Scott Christenson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (88)

88 Stories

4631 karma pts

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“Melanoma and Misunderstandings” by Scott Christenson

This satirical story is entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. No animals were harmed in the making of this story.Sam hadn’t visited home for 5 years. Yearning for a moment of peace and quiet without distraction to plot the future of AI, he had accepted his mother's invite. A genius searching for original thought needed the type of deep focus one couldn’t find in the Valley.“Samuel?” a voice called from below.

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“Reflections on Popular Literature” by Scott Christenson

[TW: fictional book burning]If a ticking bomb under the table propels a plot forward, so too will a deadline on the wall spur the creation of literary excellence, Keith Highfield thought as he signed the death warrant of the Highfield Library. The intricate interplay between danger and creativity is a delicate balancing act.After The Hobbit was published, J. R. R. Tolkien spent 15 years writing the Lord of the Rings. Keith would give himself the same amount of time to complete his own novel, High Tower. At the offices o...

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“Bull in a Coffee Shop” by Scott Christenson

In a coffee shop in Hong Kong, corporate executive Peter Bainbridge peered down at his mobile, face twisted with disdain, “I can’t believe this App doesn’t use 2-factor authentication,” he muttered, as he navigated the XR Coffee app to enroll in their rewards program. Celine Tam regarded him calmly, “it does link with the British Airways Club.”Peter grunted in agreement, his attention still fixed on the app. Around them, customers came and went, young fashionable office workers, many of whom greeted the barista by name....

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“Never Let Me Laugh” by Scott Christenson

“There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.”― Kazuo IshiguroMom killed Nicki last week. I heard the news from my younger sister. When something like this happens, I page through Never Let Me Go, my favorite novel, until the right line hits me. I’ve never had no one in my life I can truly rely on, so maybe being an outsider here is simply a continuation of that.I’m describing this to Oliver, my new roommate, because he’s been sobbing in the corne...

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“Staying Alive in Slovia” by Scott Christenson

The war against Blogaria has been raging for three years. It’s all we talked about in high school–our chance to fight for the glory of Slovia someday–so right after I graduated, I enlisted in the Slovian Army.As the chill early morning wind whips through the clearing, I stand tall and sing the national anthem of Slovia at the top of my lungs. The other fifty cadets around me do the same thing. I sing even louder. It’s our first day of deployment to the front line. After weeks of training, we’re finally here to show the B...

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“Unreliable” by Scott Christenson

Jake called the Windy City Ice hotline. His grandfather’s voice answered. “If your Windy City Ice machine is currently malfunctioning, leave your name and contact number after the beep. Our licensed service technician will contact you shortly. Windy City Ice is a family-owned company, and we care about our customers.”Jake hung up and returned to writing The Siren Under Highway D. Writing was an escape from his father. After grandfather's passing, the company's accountant made it clear that Windy City was heading toward b...

35 comments 35 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“ Lounge Lizard Lucas - An Interactive Adventure” by Scott Christenson

#1 Night At The MagnoliaLucas hates working. It could be sloth, laziness, or a general distaste at having to do things for other people. He hasn’t devoted much energy into thinking about it.They say a lazy person can’t survive in New York City, but Lucas looks at his current setup and marvels at how wrong they are. He hits play on a music playlist and looks at his wall of surveillance screens. Rent-free apartment, benefits, Sundays off, and all he needs to do is sit in a comfortable chair and ...

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“An Unseen Path” by Scott Christenson

Emma felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She stood on the soft grass at Bear Grove Park, and took a deep breath of the crisp spring air. Being matched with a running guide that day was her first step on the road to running the Springfield marathon.A sound of footsteps drew nearer. She was prepared for the fact that sighted people could be awkward in these situations. The Run Together foundation had given her his basic info, at least that was something to work with.“Hello Andy,” she said, with a joyo...

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“Curdled” by Scott Christenson

Robert dipped his finger into the milk and felt its warmth. The digital thermometer displayed a temperature of 103 F. He added a cup of dry starter culture, spreading it evenly over the milk, and a spoonful of yeast, and gave the vat a stir. The air was heavy with the smell of aging cheese.He set a timer for 30 minutes and busied himself flipping over yesterday’s molds. The cheese needed to be rotated daily to drain the whey, the process that has been followed for thousands of years in the Rhone-Alpes. Saint Felicien is one of the ...

44 comments 44 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Ninety Two Birthdays” by Scott Christenson

I never thought I would want to be a father to 92 children, but something changed the year after I was injured climbing Long's Peak, and now being a father is the thing I dream of more than anything else. The first family willing to meet with me has invited me for the weekend to Upper Michigan. The rustic charm of the local restaurant with its exposed wood ceiling and fireplace envelops us as we sit down for our first introduction to each other.“Jake, it's nice you could join us,” the dad, George, says in the tone of a p...

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“The Doctor” by Scott Christenson

“Don’t touch me. Keep your distance.” I’ve heard that everyday now for nine months. Doesn’t make things easy when you’re the town’s GP. First it was the fires, then it was the virus, everything has turned to shit in Maui after the president was reelected. Ok, he probably has nothing to do with it, but we need to blame someone, don't we?I put on my PPE bunny suit and wait at the Kihei pier for the boat to arrive. “Second boat this month.” the Sergeant says. Locked and loaded,”...

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“Letters from Malaysian Flight 370” by Scott Christenson

[Voice message found in a mobile phone]Life is a mystery, isn’t it? One day we are in control of everything, taking exams, passing tests, choosing which job interview to attend. And then, if we work hard, we move up in our career, step by step.But the whole time, there’s a parallel universe that we don't control that affects us strongly. Our boyfriends get transferred to different cities, our employers go bankrupt, our friends get sick.I’ve made the right choices my entire life. I was ...

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“Philadelphia Writers Block Society - A Day Sentence” by Scott Christenson

To: KevinMcMurdle@uiowa.eduFrom: JakeJohnston720@gmail.comSubject: An Awful Day at the Philadelphia Writers Block Society It has been an arduous journey writing the first draft of my Great American Novel. Every morning, I sit in front of my typewriter, the same model F Scott Fitzgerald used, and confront the page. Next to me sits the most trusted edition of Merriam-Webster. When the words to write don’t come, I scan ...

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“Fish Boil at Death’s Door” by Scott Christenson

As Ruth Jorgenson waited for the authorities to arrive, she mulled over the events that had taken place at the Edgewater Inn before Sophia was poisoned. Despite being 74, her memory was as sharp as a pin.Earlier that morning, she had been busy preparing the hotel lobby. Three generations of Jorgensen have run the hotel, since the days her grandfather had immigrated to Wisconsin from Norway back in 1904. Each Saturday during the summer season, she would bake a cherry pie, its sweet buttery smell greeting guests as they ar...

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“Cathyheimer” by Scott Christenson

Cathy nudged up her Vint & York Adeline glasses as she studied the data on her screen. It was unmistakable. A signal.Until that moment, Cathy had believed the future of the planet to was hopeless. Global warming, inequality, pollution, the mistreatment of animals–so many issues. And there was no way out. People were too driven by their own selfish desires.But what if we received help from another race of intelligent beings? One that travelled the stars would know how to transform this planet into a ...

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Author bio

From Milwaukee and currently living in Hong Kong after spending 20 years in various locations around Asia. Started with Reedsy a year ago and have learned so much from all of you amazing writers on this site. 'The Value of Time' is based on a true story in Latin America: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/ncfs5s/ Email: sukosuko1@gmail.com

Winning 2 stories 🏆

Contest #165

Liability in Lingotto – read story

Contest #158

Your Cat™️ Customer Service – read story

Shortlisted 5 stories ⭐️

Contest #221

Unreliable – read story

Contest #215

Curdled – read story

Contest #177

Base Stock – read story

Contest #171

A World of Opinion – read story

Contest #159

Gluten Is What Makes This Nation Stick Together – read story