Scott Christenson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

Stories (122)

122 Stories

5855 karma pts

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“Seven Cliches Over Christmas” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #178

[DRAFT] At the Mud Creek Saloon in Eagle River, I see American flags on the walls, pitchers of beer on the bar, and drawn-out guitar solos ring in my ears. From what I've seen on TV, this is the type of place where they kick the shit out of gay characters. Or shoot them dead in the parking lot.Not my idea of a good time. So to blend in, I pretend to enjoy the song that's playing-Sweet Home Alabama. We’re in Northern Wisconsin but it's a crowd favorite.“Don’t let anyone in Wisconsin know you stan Taylor Swift,” my coworker Justin said in...

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“Base Stock” by Scott Christenson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #177

In the steamy air of Mizuna’s kitchen, beads of sweat trickle down the 30-something Japanese job candidate’s face.“Which restaurants have you worked in in New York?” I am holding the afternoon interview to replace the fifth prep cook who’s left this year for higher pay elsewhere.“None.” He shakes his head. “In Japan. Soba.” He gestures kneading dough with his hands. In the kitchen the hiss of the gas burners is constant. With his limited English and my very basic Japanese, this conversation isn’t really going anywhere. I point toward th...

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“Friday Dinner Date” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #176

My tail taps against the perfume bottles on the dresser as I watch Zaya’s latest conquest. In his business suit he looks out of place in our dimly lit apartment full of hip antique furniture. He’s perched on the edge of the bed. “You want me to give you ten thousand dollars?” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve worked weeks as a database administrator to save that much. I’ll have to cancel my trip to Austin.”“If you want to see me again, Luis.”“This is ridiculous,” he says, his eyes full of anger. They usually need to pass through this sta...

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“Mariko” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #175

It's a chill late winter morning in Tokyo, but we sit in a perfect climate controlled office tower that looms over everything around it in a central part of the city.Mariko, my coworker, comes over and taps my shoulder, “I have a problem I want to tell you about.” She's also offering me a chocolate from a box of chocolates. I take one and eat it greedily. She smiles as if she’s about to tell a fun story. Over the past two years I've noticed that the bigger the problem is, the more animated, almost ebullient, she becomes. “What’s th...

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“Motor Mouth” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #174

A 2032 new model Hesla sat at the end of the driveway, fully charged. The owner of this car, 42-year-old Jake Baker, walked out of the front door of his suburban home and hurried toward his beloved new automobile. As he approached, the Hesla opened its door automatically, Jakes climbed in, and the engine switched on automatically.Jake put his hands on the steering wheel and looked in front of the car. A neighbor he recognized, mostly from the blue-eyed border collie he walked each morning, was standing at the end of the driveway, holding ont...

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“Kore Statue #673” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #173

In the past, people described my mother's personality as quirky. These days they would likely say she is ‘on the spectrum’. She is into puzzles, factual knowledge and has very strong opinions on many topics. Conversations with her tend to have a one way flow to them, so I’m never quite sure if what I'm saying is being heard. I will mention one thing, and then the conversation will quickly jump from topic to topic never getting back to that thing I wanted to talk about which can be frustrating.I used to be sure I was different. A ‘normie’. I ...

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“The Crafting of Fadhilla - a LitRPG Story” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #172

Name: Fadhilla MoshiTime Remaining: 6 minutesA graduate of World Altruism’s Vision program, Fadhilla Moshi, sat in a computer center in Tanzania’s central city of Dar Es Salaam and had only 6 minutes left to live, but she found time for her father.His sad voice came over the line, “I hope they let you return home, someday.”“Probably not anytime soon, Papa. We Chagga are too good at this, and after all, you are the one that sent me here, weren’t you?”“Our family is proud of you.”A telltale vibration in her headgear let her know the explosive ...

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“A World of Opinion” by Scott Christenson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #171

Pundits predicted the death of the news industry back in 2028 when Trump and Biden were both moved to assisted care homes and were taken away from their microphones. The ex-presidents had the option of separate rooms at the home but neither could afford to stay alone for long. As a Pulitzer Prize winning human interest writer, my editor had me invited to hear their side of the story of what it is like to share a room because of the government budget cuts, but from behind their oxygen masks, I couldn’t make out much of what they were saying a...

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“A Precious Life” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #170

“Would you like a free DNA test? It could change your future,” a man asks while handing me a pamphlet as I walk past a shopping mall on the second day of my vacation in Maui. He points at a QR code. "Just register here."I want to grab him and shout some violent threat, and ask if he knows my sister, but he says “have a good day” and walks off before I get the chance.This is because my sister Courtney sent me different versions of that same ad for years after she dropped out of university and disappeared from my life. Then two weeks ago, I re...

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“Alpaca Republic” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #169

My father casts his shadow 50 feet over my shoulder out onto the cobblestones of Prazania Square. The outline of his preposterous Generals hat is the icing on the cake. If someone had told me I would be standing in front of his statue wearing the same hat giving a speech to the nation, I would have laughed, but reality is stranger than fiction.Side note: by law, my father's statue is the tallest structure in the capital city. Which is fine by me because I build most of my structures underground.I face the crowd of seventy thousand and begin ...

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“Stories on a Train - Xinjiang 1995” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #168

As I stand on a crowded train platform in Beijing, baking in the summer heat waiting for a train that hasn't arrived for an alarmingly long time, a very tall Western male with shaggy gray hair approaches.“We should travel together, it’s safer that way,” he says with a strong Australian accent. I had never met an Australian before.“What do you mean?” I stall and try to figure out who he is and why I would need to travel with this widly exotic individual. But I also might be lost and don’t speak the local language. “My train should have left 2...

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“Racing Conditions” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #167

Day 2A rabbit runs along a trail watched from above. I am the rabbit. A rabbit who runs faster and faster from a hawk I can't see but can feel closing in on me. I search for shelter but cannot find a hiding place...The vibration of the mobile phone on my right shoulder snaps me out of the daydream. I pull it out of its pocket in my running vest, and answer while jogging along the trail etched into the high western slope of Mt Fuji.“Hi Mom. Sorry. I’m running right now.” “We,” my parents always speak using the plural pronoun, “just wante...

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“Stiff Competition” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #166

The eyes of two hundred passengers at Gate 27 stare at a monitor that now reads, “Flight 873 cancelled - Bad weather.” They look at the red letters of death and then at me behind the boarding gate counter. Something changes in the humanity of the crowd as they advance toward the counter, shuffling in one by one. It's a crowd now thirsting for airline employee blood. A minute before, my esteemed coworker Kristin went for a bathroom break, leaving me here flying solo.Before the crowd reaches the thin defensive line of my plexig...

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“Liability in Lingotto” by Scott Christenson

🏆 Winner of Contest #165

When the police forcibly entered 43-year-old Paulina Fiore’s apartment, they found her lifeless body on the floor of the kitchen, covered in mysterious bruises. The lead detective immediately suspected homicide and ordered an autopsy. But after extensive analysis, the coroner concluded the cause of death was vitamin C deficiency.In a video appearing on social media, Stephanie Brolo, who sources confirm is a close friend of Paulina, is seen weeping and uttering, “This is all my fault.”**At the offices of my city’s largest newspaper, I sip my ...

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“The Crumble Will Survive” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #164

My daughter Liz’s teacher sits in our kitchen, sipping tea, and coos in a Newcastle accent, “Paul Hollywood, Oh yes!”“Paul…,” I reply in a syrupy tone. “He just exudes manliness.” “He can bake my cake,” Catherine quips and we both break out into giggles.A few minutes later I will stomp out after she says “Where I come from, Yorkshire Puddings are made with beef drippings”, and wonder if I have just ruined Liz’s school year at school over an argument about puddings.**I think back to moments earlier when things were going so well. I ...

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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