James Scott

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2024

Stories (12)

12 Stories

279 karma pts

?

“Downward” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #267

Tigger warning: Death, Religion.Archie laid on his stomach with only a single headlamp to cut through the absolute darkness surrounding him. The smooth stone underneath his body was damp, the cold seeped through his polyester layers of skin-tight caving gear and bit at his flesh. A ceiling of the same black rock pressed down against his shoulders. There was barely a foot between the two layers of bedrock. He inched forward. Dragging himself through the tight crevice buried under the earth, he used all his strength. His muscles burned with th...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Building A Dream Upon Words” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #266

I was exhausted that first night. You know, the kind of tired that’s almost painful? Your body screaming for you to close your eyes and your mind begging you for silence, yet still you fight to your last breath for that extra minute of consciousness. I was hanging on by a desperate thread because I needed to erupt my thoughts onto the page, terrified they would all be lost by morning. I had finally broken it you see, my streak of melancholy that put a wall up between me and the craft. For so long the act of putting words to paper had seemed ...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Long Haul” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #265

On the cusp of consciousness, my mind grappled to understand the repetitive wailing that assaulted my senses. The matching neurons took several incomprehensible moments to reach out, connect and allow my mind to grasp that the sound was nothing more dangerous than my morning alarm. I forced my eyelids open to greet the uninterrupted grey metal walls and what the transport company had decided was another day.“Alena. Recommence gravity systems.” I croaked in a voice that screamed for water.“Confirmed. Gravity systems online. Power saving mode ...

5 comments 5
Read story

“Linked” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #264

The aisle stretched longer than the last time Savarin had stood at one’s end. It’s exponential scaling was a testament to the enduring power of the love he shared with Destry; the radiation of which had encompassed so many others in its warmth, that they had needed several extra rows of chairs brought in. Each and every one of these people deserved their seat at this new ceremony. Savarin surveyed the distance between him and the double doors at the other end of the carpeted runway, forged between the walls of white folding chairs and adorne...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Bush Smart” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #263

Trigger warning: Sexual violence, horrendous language, physical violence and some gore. Honestly a little ashamed at how depraved this is - but the content was a situation my partner was warned against as a teenage girl growing up in Australia. Unfortunately, a very scary reality.Ryan blinked over his contracting pupils against the bright lights that signaled closing time. The heavy drinks he’d had earlier in the night, although keeping him happily inhibition free, were not enough to guard against the sinking feeling in his chest brought on ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Angel” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #263

Boring. So very boring…Angel soared over the cityscape looking straight down at the swarming sea of coloured specks that thought themselves important. His vast, feathered wingspan held firm upon the changing winds and created a stark white beacon against the uninterrupted blue sky, signaling his presence to the insignificant ants going about their lives below. Who knew that being the most powerful being on Earth would be so…dull.He drifted above the buildings, monitoring the streets. Every now and then he might tuck in his wings to dive betw...

13 comments 13
Read story

“Inferno” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #262

A single green shoot, pushing up from between the slightest of gaps in the dusty concrete, almost seemed to be enjoying throwing a minute splash of colour against the dead landscape. Too young to classify as anything beyond simply life, Cassian knew upon catching sight of it that come dawn the beautiful green thread would be reduced to nothing but another muted, dry husk. He looked up from his study of the infant plant to monitor the hazy glow on the horizon that signaled the imminent rising sun. The heat of it already evaporating any humidi...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Five Thankyou's” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #261

Trigger warning: Terminal illness, grief and suicidal thoughts.Martin stared at the crumpled and untidy shoe box resting on the coffee table. Organisation was never one of Ellie’s strong suits; the fact she had managed to pull this together was a small miracle. Each of the five envelopes, peeking at different angles from the lidless cardboard container were a threat to Martin’s composure. They looked like white teeth, waiting for his hand so that they could bite down and drag him back into despair. He knew he couldn’t stare at them forever, ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“My Girls” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #260

Hunter shifted his weight on the cold, unforgiving tiles; his legs were beginning to grow stiff and his back tight. Sitting on the floor of the bathroom under the artificial light was uncomfortable and kept highlighting the disgusting state of the grey ceramic, glistening with a layer of moisture and hosting clumps of damp lint. That damn woman couldn’t even keep a floor clean. A wayward splash from the bubble bath soaked into his pants. He didn’t bother flinching, let alone chastising the two culprits. Let the children play. Their squeals o...

8 comments 8
Read story

“Speech” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #259

Edward and I grew up on the same street. We both had brown hair and loved to ride our bikes in the road, so naturally we had to be best friends. My parents never had another boy but I can confidently say I have always had a true brother in Ed. As those young years flew by and our interests matured beyond cartoons and playgrounds to include the opposite sex, we would consistently share our juvenile thoughts on girls with each other. It was thanks to this bond that I was privileged enough to be present, when he first noticed June.I remember fe...

3 comments 3
Read story

“The Tea” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #259

Malcolm stared at the roiling kettle and it’s billowing clouds of steam evaporating into the air of the room. He just needed a minute. It was arduous…exhausting to feel this level of anxiety, but pausing the conversation for too long would cause suspicion and heighten the danger; he had to get back. He took his hands from the kitchen bench, stood up straight, consciously withheld a sigh and grabbed a teaspoon.The return journey to Alice who was patiently waiting in the lounge felt like a gauntlet these days. His eyes tracked the four little ...

10 comments 10
Read story

“Chronomec” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #258

It had been foolish not to destroy it. I had suspected the image, smuggled here from my own timeline, would eventually emerge as my undoing when I slid it between the pages of a herbal volume all those years before. The animated memory recorded forever on a small scrap of holofilm showed a time I had long since released. It simulated Kylin as I had known him, simply turning to greet me with a smile on our first meeting. The most natural of gestures but one I would not see again, for I felt I would never return to the era housing his short li...

2 comments 2
Read story

Author bio

James Scott is a British born, South Australian residing, husband, father, astrophysics graduate, African safari guide, conservationist, IT professional who is working on a first draft of his debut novel. His life has been spent collecting experiences that feed into his new writing and as such, short stories provide a regular outlet.