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Steven Bari

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2024

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13 Followers
9 Following

13 Stories

136 karma pts

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Madman's Ball

Weekly Contest #354

Doctor Lena was escorted into the cavernous citadel of the Hierophant, a madman cloaked in shadow. The doctor used the telescopic functionality of his cybernetic eyes to peer into the madman's face, searching for any shred of humanity. Instead, Lena found a ghastly smile."I am so very happy to see you again, Dr Lena!" bellowed the Hierophant. The mysterious host sat on a throne, which itself was atop the neck of a giant, headless automaton; the magnificent metal man itself sat in its own gargantuan seat. "Its been far too long. How was your ...

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Psychopomp and Circumstance

Weekly Contest #351

Ten thousand years of memory could not prepare the vicar for what he was about to see: The stone doors of the mighty ziggurat were open. Eons ago, he had given up his flesh and soul to the ancient deity buried deep inside, to remain as a ghoul floating in the physical world. His only material connection was the blood-red robes covering his ghastly, ethereal form. No one had even seen the doors ajar, let alone wide open. The primordial god slept down in the depths, below the structure's foundation, beneath the sands, beyond the stretch of the...

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The Demon Sphere

Weekly Contest #325

Urum Laetificus heard the rush of the breeze on the other side of the his prison wall, and imagined what it would feel like against his skin. Gentle, tender, cool. He got goose bumps dreaming of the world outside and its sensations-- its colors, smells, and adventure.But Urum Laetificus knew of the outside only as adream. He was isolated. He did not simply feel it. He knew it.Laid as an egg by his harpy mother and cursed for his father's transgressions, Urum was to be trapped inside his egg for 10,000 years, waiting to break out of his shell...

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The Demon Hour

Weekly Contest #319

CW: References to violence and gore The clock struck three in the A.M. as the veil between worlds began to thin. The beast pressed its fingers into the meta-versal membrane and pushed through to the other side. As it entered, the veil was sewn back together my unseen hands.The beast now stood in the material world, free to roam, free to live... free to feed.The wet earth beneath its cloven feet sunk with each step. How strange, it thought. In its world, the ground was layered in eons of magma and cooled rivers of flame, giving no purchase. H...

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My Eyes Bleed Silver

"These idiots are wasting my time," thought the ruggedly handsome man in the leather vest. The thick black hair on his head and bare chest swayed in the wind as he stood over the unconscious, old woman. The handsome figure searched the woman's housedress for anything of value: cash, cards, keys, a cell phone. Hell, he'd take a butterscotch as a victory at this point.The striking figure found nothing, kicking the lifeless lump of flesh in frustration. "Oy!" he screamed to the house being ransacked behind him. "Find anything yet?!"A weathered ...

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Torandot Redux

Weekly Contest #314

"Forget her, Cefalu," Gayle consoled. He lit up his pipe and turned back to face his friend. "Turan's a goddamn princess and you're just a--"Cefalu was no longer behind him on the cobblestone streets of Karakorum, but had climbed atop the shingles of a nearby roof.Gayle dropped his yasun, letting the lit tobacco spill on his feet. "Cefalu!!-- Gah!" He quickly brushed the embers off his foot and looked back at the roof. His friend was gone.Mumbling to himself, Gayle jockeyed onto a narrow fence, as Cefalu must have, and jumped to hang from th...

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The Drow Dilemma

Weekly Contest #313

Stella took a sip from her new mug. "G'wah!"She flung the porcelain cylinder to the floor, spilling its contents on the teak wood.Angon peaked his head through her office door. "You alright there?""Fuckin-- Did you change the temp on the machine?!" she sputtered from a burnt mouth, collecting the hot coffee off the floor."Yep, you got me," Angon teased, as he sipped from his own mug. The gold emblem of the Elven Synod flared against the light from the setting sun in the distance. "Fine detective work like that gets you the corner office."Wit...

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Overlooked

Weekly Contest #312

"Power: On. Battery: High. Your Device is Connected."Lin poured himself a drink and into his writing chair."Good Evening, Mr Lin," said the voice in his ear. "Shall we begin?"Lin hovered his fingertips in the air over the desk. The computer in front of him, no bigger than his rocks glass, projected a keyboard of pure, hard light. His digits found their position over the holographic keys. Lin took a deep breath. And began.Thirty minutes passed. Lin's fingers flew as fast as his mind could concoct the next thought. "Did you mean to write "fund...

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This Lady Drives like a Man

Weekly Contest #302

Did you know old wood is really sharp? Neither did I, until my cheek was gored on the side of a boat. Picture it: Sicily, 1987. I was six years old, playing tag or some Italian variant. It was evening, sometime after dinner during our "passagiata" or walk-after-dinner. My mom sat on a bench along the water, talking to her friends, while I chased the trajectories of little Italian children, with whom I couldn't communicate. What was rules of this game? Was this even a game? Boh, che ne saccio.I ran up and down the cobblestone street in the li...

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The Gray Citadel Approaches

The parsecs of grass fluttered against the winds, as it rolled over the hills. Along the river Auer, the waters crashed along the banks in waves, dredging and tearing the earth into the rough, watery deep. The sky watched over, solid baby blue, and remained calm. This was an ill omen, thought the mystic."We must run."The young protege lifted his attention from his training scroll. "Master, what is--""RUN!" bellowed the mystic as his legs pulled him toward the cave opening he called his temple. The protege rose from his knoll and followed his...

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Interrogation in Joliet

Weekly Contest #280

Content warning: Strong language and themes or references to violence, genocide, and death."You do know you're the clone, don't you?".....""Dr Malloy? did you hear wh--""I heard. and I know.""Oh. Well, that moves the conversation forward! With that settled, do you know where the real Malloy is?""No.""Sorry?""No. I don't know where he is.""...I don't think you understand what I am asking.""Then try asking the question you want to ask! Or untie me, and maybe induce some goodwill.""...It is my understanding that all of Dr Malloy's clones were ...

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I thought Torture was Illegal: My time in front of the Community Board

Even with a negroni in my hand, I was not prepared to deal with Community Board 22A. Via Zoom, I watched as a group of thirty people I never met before take turns whipping personal insults at me. Mean, hurtful things. Wild crazy conspiracies. And one guy who outright called me a failure.Tried to apologize and contextualize their assertions, even the flat the falsehoods. But, by the end, three hours later, I was a defensive ball of wrathful anger.I don't when I stopped drinking that night, but I know when it started.At around 6:30pm, I opened...

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Midnight Rendezvous

Sabine turned to the loud noise at the window behind her sofa.Bonk!Peering over the back of the Ethan Allen leather love seat, she gazed out through the single pane of glass. Outside was a bucolic evening along the urban cul-de-sac. Wind bristled the resilient leaves on the trees and no one was on standing fallen along the pavement.There was no one outside. No one near her third story window.Sabine returned her book and some semblance of peace.But as she focused on the words printed before her, thoughts of blurred across letters, making them...

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