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Scott Christenson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (143)
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477 Followers
174 Following

143 Stories

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Staying Alive in Slovia

Submitted to Contest #222

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 Blogarians what a real...

19 likes 6 comments 6
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Unreliable

Shortlisted for Contest #221 ⭐️

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 bankruptcy, and Dad wa...

42 likes 38 comments 38
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Lounge Lizard Lucas - An Interactive Adventure

Submitted to Contest #219

#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 watch the screen all night. Life is swe...

16 likes 16 comments 16
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An Unseen Path

Submitted to Contest #218

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 joyous optimism, as if she had heard fabulo...

40 likes 35 comments 35
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Curdled

Shortlisted for Contest #215 ⭐️

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 softest ty...

40 likes 43 comments 43
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Ninety Two Birthdays

Submitted to Contest #214

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 person trying to be po...

26 likes 23 comments 23
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The Doctor

Submitted to Contest #213

“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,” I say, showing him my assault rifle and giving him a hin...

26 likes 30 comments 30
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Letters from Malaysian Flight 370

Submitted to Contest #212

[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 polite to others, took care of my parents and grandparent...

29 likes 35 comments 35
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Philadelphia Writers Block Society - A Day Sentence

Submitted to Contest #212

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 the collected works of Fitzgerald, and a few volumes of Hemingway and Richard Yates.Most days, to warm up, I complete the ...

27 likes 32 comments 32
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Cathyheimer

Submitted to Contest #210

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 truly sustainable ecosystem. Follo...

23 likes 19 comments 19
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Booba at Barbenheimer

Submitted to Contest #208

Booba looked down on the ridiculous blue planet below. He had parked The Hand Of God on the far side of their moon and was keeping a low profile until he decided what to do. The persistent ache in his 7th knee was bothering him, and this planet's resemblance to the one responsible for flinging the antimatter torpedo at his starship during the Battle of Lookai intensified that ache.He knew this world wasn't capable of tossing anything like that at his ship. So, it was safe to linger. He should probably be doing more important things, but mayb...

18 likes 34 comments 34
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Six Syllables

Submitted to Contest #205

In Japan, everyone says “Itadakimasu” before each meal. It's an unquestioned tradition. There are many such rituals in Japan: the aisatsu greetings for good morning and good night, bowing to superiors, the proper way to use chopsticks, that go back so far in Japanese history, people can’t imagine it being any other way.Everyone except for our son Kenji. He likes to make his own rules and has long ago decided uttering six syllables before eating is an inefficient waste of everyone's time.In kindergarten, his teachers said, “He refuses to say ...

35 likes 25 comments 25
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A Few Credits More

Submitted to Contest #204

Four miners point blasters my way–not the welcoming party I was hoping for. Jander told me not to come here, maybe I should have listened to that little guy. Standing in front of my trading ship, the Galactic Kakapo, I await their next move. A man behind a heavy cannon mounted on a mining truck eyes me closely. “You carrying Terra credits?” he asks. “On my ship.”“Good. Are you alone?” “I’m alone–” Their fingers move toward their triggers. “Except for this guy here.” I point down to a Jander VII drone at my feet.The miners stud...

28 likes 19 comments 19
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Don Perezoso

You know how everything changes after high school? We were best friends, now I serve drinks at his parties to earn $500, while he’s worth billions. Gzy-X gets the attention of the guests at his estate. “Everyone, this man is my best friend, and pours the best tequila in Orange County.” I wave at his guests and try my best to smile.He leans over and says in my ear, “It’s great to have you here, Jake.”“Thanks. So, do you think I could come to the office next week for an interview?”“Sure thing, buddy.” He gives me a smile that project...

7 likes 12 comments 12
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Dangerous Descent

Submitted to Contest #203

Just because Mike was a billionaire, didn’t mean he didn’t need to listen to his wife. Cathy patiently waited for him to finish explaining all the details of his new gadget, an ACH160 business helicopter, as they ate dinner.After his lengthy monologue, Cathy jumped in to fill him in on a topic that was much more dear to her heart.“My sister is having her 25th anniversary party. It's in Sheboygan, this July.”“That’s nice.” He said, while chewing on the white asparagus appetizer, obviously still thinking about helicopters. One needs to be dire...

23 likes 21 comments 21
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