James Fritz

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Feb, 2023

Stories (6)

6 Stories

222 karma pts

?

“One Surly Bus Driver” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #246

The Greyhound bus isn’t as packed as I thought it would be. Usually, the Minneapolis to Chicago route is sold out. Katrina and I have a row to ourselves. She snuggles up close to me in the seat. I can practically taste her fruity perfume. Her glasses droop low on her face as she reads her Kindle. Her dimples look more pronounced whenever she’s concentrating on something. If there were an award for the most kissable nerd in the world, she would win.She’s letting me stay at her house over Christmas break. I’m going to meet her parents for the ...

Read story

“The Tunnel of Temptation” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #226

David and I wait at the entrance to the Tunnel of Temptation for a boat to arrive. We’ve been on every ride except this one. He wanted to save this one for last. “That way, if you get tempted with an old fling, at least we’ll have already done everything else beforehand!” I had never heard of Pumpkin Palooza until he told me about it. Supposedly it’s this traveling carnival that goes to a different town across the country every year on Halloween. A nice change from handing out candy again. “Enjoying yourself, Sarah?” he asks. “Of course! I h...

Read story

“A Letter from a Dissatisfied Shangri-La Festival Attendee” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #212

Dear Customer Relations, I am addressing this letter to your Customer Relations Team since (a) I am a customer and (b) our relationship is in hot water. Since your company took down its social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok, you have left me no choice but to write a physical letter. And even though I’m from Gen Z, I know how to address an envelope. I recently had the misfortune of attending the first-ever Shangri-La Festival in the Bahamas. From the moment ...

Read story

“A Surrealist's Worst Nightmare” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #206

I grasp a champagne flute as I saunter around my art exhibition at the Met. Everybody who’s somebody is here for the grand opening. Dealers, collectors, curators. My Surrealist paintings cover the walls. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding roughshod over a planet-sized baseball. A pinball machine with skyscrapers for flippers. The interior of an office building in which everybody who works there has a lampshade and lightbulb for a head. There’s no in-between when it comes to my art. You either love i...

Read story

“On Time” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #193

The contact is late. I stand outside the Bolshoi Theater. A bowl-shaped fountain shoots a jet of water into the air. The front doors look like they’re made of solid gold. Ten white columns hold up a beautiful golden awning. I pace along the walkway in front of the entrance. The flash drive in my suit pocket feels as heavy as a brick. Loaded on it are the plans for Russia’s new hypersonic missiles, the first of their kind in the world. If the FSB catches me with these plans, well… I wouldn’t put it past them to strap ...

Read story

“The Greatest Fairy Tale of All Time” by James Fritz

Submitted to Contest #186

The Fairy Books sat in a pile on Marcus’s nightstand. The colored spines stacked on top of each other looked like the arcs of a rainbow.He pulled his comforter up to his chin. His father sat in a chair next to the bed, flipping through the Red Fairy Book. Some of the worn pages had broken from the spine.“Come on,” he said, “I haven’t read any of these to you in a while.”“No,” Marcus said. “I want a new story. We’ve gone through all those before.”Marcus’s father set the book down. He rubbed his forehead with his ...

Read story

Author bio

James graduated from Loyola University Chicago with degrees in business and music. He currently works as a data analyst in Illinois but seeks to write full-time soon. He enjoys reading and writing, piano, jiu jitsu, snuggling with his partner, and his self-appointed role as president of the Evgeny Kissin fan club. You can find him on Instagram under the handle @james.fritz.writing