Short story published

Fiction, Published, short story 85 comments

I’m excited to share that a short story I wrote earlier this year has been published in Spillwords.

I’ve had a few poems published but this is my first short story.

I hope you have a chance to check it out 😎

Dusty
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85 comments

    1. Thanks, Rojie! Yeah, I was stoked when I got the email saying they had published it… I tried a few times before, but apparently it wasn’t what they were looking for.

      Thanks so much for reading and the comment… Enjoy your Sunday, my friend! 😎

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  7. Congratulations. May you publish many more.

    One minor correction: no one in Vietnam had R & R stateside unless they extended their tour for at least another six months. The exception was you could meet your wife in Hawaii.

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    1. Thank you so much for the kind words and the encouragement… Very appreciated! When I got the email that they had published it, I was so stoked! 😎🙏 I had submitted a few others previously, but I guess they weren’t what they were looking for.

      Thanks so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment! 😎❤️

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    1. Thanks, Tim! I was thinking of you a little bit when I wrote the part about him being in combat… I hope I did justice to all the guys who served their, including you… Thanks so much for your service 🇺🇸

      I’m glad you enjoyed the story… Thanks so much for reading and leaving such a kind comment. Enjoy your Sunday, my friend! 😎

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      1. Yes, Darryl, it brought to mind my time there. We were using a cigarette to remove leeches often. There was time when several guys in my platoon, including me, were stung by scorpions. It didn’t do much to me, but I had to give shots to quite a few, even had to dust-off one guy. We always watched for snakes called seven-steppers because it was said that you’d only live long enough to take seven steps. We were always hunting Charlie and NVA.

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      2. Oh man, Tim… that is awful. What a hellish predicament… danger all around…. The seven stepper would terrify me 😨 I don’t know how guys were able to make it through that… 🫤

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Awww! Thank you, my friend. I was so excited when I got their email… It made my day. Your words are especially meaningful to me because I really enjoy reading your content, know what a great writer you are.

      Thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement… much appreciated! 😎

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    1. Thanks, Jean! I’m so glad you enjoyed it… I know it was written in an unpolished style, all the run-on sentences, etc… I tried to write it as a young kid back in that period might have.

      Thanks so much for reading and the kind words… Very much appreciated. 😎

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    1. Thanks! I’m so glad you liked it, I tried to write it the way I thought a typical kid might have, bad grammar and all 😂 My FIL is a gearhead, he had a Nova, can’t recall what year, but it was sweet. Thing was a rocket, so much fun. He never drove it in winter bc of the salty roads but in summer, out in the sticks in PA, old barns going by in a blur, it was a blast!

      Thanks for reading and the interesting comment 😎

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      1. Oh, yeah, the engine on that old Nova was enormous and it was rear-wheel drive so it could really peel out. Years later I had the new “Nova” that was actually a rebranded Toyota Corolla and it was uhhhh not the same car in any way lol

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      2. Hahaaha, oh, the ol’ rebranding thing… I once bought a Chevy Prism for my daughter, was supposed to be a Corolla… biggest piece of crap ever… bleach 🚗 🤮😂

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  22. What a great piece of writing Darryl, and congratulations on having it published. You capture the personality of the narrator so well, especially the flavour of the times he’s living through. So many lives affected by the Vietnam war, so many ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t avoid the draft. I like that you leave it with the hope for the future, the next generation. Way to go, my friend. 😎

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    1. Awww…thank you, my friend. Coming from you, I am genuinely flattered by your thoughts. I did try to write it as the protagonist would, bad grammar, crude language and all. I’d like to think he recovered in the ICU and he, Dusty and the little boy lived happily ever after…but that’s just my take 😉

      Thanks so much for reading it, I do value your opinion and the kind words. Hope you and G have a great week with beautiful autumn weather 😎🙂

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  29. Congratulations BRO 😀 … It was harrowing and hellish as fiction, hard to fathom it being a reality (for some)! Thank you for the semi-happy-ending-ish … A cousin of mine was in the navy not at that time but just saying I don’t “know” if the navy would have been better. He witnessed some horrors the worst being, a step back too far and literal smithereens of a “friend”. Too many of my friends never returned remotely the same and of course some of them, never “heard” from again! Such an excellent writer you are, and I know many more to come!

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    1. Surfer Sister, thanks for your words of kindness and encouragement. You have this joy about you that shines through both in your own posts and comments you provide for others. God bless you, my friend 😎❤️

      I didn’t mean to diss the Navy and I’m sorry if it came out snarky. Those folks have their own hellish existence, stuck on a giant target with nowhere to go. It’s sad how they are indeed changed, never the same. I had a buddy at work and he was stationed near the action. He told me when the battleships stationed offshore unloaded their 16” shells, there was this weird Doppler effect wow wow wow WOW WOW ((BOOM)). He was always popping Xanax. I can’t imagine the terror of that… 🫤

      Thanks again for reading and the comments… much appreciated! 😎 🏄‍♀️

      Hey, an aside: Any idea about Kevin (Gorilla Man); Phoebe (Drops of Ink); and Laura (Black Moon Lilith)? They were quite prolific, but none of them have posted in months. Phoebe was ill, in the hospital. Hope they’re all OK…

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      1. Oh, I think your writing is always respectful but noting on the … Navy might be a better option (I thought so too) – nope! There are so many extraordinary stories and souls who survived that are being poisoned with xanax and a bunch of other deadly potent potables, but that’s just my opinion.

        God Bless YOU !!! Always kind and uplifting … make me laugh like no other !!! 😀

        I haven’t “heard” from them and sure miss their posts, creative images, and Phoebe’s poetry was soooo good (all of their works) !!! I just pray they will return better from their absence. Life sometimes comes outta nowhere and there doesn’t seem a way to exit politely or explain the why’s. I understand and hope when or if my time writing gets disrupted that my WP fam will be here!!!

        Have a blessed and awesome Sunday ~ 😇

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    1. Thanks, Linda! I tried to write it as a guy back then might have, poor grammar and run-on sentences included 😂 Thankfully, I was way too young to serve, but I had some good friends at work who had. They didn’t talk about it much, but when they did, it was horrific.

      Thanks so much for reading and the kind remark about my line 😎

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      1. Always a pleasure. (My dad was conscripted in Australia with the lottery. A week before they shipped out he complained of stomach aches. They told him it was nerves and pull himself together. A couple of days later he ended up in hospital with a burst appendix and blood poisoning. The lads all shipped out, but he stayed home sick. I think nearly dying saved his life.) Best wishes for the week ahead, L

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