if we’d run into the cr...

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Chance Meeting

Weekly Contest #215

Chance Meeting A pair of tiny, gold-flecked orbs stared at him. The pupils narrowed, vertical feral slits unlike any Ryan had ever seen. He sensed alarm, even panic, and realised these emotions were not his own. They belonged to … whoever was watching. They resolved as the features of a perfect, delicate face: one which had no page or chapter in any book listing the flora and fauna of the natural world. A foot in height, female in form: hair the colour of purest gold cascading to her waist and held in place by a coronet plaited from fresh...

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A Friend in the Dark

Weekly Contest #211

A Friend in the Dark When all was said and done, he couldn’t blame her for walking out on him. . After three months the pain was starting to ease, but that didn’t make the loneliness any easier to bear. He had no appetite, evidenced by half-finished remnants of meals bought from several fast food outlets within walking distance, all abandoned as the food turned to ashes. He thought most of the people still living in the area either couldn’t cook, or wouldn’t: what else would explain the high ratio of chippies-to-households on a council est...

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In the 'Pool

Weekly Contest #164

In the Pool “I never thought I’d see things change so much since I first sailed away as a kid. It’s true what they say: you can take the Boy out of Liverpool, but you’ll never take Liverpool out of the Man,” “And then there was what me Da used to say, an’ his Dad afore him.” “What’s that?” “When my Da said ‘in the Pool’ he meant ‘in Liverpool’ – or more exactly, in the Town Centre. He wasn’t talkin’ about having webs between y’r toes, or learning to swim before you could walk. Nowadays, all y’ have to do is look at Birkpool, across the r...

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Over and Out

Weekly Contest #110

Over and Out John slowed as he approached the corner of his street, took out his mobile phone and checked the message again. It was short, unambiguous, impossible to misinterpret. “ 2 x 200 missed. Tues pm. We know where you live” The final phrase was one that nobody in Liverpool wants to hear or read. John had spent all his Student Loan before Easter, and to keep body and soul together during his final year he’d been obliged to turn to Loan Sharks with punitive ‘interest charges’. Inevitably he’d missed payment dates – two, now – and the...

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Liar Liar

Weekly Contest #107

It was thirty-five years since he’d qualified as a teacher, and the Reunion Dinner was being held to mark forty years since the college opened. Paul stood behind two or three others waiting to register their arrival at the Reception desk. The others all had small cases with them, suggesting they were from out of town and would be staying in the halls left vacant during the summer vacation. Paul lived nearby, and had decided against the residential option. Mentally, he shrugged. The phrase “que sera, sera” floated through his mind – and appar...

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Chance Meeting

Weekly Contest #104

Chance Meeting A pair of tiny, gold-flecked orbs stared at him. The pupils narrowed, vertical feral slits unlike any Ryan had ever seen. He sensed alarm, even panic, and realised these emotions were not his own. They belonged to … whoever was watching. They resolved as the features of a perfect, delicate face: one which had no page or chapter in any book listing the flora and fauna of the natural world. A foot in height, female in form: hair the colour of purest gold cascading to her waist and held in place by a coronet plaited from fresh...

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Serendipity

Serendipity “Morgens, Mike! Wie geht es?“ „Sehr gut, Don! Aber …?“ There wasn’t much likely to throw Mike Freeman, not even his boss breezing into the office on a Monday morning and addressing him in a foreign language. Mike waited patiently, certain he had Don’s measure in this department. As usual, he was right. “Just checking, Mike! I know you speak several languages: fancy a road trip? German would probably be a plus, but it’s more of a ‘next door neighbour’ job, and I’m not expecting you to be fluent in Danish …….?” “Next door? Don...

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Home and Away

Weekly Contest #100

Preparing a Meal Preparing food for yourself or for a group of people are two completely different situations.. Whether the task involves a ‘one-off’ single meal or is part of a longer, planned series of meals is one point which needs to be considered. Cooking for yourself would most likely be influenced by personal likes and preferences, whereas cooking for someone (singular OR plural) else would have to allow for other factors, which might have to include dietary needs, known allergies etc. This applies to planning one single meal, but al...

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Through the Bedroom Window

Weekly Contest #97

The tranquillity of the late evening was shattered by a scream of terror. A light flicked on in Donna's bedroom, and Mike's coffee mug shattered on the path as he spun on his heel and flew through the house and up the spiral stair. Donna's wail was louder, more strident with every stride Mike took. Even taking the stairs three and four at a time, he registered vaguely that she hadn't paused for breath: how could a twelve-year-old possibly have so much air in her lungs? He rammed the door squarely with his shoulder, caring neither for the da...

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