Anthony Stauffer
Bio
Husband, Father, Technician, US Navy Veteran, Aspiring Writer
After 3 Decades of Writing, It's All Starting to Come Together
Use this link, Profile Table of Contents, to access my stories.
Use this link, Prime: The Novel, to access my novel.
Stories (100)
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The Wherewolf of London, Ohio
Toby was a mistake. No… not like that. His parents were dutiful. High school sweethearts, Aaron and Janice Stapleton were the quintessential, good-natured busybodies. Everything was planned out; from the proximity of their colleges to the careers of their dreams, from the home of their choice on the street of their choice, they accounted for every minute and every dollar. Had it been the 1950s, they would have been on the billboard of soon-to-come white picket fence community. By the time Janice had become pregnant with Toby, the couple had been happily married for three years, had a room already set aside for a nursery, and had a college fund set up at the local bank. Toby’s childhood was, for all intents and purposes, perfect. Except, of course, for the bullying.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
God's Heart
Valentine’s Day, he thought with a cynical snicker. It had been six weeks since Claire was killed by that backstabbing doppelganger, and every day for Eric was a mental fight between hatred of that woman and utter despair over the loss of his wife. Claire… his Claire had been a gentle soul, driven to greatness and convicted like no other person he had ever known. Why would she sacrifice herself to this other Claire? As far as Eric was concerned, she was an impostor… she wasn’t real. This whole business of alternate realities sat about as well as his sixth lunchtime beer.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Say A Prayer For Me
Author's Note: Within this chapter, the main character, Claire, reads a book of poetry. The poem that she reads in the book is not a poem written by me. Instead, it is written by a fellow Vocal author, Cathy Holmes. The poem, "Screaming Flowers", is used with her express permission. Her creativity deserves the honor of recognition. Thank you, Cathy!
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Reflections
Back ‘home’, Claire was thankful for the silence of desolation. The rage induced by Gabriel’s confession was threatening to consume her. Why would the angel do something so stupid?! She stopped, looked to the sky, and let out a scream in an effort to quench the fire inside of her. As her echoes dissipated in the cool, humid air, the tremors began under her feet. Her head on a swivel looking for a source, Claire found nothing out of the ordinary. But they continued, neither getting stronger nor weaker.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
The Ecstasy and the Agony
Author's Note: Within this chapter, the main character, Claire, reads a book of poetry. The poem that she reads in the book is not a poem written by me. Instead, it is written by a fellow Vocal author, Colleen Millsteed. The poem, "She Welcomes the Darkness While Wandering the Destructive Halls of Hell", is used with her express permission. Her creativity deserves the honor of recognition. Thank you, Colleen!
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Filthy
A Home for the Holiday
The sun shone bright in the clearing, and a slight, cool breeze moved through the leafless trees as Claire flashed into existence. Of all the realities that she had been to, none of them had felt like this, except her own. There was a perceived normalcy, like nothing untoward had happened here. Of course, she hadn’t yet left the woods and hadn’t a clue as to what this world was all about. So, Claire walked east and found herself in the large field behind the high school after only a few minutes. She continued along the tree line that stretched the width of the school’s property to the south. The parking lots were empty, indicating that today was either a holiday, or a weekend. Could it be Christmas already?
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
A Murder of Crows
Author's Note: Within this chapter, the main character, Claire, reads a book of poetry. The poem that she reads in the book is not a poem written by me. Instead, it is written by a fellow Vocal author, Julianna Byrd. The poem, "In the Wake of a Storm", is used with her express permission, though I have only used a single verse of the whole. Her creativity deserves the honor of recognition. Thank you, Julianna!
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Fog and Haze
Max’s paw against her face brought Claire out of sleep. He had shaken her within the meditating darkness of the dream. And as she ascended from the meditation and through the dream, she could hear the voices of her others crying out for death, and the shadows across the abyss calling her mother. Then her eyes opened in the waking world and to Max’s moist, black nose dominating her field of vision. His purrs were loud and full of love.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
Halloween
Author's Note: At the end of this chapter, the main character, Claire, finds a book of poetry. The poem that she reads in the book is not a poem written by me. Instead, it is written by a fellow Vocal author, Melissa Ingoldsby. The poem, "Lost", is used with her express permission, though I have altered her name in the text of the novel. Her creativity deserves the honor of recognition. Thank you, Melissa!
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
The Demon and The Angel
The heat of the day radiated from the asphalt and cement in waves, a look at the casino-lit horizon of Las Vegas Boulevard was like looking at a mirage. But the sights and sounds of Sin City were what truly drew Belphegor to this place. There was an underlying order to this insanity of human lust and chaos. And it was to order for which Belphegor was chosen. In the annals of religion, his name was not revered, being called an archdemon of evil. But the one thing he never understood is why he was seen as evil… His name meant, ‘Lord of the Gap’, meaning that he was able to show humans the gaps in their knowledge. Where once they commended God for the way things were, they then would realize that there was a principle of order to it that could be quantized and tested. Why was that evil?
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
The Mirror
Sunday morning dawned bright and noisy. Considering it was now entering into late October, the warmth of the morning was a surprise to Claire. She awoke with a smile, despite the endless list of things she wanted to accomplish. Her shower was heavenly, and when she was dressed and ready for the day, she went to the mirror to put on her scant makeup.
By Anthony Stauffer4 years ago in Fiction
