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Scott Christenson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2022

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614 Followers
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150 Stories

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Red Dog Poker Mornings

Weekly Contest #232

Within our tiny buzz of activity in the vast bleak landscape and never ending gloom of polar winter, I study my opponents. The four of them sit around the only table of the only bar in Red Dog. They’re each holding five cards. I could use a drink, but unfortunately the town went dry a long time ago—indigenous Alaskan territories often enact alcohol bans. But people still need to distract themselves. Tuesday mornings are poker “night” for the night shift. I sip my Coke Zero, longing for something stronger to numb the pain of last years b...

19 likes 8 comments 8
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Godwin's Law

Weekly Contest #231

New Year’s Day 2035, in Charleston, South Carolina, Paul Tithers stood motionless on his electric scooter and was at a loss for words—or more accurately, at a loss for one word.With a hangover, still reeling from the loss of a real estate listings the week before, and having fallen over repeatedly on the new scooter his wife bought him for Christmas, he was in a foul mood.In front of him, a security guard stood blocking his way. “Electric scooters are not allowed in Ashley Park. I need to ask you to get off the scooter and exit the park,” th...

12 likes 7 comments 7
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A Christmas Day Heist

Weekly Contest #230

“A grande whole milk latte and all the money in the cash register,” Bernie said to the cashier, while pointing the gun at the barista, “or the barista dies.”People usually value other people’s lives more than their own, or at least they should. The age twenties something cashier’s face was twitching. It was clear he had never been in a robbery before. Calgary is a safe city, or at least it was before the people from Toronto started showing up.“Is this for real? Are you actually robbing the store?” the cashier said.“Does this gun look real to...

11 likes 15 comments 15
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The Living Parents Literary Support Group

Weekly Contest #229

At the Living Parents Literary Support Group, Rebecca regretted every dad that died. With each, she lost a member.“Roll call,” she announced. “Is everyone’s parents still alive?”“Yes,” the man sitting on her left declared.“Both Alive,” the next member said.. “Yep.” “Yessirree.” One by one, the dozen attendees of the 23rd annual LPLSG Christmas Dinner acknowledged the sad fact that their parents were alive and well.“Hmm…” Nicole Johnson mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.“Nicole?” Rebecca probed.“My mother passed two wee...

15 likes 25 comments 25
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The Three Body Problem

Weekly Contest #228

Lucas and Harper agreed on exactly one thing. Though they didn't know each other, and were currently refusing to speak to each other, and disagreed about everything else, they both agreed Isabella was an idiot. It was showing in their subtle head shakes and the not so well hidden eye rolls.The three of them were handcuffed together at the McCarren Park Greenmarket (a greenmarket is just a farmer's market, in New York, they need to give a special name to everything).It was a three body problem.They could escape if they agreed on which way to ...

19 likes 20 comments 20
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Two Million Scoville

Weekly Contest #228

It turns out the way to travel through time was sitting in front of us all along. In the same way as water is a liquid that suddenly bursts into boiling steam; humans just needed the right jolt in their quantum energy to reach the tipping point. The one where time flows like water. And the Trinidad Moruga Pepper at a scorching 2 million Scoville units does just the trick.Not that I understand the science, and right now, I’m a bit preoccupied with my older brother Mike glaring at me like a maniac over the family dining table.“I hope you stepp...

21 likes 15 comments 15
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An Early Snow in St Petersburg

Weekly Contest #227

November 1913 — St. PetersburgAn early flurry of snow that fell on St. Petersburg on a late afternoon in November 1913, would change history in unexpected ways.On that afternoon, Princess Irina Alexandrovna gazed at her suitor of the day, one of several who were regularly allowed into the Peterhof Palace.Felix Yusupov stood at an impressive height, his chiseled features and piercing gaze commanding attention in any room he was in. Well-dressed, he came from the wealthiest family in St. Petersburg. As the two conversed throughout the afternoo...

20 likes 17 comments 17
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Melanoma and Misunderstandings

Weekly Contest #226

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 a type of deep focus one couldn’t find in the Valley.“Samuel?” a voice called from below.“Yes, mom?”“Would you come downstairs for dinner?”“I'm vegetar...

18 likes 13 comments 13
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Reflections on Popular Literature

Weekly Contest #225

[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 of his family’s le...

24 likes 18 comments 18
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Bull in a Coffee Shop

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. At their own tab...

10 likes 8 comments 8
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Never Let Me Laugh

Weekly Contest #223

“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 corner of our dorm room about missing his dog in New Jersey. “At...

15 likes 16 comments 16
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Staying Alive in Slovia

Weekly 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

Weekly 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

Weekly 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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