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Ted Pfeiffer

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2024

Stories (5)

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5 Stories

64 karma pts

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Dust Light

Ted Pfeiffer

Submitted to Contest #321

Part I: Exit ShiftThe drill line went quiet three minutes before shift end. Not a clean stop, more of a wheeze, like the machine had to think about dying first. Orren stood with his back against the wall, waiting for the second siren. His wrists ached. His mask itched. Every breath came through a filter the color of iron filings.When the light above the door flashed green, he unclipped the bolt hammer from his belt and stepped into the decompression bay. The hatch sealed behind him. A cold mist hissed from the ceiling jets, decontaminating t...

4 likes

Welcome to Havens Rest

Ted Pfeiffer

Submitted to Contest #321

The bell above the door jingled the same way it always did, soft and sweet, like the town itself. I was halfway through my Monday special, two eggs over easy, bacon crisp enough to shatter, strawberry jam glistening on the corner of my toast, when she stepped inside.She had the look of someone who did not belong. Not in a bad way. Just untethered. City shoes, hair windblown from the highway, eyes moving as if she was not sure whether she had walked into a diner or a photograph of one.Ruth leaned across the booth and nudged me with her elbow....

2 likes

Click On, Click Off

Ted Pfeiffer

Submitted to Contest #314

Tina kept waking up every hour, whispering to herself that summer was getting too damn hot. Even with the AC running in their four-bedroom house, sleep felt out of reach—like trying to hold smoke.Every time the air kicked on, her chest loosened, like something unclenching inside her. When it clicked off, she held her breath, waiting for silence to mean failure. Maybe this was the night it gave out. Maybe tomorrow she’d have to tell Billy the water park was canceled.She rolled over, eyes on the photo beside her bed. Three kids, frozen in a mo...

5 likes

That Summer

Ted Pfeiffer

Submitted to Contest #313

The darkness never really rested in Ash Harbor. It lingered long after morning should have broken through, and it crept back early, before the loggers even made it home to their supper. Fog clung to the rooftops like regret. Jules hadn’t seen the coast in years—not since that summer with Liz. She’d stayed inland where the weather was honest, where the sun rose when it said it would. But some memories settle into the past like headstones on a hill, always visible from the pasture of your daily life. Some summers don’t stay buried. And so she ...

12 likes

Ruth's Week

Ted Pfeiffer

Ruth's gaze lingered on the moon, envisioning its cyclical dance through nights, weeks, and months. The anticipation of the moon's form a year from now heightened her anxiety about the upcoming doctor's visit. Ruth, now hairless, embarked on a six-month journey of chemical treatments and consultations with doctors of varied specialties. Her initial curiosity about these visits had waned, replaced by a cynical outlook. A timid voice broke the silence, calling, "Ruth," stretching through the atmosphere. "Ruth, honey, come inside. It's getti...

0 likes