Fiction

The Catholic Mass and How I escaped It

Going to Catholic mass as a child growing up in N.Ireland, was a serious affair. Your Sunday best was put on and we where gently motored to the church in my father's Citron 2CV, it's engine the sound of a contented tractor, which lulled you into the correct state of lethargy required to see through another repetitive Mass. Upon entering the church the usual pew was taken. The church was L-shaped (a long aisle and a short aisle) with the altar in the middle. We sat in the boring short aisle and I experienced the truth of the saying, 'the grass is always greener on the other side.'

Bricks

It was one of those golden Pacific Northwest autumn afternoons, a small consolation prize for the almost constant drizzle of rain. Byron Westlake was strolling along Tacoma’s historical district, trying to put the finishing touches to a poem in his head.

Cyberwar, The Beginnings

INTRODUCTION:
WASHINGTON DC, 2020

A bullet just hit my plexi-laminate side window. “Damn, How much is this going to cost me?” I curse under my breath. Still, in this day and age, living in DC, we get shot at. I’ll look at the bullet later. It’s embedded in the laminate, as it should be.

A Plague Strikes Taylorville

Taylorville is situated in a low valley along the southeast border of Missouri, almost in the state of Arkansas. All-n-all, Taylorville is a nice place to live—quiet, sleepy and friendly. Odd thing though, three days ago a light fog settled into the valley. What’s odd about it is that it won’t go away—even the morning sun can’t burn it away. It permeates everywhere—outside and inside; in the cabs of farmers’ pickup trucks; in the general store; in the school; in the church; everywhere. The whole town is talking about it. It’s weird. But life goes on.

Nero the Violinist

I discovered Nero among the ruins of Ostia Anticus, that tourist lure just outside of Rome that has preserved a practically perfect, excavated ancient Roman city.

Double Play

I’m a ronin. I have no rank except that given to me by my employer. By definition, I will serve any employer. And by definition, my name has been effaced. I am known and addressed as Ronin. For honorable service, a name may be given back to me.

A Better Place

Phil sat anxiously in the study room, waiting for the others. First he drummed his fingers, and then he tapped his nose. All he needed was a yo-yo and he would have been complete. Finally, he heard a noise in the corridor and then the quick snap of the door handle. He turned round and saw Steve bundle in, followed by Jim and Graham. He stood up, feeling oddly formal, and the others nodded to him. It was time to begin.

City of the Sun

When the moon died Ruth predicted trouble. She told me that there would be trouble. At the time there were other things on everyone's mind, and I think I can be forgiven for not taking her too seriously. I remember the sound. The percussion of the gun, the shockwave rolling the floor, the earth, the walls of the building. Windows shattered and screams erupted, every human voice joining in the cacophony. The dogs howled. Dust rained down. I fell on my knees and felt the sky quake, and when I fled into the street it had already filled with people, standing under the stark and naked sky. Some of them screamed into the eyeless dark, at the cold and distant light that wasn't there. Brave, in that moment, and drunk with victory.

GhostGlasses

In the waning hours of an uneventful day, Mr. Henderson, a black-haired, scruffy individual, was being pursued by a ghostly figure that lingered at the edge of his vision.

Q & A

Only one standing ovation? The horror director waved to the crowd and took a seat on the sticky stage. The freezing Santa Monica theatre was at full capacity. He crossed his right leg over his left and settled in for another night with fans remembering his 1975 slasher classic, the only film on his resume that was still being shown anywhere in the new century. It would be his third Q&A of the month, following his appearances in Hollywood and Century City. It was a busy time for Theo Hauser. It was October, after all.

Leader of the Pack

The alpha wolf lifted its head to the full autumn moon and let out a long sorrowful howl. It was answered in turn by the other members of the pack as they converged on the alpha's position, ready to chase the unwanted visitor from their hunting grounds.

Finding Our Voices

JANUS
HUNTING SEASON
Or
A DIFFERENT VIEW

They’re hidden, blind, behind with anticipation, waiting out the morning mist, eyes skyward. While decoys floating, the best that money can buy, cold as the water they float on, say nothing. And from the sky, the site, the painted lie, lifeless and indiscernible, to a false beacon, they will glide, soon too late to recognize.

Lalbabu

I jerk awake to the beeping of the charge-counter asking for more money. Sonorous chanting is insidious; I have already lost two hours. I feed in another note, then replay that somewhat promising segment in Valmiki’s text.

The Matchmaker (Dialogue version)

Artie is sitting at the bar area of his favorite restaurant Ciro's. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a table or was comfortable just to sit here. Comfort is what he was seeking and his prenatal environment involved some form of pasta and wine.

The Matchmaker

Artie, a regular at Ciro’s Restaurant, is sitting at the bar. The bar area is dark, except being backlit by the huge TV screen facing the bar, and the low lights under the bar itself that illuminate the two sinks. The menu is all but unreadable. The screen is on and silent. The programmed actors, CNN or Fox, it’s difficult to tell them apart except for the Logos, appear to be highly animated about what ever it is they are screaming about tonight, while underneath is the totally ignorable translation.

Jefferson Ball IV: Chez Jefferson

Jefferson Ball, brown furred and eyed, black nosed, clad in her customary black bikini and high boots despite the exclusive dress code of the establishment, the heroine of Earth and other planets and the strongest female dog in a universe almost exclusively consisting of canines, was convulsed with rage when she heard her date utter the statement that he had just dared to utter in her presence. And the poor boy knew immediately that he could do nothing to recover her good temper and the evening after that.

Salud

I am a professor of Bio-Chemistry (or was), specializing in genetics and immune systems. I worked for many years attempting to identify bio-chemical mechanisms capable of resetting epigenetic markers and reprogramming genes.

Jigsaw

Melissa snapped the puzzle piece into place with the sound of breaking bone. “Melissa,” her mother cried, “take it easy, you’re going to bend the pieces that way. Be more careful.”

The Boarder

I remember the sound of the boarder’s door opening that morning. It was still dark outside when I opened one eye and looked out the window. I wanted to go right back to sleep but I had to use the chamber pot. I crawled back in bed afterwards but couldn’t go back to sleep. I laid there awake, wondering why the boarder was going out so early. He usually got up with the household, even though he didn’t have chores like us. He liked to exercise in the morning while we scurried about starting the day and Ma cooked breakfast.

Nerlov

The vehicle control lights throughout Fair City suddenly turn amber, then red. All traffic, vehicular and bipedal, comes to a halt. City-wide, the public address screens declare an important message from the Fair City Managers Office and the Commissar of Public Safety. The Fair City manager appears, his face dominating the screens.

	The Tale of Bob
	Mission 197
	R. L. Vogeler’s “Reminiscence of an American Dream”
	New Sci-Fi Thriller 'SABER Ladder' by Cory Richardson
	A Perfect Armenian, a family's survival of the Armenian Genocide

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