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J. C. Cole

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2023

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10 Stories

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Kenzo

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #380

The bell to the shop jingled, and a middle-aged man of Japanese descent dressed in a brown-dyed cotton turtleneck, wool coat and black-framed glasses hurriedly stepped inside. Specks of snowflakes rested on his shoulder, and quickly melted away as the seconds slowly passed by inside. The store was near empty, save an elderly woman, who hung around close by the jewelry counter, eyeballing the vintage pearl earrings that sat only an arm's reach behind the cheap, thin, glass display. “Eh, eh, excuse me,” Kenzo heard the woman say, trying to get...

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Momentous

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #369

The more we stop to think about our past, the more vulnerable we are to changing our memory of it. We replay them in our minds over and over again, changing them ever slightly each time, while alternating what we saw, with how it smelled, or what sounds were made, or how we felt. I remember it like it was yesterday, it was a bit chilly outside, but the sun was out. Or was it? Maybe it rained. It must have rained that day as I was feeling rather depressed. Yes. It was raining that day. And so it goes. Over time these tiny variations start to ...

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Summer Smitten

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #361

Back in 1995, the Seattle Mariners baseball team became, for the first time ever, the American League West Champions. A feat that hadn’t been accomplished since they were established in the late 70s. What was particularly special about that year was that the league had put together what would later be known as the dream team. It consisted of the best names known to the sport. It included fast-pitching Randy Johnson, catcher Dan Wilson, heavy hitters like Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, and the legendary Ken Griffey Junior. They were unstoppable....

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Horologium

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #356

“Arrival to Horologium in eight minutes and forty-five seconds,” Tigra announced, as Ordell settled down on the inside seat of the auxiliary ship. After a minute, the docking bay door slowly opened and he could see the blue and white of the planet growing closer. The orange-reddish glare of the red dwarf star shined over, causing a faint but noticeable warmth over his cheeks. A few more minutes passed and he could feel the pull of the planet’s gravity, as the ship quickly fell into orbit. Ordell released the latch of the auxiliary ship, and ...

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Heath

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #357

He licked the yellow strip of glue to the rolling paper and pressed the edges together before sticking the overfilled cigarette up to his lips. He brought out the blue lighter and lit up, sucking it down in a handful of breaths, before rolling up another one and doing it all over again, one after the other. “I’ve already told you no, so stop asking,” Heath raged at the empty space in front of him. He rolled another cigarette and quickly lit it up. The yellow tobacco stains between his fingers rubbed against the edge of the paper as the smoke...

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Staircase Wit

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #355

“A sensitive man, such as myself, overwhelmed by the argument becomes confused and can only think clearly again when he reaches the bottom of the stairs.” - Denis Diderot The clock struck six, and the table was set. On its surface lay meticulously the finest arrangement of silver, crystal, bone china, porcelain, stoneware and earthenware. Positioned in front of each damask upholstered chair laid flawlessly the settings. To the left, the fish fork, dinner fork and salad fork. To the right, the dinner knife, the fish knife and soup spoon. Abo...

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The Cyber Cafe

J. C. Cole

Chapter 10: The Cyber Cafe The sun was barely up in the sky when I finally opened my eyes to my alarm ringing me awake. Good job alarm, I’m awake now. I still felt a little boozy from the night before. Nothing that a little coffee can’t fix. I got up from my bed, as the images of last night's taxi home replayed in my head. It’s alright, I’ll make that back in tips today I’m sure. I soon would have to go back to the hill for my first day at the cafe. This however, wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, grab-a-cup-a-joe, cafe. This was an internet cafe....

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Abigail

J. C. Cole

“Thanks for looking after her,” he acknowledged the sitter, before lifting his daughter up, and holding her on the left side of his hip. “How was she?” The sitter, a young, short statured, curly haired African American woman smiled back at him, and gave his daughter a light tickle with her finger tips. “Oh she good,” she said, exaggerating the good. “Abby’s just a little sweetheart, ain’t you,” she laughed, and tickled her on her side one more time. Ronald gave off a plastic smile, and gently set Abigail down on the concrete steps of the hou...

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Under the Drain

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #308

There was only one real memory I could recall happening before that day I set my parent’s house on fire. In fact, it wasn’t a memory at all. It was a dream. I always believed that dreams were a way of sorting out the mess of information in our heads so we can make better sense of things. In the mundane world of an adult, our dreams can never compete with the ones we had as kids. Perhaps the reason we dream with such intensity has a bit to do with how incredibly out of touch we are with our own bodies. While we are still getting to know ourse...

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Anger and Disregard

J. C. Cole

Weekly Contest #255

When we recall the way we felt or cared for others it doesn't always tie the knot with how we behaved at the time. Actions speak louder than words some might say. The slight look of distress on my mother’s face was a piercing indication that maybe something terrible was wrong. My father’s laughter poured down relentless waves of joy, regardless of the storm that brewed within him. A slight smile ushers pure happiness. Disgust brings nausea. A puzzled look drives us into confusion. While a pair of closed eyes can transfer calm and cool to our...

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Author bio

J. C. Cole is a Pacific Northwest novelist whose stories pulse with the spirit of Seattle and the emotional weight of memory, identity, and belonging. As a school teacher, he writes with rare empathy and authenticity, creating characters that feel startlingly real. His memoir inspired work Momentous earned award recognition for its raw honesty, and his young adult novel Ordell’s Constellation was named a finalist in three different book awards, marking him as a rising voice in contemporary and speculative fiction.

Whether exploring the ache of letting go in Leaving Seattle or charting cosmic wonder and self discovery in Ordell’s Constellation, Cole crafts stories that pull readers in and refuse to let go. His work does more than entertain. It resonates, challenges, and stays with you long after the final page. His newest novel, Lit, traces the quiet yet transformative journey of a simple object as it passes through intertwined lives, illuminating the unseen sparks that connect ordinary moments to extraordinary change.

Cole's writing has been both awarded and published in several literary magazines to include, Writer's Workshop, Vine Leaves Press, La Piccoletta Barca, Metaworker, the 50 Years of Hip-Hop Anthology, and Instant Noodles.