James Scott

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2024

Stories (33)

33 Stories

1248 karma pts

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“Language Barrier” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #290

Dizziness threatened Scott, blindsided by the question that escaped her lips. Words that felt like an uppercut to the jaw and impacted his vision in the same way. How could she possibly query his devotion? Was it not plainly obvious? “Oh my god! You’re doing it again!” She screeched, “Focus Scott, please, be here with me! SPEAK to me! I’m not a mind reader. You need to answer the question out loud!” “I don’t know how to. It’s so ridiculous…” He said.Aria’s mouth hung open, hurt clear in the eyes that began to shed tears. “Ridiculous!? Just t...

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“Crash” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #289

Trigger Warning - Threats of violence, extremism and survival. Micas was awakened by the stabbing glare of sunlight against his face. He fluttered his crystal-blue eyes open, only to trigger an avalanche of the sand that seemed to constantly coat his face. Using the heels of his hands, that were no less grit encrusted, he managed to rub into being a semblance of sight. He sighed at the view he found, it was no less dire than the day before. Closing the plastic shutters on the aeroplanes tiny windows had been a pathetically futile gesture. On...

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“Beyond the Veil” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #288

Pana relished the cool, soothing flow of heavy rainfall upon her waxy skin. The increased tempo of drops, growing from a constant misting to intense deluge over the course of the morning, was most welcome. Silky streams ran all over her body, releasing tension and calming her mind under its familiar, glistening comfort. It also sharpened the curtain of falling water that marked the edge of the known world. Time spent gazing across the border into an alien landscape, festered the lingering anxiety within her chest. No amount of rain could was...

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“Too Good.” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #287

With steam billowing in my face, I asked myself, what kind of psychopath orders hot tea on a thirty-five degree summer day? How off your head do you need to be to also request seating in the garden!? Some people just defy all reason. I took a deep breath to try and calm my unsolicited rage, but it continued to brew as steadily as the tea upon my silver tray. I impatiently watched the leaves swirl and spread amber within the glass pot, until it was finally, just the right golden shade to serve.“That one’s for table nine, Luce. Might as well t...

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“Wilder Kirkland” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #286

Wilder gripped the stern taffrail and stood firm in his decision. A stray wind caught the few strands of his black hair that had fallen free of the sailors braid, which tightly shackled the rest above the loose linen shirt that billowed over his bare chest. His knuckles were white and unyielding against the timber that rumbled under his grip; the railing undulating with every wave that cut around the impressive ship. Across the rising and falling seascape, he could still make out the shadowed line on the horizon that was his homeland. He had...

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“Hamster Owl” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #285

Trigger Warning: Crime scene, murder, suggestion of sexual violence.Douglas hadn’t felt his stomach stir on the job for years, not since he was green out of the academy. Something about the blood spatter against the kid’s toys though. It had sent his head spinning, dizziness threatening to undermine his hard-won reputation. The bright, dancing geometric shapes that adorned the red-stained sheets and curtains were not helping matters. Thankfully, the girl’s body had already been removed. He averted his gaze to the ceiling and traced the lines...

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“Millenium Dad” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #284

Spam and concrete. I looked around at the sad state of affairs and knew immediately something had gone very wrong. The grey box I was presented with paled in comparison to the Christmas I had left behind. The warm lights, smells of cinnamon and table laden with steaming dishes were now miles away, locked behind the door of my mother’s house. Carols and laughter were left dwindling in the cold winter breeze that had chased my exit.Dad had claimed New Year’s Eve as his own, years ago. He knew Mum would have fought tooth and nail to retain Chri...

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“Venture” by James Scott

🏆 Winner of Contest #282

Cade steadied his horse with a squeeze of both knees, keeping her dancing legs in check and protecting the dusty mounds below from wayward hooves. The four lines of raised dirt sheltered the still-warm bodies of his dead friends. The new mount had a sure spirit, along with an insatiable lust for speed, but she would have to wait a few moments longer before indulging in the open road. Black spots peppering her stark, white hide made the beast the most beautiful he had ever owned, but also the least likely to go unnoticed. She would have to be...

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“The First Gingerbread Man” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #281

Trigger Warning: Suicidal ideation and candied violence.I remember being made. A sting of stainless steel cut my shape from a sheet of dough and as soon I was released from its embrace, I was aware. Heat filled me next, radiating from the dark void, suffusing my fresh body with the warm air of life. Gentle hands, with a power beyond my reckoning, gifted me further senses with the painting of my features and attachment of my candied eyes. The first thing I saw when my vision adjusted to the blinding light of day was her face, Amanda; my creat...

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“Bright Light” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #280

“Welcome back to the land of the living! Now that you’re awake, sit up and put your seat belt on lad. There’s still a long road ahead.”“Wha…Dad? Is that you? Where are we?”“Heh! That must have been some nap! Give yourself a minute to come around.”“Is this…this is my car. Why are you driving? I never let anyone drive…my car…”“Don’t I know it! Yep…she's a little beaut. They don’t make them like this anymore…a VW Golf is a perfect first car, especially an old one like this. She’ll serve you well and keep you safe. You’ll learn a lot from your s...

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“Broadcast” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #279

…Hello? Is anybody out there?……Does anyone read me?…God dammit!Theres got to be someone…please!?………sigh…I thought the analogue signal from this radio might have reached other like-minded folks by now. I guess I was wrong…or perhaps the range is just too short…I just don’t know. The machine must purely use digital signals…otherwise it would have tracked me down by now, with all the attempts I have made with this dusty old thing.……My name is Marcus…and this will be my last recital. What follows is a broadcast, detailing a true telling of the h...

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“The Anger Dragon” by James Scott

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #278

Tommy’s bright blue eyes followed the slow drift of the important papers over the water’s surface. They looked like the toy sail boats on his favourite lake at the park. Each leaked his multicoloured markings into the bath water, making pretty patterns that moved and changed. Now that his anger dragon had retreated back into its cave - words his Papa had taught him to explain the big feelings he sometimes had - he wondered how it had all happened. He had just been so MAD! When the bathroom door behind him eventually swung open, he accepted t...

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“The Wolf and the Huntsman” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #277

Raulin’s eyes watered from an eternity of peering along the arrow’s shaft and into the Huntsman’s gaze that was locked at its base. Every blink felt like inviting death. The icy cold of a mid-winter evening dried his lenses during the long periods between the meeting of his eyelids. It would take only the slightest lapse in his attention for the savage human to grasp an opportunity to release the deadly dart. At this range, it would easily pierce a pelt as worn and grey as his. He may be a wolf of advanced years, but he had no wish to depart...

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“Shadow Leads” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #275

He led, I followed. It had ever been the way of things. The tiny slip of a feline slinked across the leaf-littered dirt. He wound his way beneath the tree cover, tracing a line along the hidden forest path without looking back. So confident was he that I would always trail behind. Golden leaves crunched under my feet, rocks shifted and wet mud slid, my clumsy advance spoiling his silent grace. The jet black, sleekness of his form moved with less impact than the light breeze that pressed itself to my skin. A musky smell of earthly life hung i...

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“The Uncontrolled Growth of Pit” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #274

Gareth ripped his hand away from the sharp pain that cut across his palm. The instinctive reaction likely saved his fingers from his own stupidity. He dropped the pair of pruning shears to the ground and pulled off the thick gardening gloves, sending a splash of his own blood to paint red across the fruit tree’s blossoms like some twisted version of Alice in Wonderland’s roses. He let out a relieved sigh to see only a minor slice to his palm and shook his hand out in an effort to dispel the throbbing, which only served to further splatter th...

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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.

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #282
Venture – read story

Shortlisted 1 story ⭐️

Contest #278
The Anger Dragon – read story