The Fritz Letter is an interdisciplinary newsletter by Christopher J. Fritz featuring philosophy, psychology, spirituality, history, and original fiction.
The Testimony of Jacob Cohen
The Testimony of Jacob Cohen by Christopher J. Fritz is a cosmic horror story about an archeologist on an Antarctic expedition who discovers a mysterious ziggurat that hides terrifying secrets from a forgotten past.It draws inspiration from the narrative style of Dracula, the real-life Endurance expedition led by Ernest Shackleton, and Dionysian cult mysticism, along with modern astronomy, astrobiology, and mycology.
Acoustic Indie Folk
Roses from Bones is an acoustic indie folk singer-songwriter project from Christopher J. Fritz that emphasizes live recordings and minimalist production of male vocals and acoustic guitar.
Cyber Jazz / Synth Groove
FYGHT is a studio synth groove and cyber jazz project from Christopher J. Fritz that emphasizes vintage sounds, driving rhythms, and immersive sound production.
About Christopher J. Fritz
Hey, I’m Christopher J. Fritz.I’m an author and entrepreneur in Austin, TX with a passion for philosophy, history, and storytelling. I’m also a huge nerd who loves classic fantasy, Zelda, trading cards, and manga.In my early 20s, I reached the humble peak of my corporate career in a cushy office job with a little bit of authority, a lot of responsibility, and an overwhelming sense of spiritual dissonance and existential dread that nearly drove me to suicide.Then, I put in a 10-day notice and abandoned my career with no plan.In the years since that moment, I have taught myself about business and learned a variety of technical and creative skills.I've scraped by as a handyman, performing musician, Twitch streamer, freelance writer, advanced marketing consultant, Etsy shop owner, dryer vent cleaner, and plenty more small jobs and side hustles.Throughout this journey, I have failed publicly and spectacularly at more things than most people will ever try.Along the way, I've come to know and love myself, and to build a life that is full to bursting every day with activities that align with my soul's deepest desires.Most importantly, I've learned just how beautiful this blessing called "Life" can be.
Some of my creative projects
Newsletter: The Fritz Letter
Music: Roses from Bones
Businesses I own or am a Partner of
Red's Dryer Vent Cleaning: Dryer Vent Cleaning in Austin, TX
Dead King Collection: Online Collectibles Store in Austin, TX
Empire Launch: Small Business Marketing Advisor in Austin, TX
Flowering Phoenix: Handmade Organic Beeswax Candles from Austin, TX
The Testimony of Jacob Cohen
The Testimony of Jacob Cohen is a cosmic horror story about an archeologist on an Antarctic expedition who discovers a mysterious ziggurat hiding dark secrets from a forgotten past.It draws inspiration from the narrative style of Dracula, the real-life Endurance expedition led by Ernest Shackleton, and Dionysian cult mysticism, along with modern astronomy, astrobiology, and mycology.
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Read a Sample of The Testimony of Jacob Cohen
Below is an excerpt selected from The Testimony of Jacob Cohen to prepare you for what you'll find inside. If it hooks you, please consider purchasing the book or reading the free version!
Log 1
Near the Entrance of the ZigguratIt is a mysterious line that divides the truth from madness, and I hope for my soul that I have crossed it, for what I have witnessed here must be either raving delusion or unfathomable evil. I am fortunate that I salvaged this journal from the shipwreck of the Perseverance; in this dark circumstance, these pages will be my console.I cannot say how many days have passed since that fierce blizzard drove us into the ziggurat and sealed us inside. All I know is that I have slept approximately eleven times in this diabolic structure, plus or minus a few instances before I started keeping track. My previous writings, unfortunately, have been scattered and buried by dense Antarctic snow. I will, therefore, write down as accurately as I can both the events that brought us to our current situation, along with all that we discover in these ancient, shadowed halls.So far, our initial hesitation to enter the building has proven well-justified, for while the frozen ruins outside were shocking in their scale and ingenuity, this gargantuan construction borders on unreality. The massive stones of the structure are made of a nebulous material flecked with many colors that, at certain angles, seems to swallow all light. It is a mystery to me how the builders could have moved the blocks, and even more so how they stacked them with such precision. The ceiling looms so far above us that it is obscured in shadows, and the passageways form a confounding labyrinth, making it easy to get disoriented. After Yun-Soo disappeared into the darkness, the rest of us resolved to stay together as much as possible. When someone does venture independently, he ties a rope to his waist so he may find his way back to us; or so we may drag him back, should it ever come to that.The structure is situated on a significant source of geothermal activity, and so, while the hall near the entrance is as barren as the landscape outside, the desolate foyer eventually gives way to warmth, growth, and soil. Several rooms contain bubbling, steaming hot springs, where many odd species of plants and fungi flourish, and strange pipes distribute this heated water throughout the halls, supplying several decorative basins and fountains with steady streams of boiling water.One fungus, in particular, grows abundantly; it has a wide, flat crown and pale flesh that glows with bright red luminescence, and it reeks with a confounding fusion of sweetness and decay. The fruiting bodies generate heat and appear to be connected by a complex network of fibers that pulse with crimson light and run rampantly over walls, ceilings, and floors. This mushroom has proven flammable, and with our limited supply of charcoal, we have been able to dry enough of it for the preparation of simple torches.Despite our reservations, the glowing fungus has become our primary food source in these dark halls. Eating it is a disgusting ordeal, as it tastes of rot and oozes a foul slime, but boiling it seems to minimize some of its worst qualities. It is ironic that such a vile thing has become our salvation; our light, warmth, and sustenance in this dreadful abode.For the first several days we were trapped here, I doubted Maya’s assertions that we were being watched. Now, however, I have begun to sense it: the pestilent intelligence that inhabits this place. I feel somehow deeply known to it, while to me it is a total mystery. It twists my dreams into horrid nightmares, rumbling in a language without words at a pitch so deep it shakes my soul. In these frightful visions, I encounter impossible colors and strange shapes that seem to defy geometry. The air itself coalesces and dances like a kaleidoscope, twisting and shifting like a door to Hell, only, when I pass through the door, I do not enter; instead, I feel the space beyond it enter me, exploring my thoughts and memories like pages in a book. I worry that soon, it may even begin to obscure and rearrange them.The wickedness of this place is not, however, restricted to my dreams, for our exploration has revealed evidence of a twisted history in these ancient halls. Today, we discovered what appear to be thirteen altars at the center of a large theater, arranged around a deep bowl set into the floor. Carved of the same material as the walls, the altars possess the dark mystique of a guillotine, but on a grander scale. Each is approximately the length of a man, and they all stand on a circular stage made of the same nebulous substance as the rest of the ziggurat. Crevasses and drains cut into the floor seem to have allowed large amounts of fluid to flow into a central bowl, and carvings on the walls and pillars depict hellish images of torture, sacrifice, and even cannibalism. Rings of seats and support columns climb outward from the gruesome centerpiece, suggesting that at one time, the rituals performed here attracted a significant audience. Try as I might, I cannot scrub from my mind an imagining of the types of horrors that once unfolded upon those altars.Most curious of all is the room’s depiction of the glowing fungus. The motif decorates the ziggurat in many places, but it is especially prevalent in the ceremonial chamber, where its distinctive crown appears in carvings alongside the shapes of men and strange, misshapen beasts. In the chamber, large carvings show humans consuming the fungus, then building the ziggurat, and then worshiping the fungus with heinous rituals. The sinister iconography leads me to think that some ancient civilization built this colossal structure, and perhaps even the surrounding city, specifically to house and honor the mushroom. How they did so, and why, however, are still complete mysteries, though the possibilities make me shudder.It is unpleasant to stand in the theater for long, for an overwhelming malevolence emanates from the altars and threatens to push me out of my own mind, as if the souls of countless sacrifices have been trapped inside the auditorium for aeons. I fear that the sensation will only get worse the longer we are stranded here, and yet, there seems to be no exit available to us where we entered, so we have no choice but to proceed. However, I am afraid to imagine what secrets await even deeper in the darkness.
Have I Caught Your Interest?
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About the Author
Hey, I'm Christopher J. Fritz, author of The Testimony of Jacob Cohen.I'm passionate about philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and storytelling.Like many Americans these days, I scrape together a living by working multiple jobs and side hustles.For my "day job", I am a dryer vent cleaner in Austin, TX. For my "night job", I am a remote marketing consultant. I also selling trading cards online and help my partner run a small beeswax candle business.In bits of time between work obligations, I create things.I don't make much money from my creative work, but it feeds my soul, so I persist.As a hobby, I'm currently teaching myself how to draw. My goal is to develop my skills enough to publish a one-shot manga.
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