Tag: Short Stories

Let’s Look at Fragments

Fittingly, I only have fragments of memories of this ultimately haunting short story. I do know, however, that I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2018.

Background

With only the one word title most likely serving as the prompt, I do not have much to go on, reviewing it a good seven years later.

Fragments of a Plot

Deep Space Mission #14 finds a small system where a gas giant planet with four intact moons also has the remains of a fifth. But what secrets does the debris hold?

And then when the crew finds evidence of textiles, and dyed textiles to boot, it seems obvious. There had been some sort of civilization there. But what the hell had happened to it? And, more importantly, why?

Characters

The only character is the unnamed narrator. It is his or her report which has been dictated and is being sent to headquarters. Those headquarters are presumably still on Earth.

Memorable Quotes

Report to HQ: Deep Space Mission #14

It was once a large moon. But then the gravity from the planet must have hit it, hard, and it fell to pieces.

But ‘fell’ is not the right word. Because that is so not the right word. It’s more that it smashed. It seems to have essentially exploded.

We wouldn’t have known, not really. It looks like small asteroids. And that would have been quite the find by itself. An Asteroid Belt outside of the Solar System! But we checked and rechecked once we arrived, and there weren’t a lot of things we thought of as asteroids. Besides, they would have to be older. Older space debris, if it’s large enough, tends to collide and coalesce and become as close to spherical as it can. But this stuff hasn’t.

And so, it’s up to me and the science mission I’m running to try to figure out what’s going on with this cosmic Humpty Dumpty.

Fragments of a Rating

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways

It is highly possible that I was thinking about The End when I was writing this one. Either consciously or unconsciously.

But it doesn’t quite jibe with the end of, heh, The End, where fossil hunters find a much more intact planet with much clearer evidence of a fully functional civilization at its demise.

But that does not matter to our purposes right now.

I just hope that, if it ever turned out that it was our own civilization on the receiving end of such a mission, that the people making such a heartbreaking discovery would show even one-tenth of the compassion and sympathy of the narrator.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

And finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at Jealousy

Jealousy is the same kind of odd little bait and switch story as A Kitten. That is, I take you down a little garden path to make you believe a character is one way. But it turns out that this jealous characters is not who or what you expect him to be.

I wrote this story during the first quarter of 2021. The prompt word was just the title of this little piece.

Background for Jealousy

I absolutely love the canine point of view, and have tackled it before, in stories as different as Will’s Dog and Cynthia. But in this case, the narrator does not get an actual name.

Er, sorry, puppy.

Plot

As the narrator complains that someone or other is coming between him and a female special somebody, he eventually owns up to the fact that the inevitable is just plain going to happen. Whether he likes it, or not.

But it’s every soldier’s right to complain. And I suppose it is every spaniel’s right as well.

Characters

The characters are just the narrator and the two unnamed people they are referring to.

Memorable Quotes

She spends way more time with him than with me. Now, I strongly suspect there’s something going on. I mean, here’s my evidence.

He calls and she comes running. With me? Not so much. He comes over, and she pays a lot more attention to him than to me. In fact, they sometimes go into another room and make it impossible for me to get in! Surely she knows my limitations in this area. Yet she ignores my pleas.

Rating for Jealousy

The story has a K rating.

Takeaways

While this story may seem a little silly, the truth is, dogs really do exhibit certain forms of jealous behavior. And they can sometimes make their displeasure known in a rather violent manner. But I don’t suggest that here.

Our narrator is more perturbed than anything else.

But don’t eat his food.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at Mythic

I like the word mythic, but I am not so sure that it’s the best title for this particular short story.
I wrote this story during the second quarter of 2021.

Background

So, the original prompt word was just the word that became the title. I wanted it to be a bit like a bedtime story that person might tell or read to a child.

And then it turned into a story where the parent was essentially threatening the child. I did not mean to turn us all, collectively, into the boogeyman.

Ewps.

Plot

I did not honestly expect that this one would have such a nasty kicker. But, heh, here we are. Er, sorry, not sorry, gentle readers.

Characters

The characters are just the narrator and their child.

Memorable Quotes from Mythic

The smallest drops of water carve the mightiest canyons. Drip, drip, drip.

Water is all over this world, my child. And this is how we knew there was life here.

Most of that life was good, or at least neutral. That is, outside of true morality or ethics.

But there was one species which did so many wicked things and destroyed so much that they could not be allowed to continue.

Rating for Mythic

The story has a K rating. But don’t mistake that for this being any sort of a sweet or pleasant story. It is a rather nasty one, truth be told.

Takeaways for Mythic

Welcome to another ‘record scratch’ type of ending. Because the truth of the matter is, we should never, ever be surprised if an alien civilization ends up having values that we feel are significantly different from our own.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

And finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at The Bleeper

The idea behind the bleeper was to create something that, on the surface, almost feels wholesome. But the reality is, it’s a slippery slope right on down to our destruction. And this invention has just greased the wheels.

I wrote this story during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Background

This short story arose from a bit of a thought experiment on my part.

So, here’s what I was wondering. What if the seeds of our destruction were sown by someone who just plain needed the money?

After all, it is entirely possible that whoever invented the torture mechanisms used in the Spanish Inquisition was looking for whatever that era’s equivalent of a paycheck was. As opposed to just wanting to maim and kill as many nonbelievers as possible.

Or maybe the inventor would see it as some sort of a ‘side benefit’. Eek.

The Uncensored Plot for The Bleeper

An inventor, a man living just to this side of the poverty line, has just learned that he is about to become a billionaire.

Why? Because he has invented a device which imparts a mild electric shock whenever someone swears. And now the United States government has just asked him about expanding the unit’s voice recognition capabilities and has ordered four hundred million units.

That is, enough for every single citizen of the United States, regardless of age, gender, citizenship status, or criminal record.

Characters

The characters are the narrator (who I never name. Er, sorry about that, character!), his wife Marynel, and their children, Kelly, Betsy, Louis, and Jimmy.

Plus, there is the Johnson boy, a schoolmate to Kelly. And the Johnson boy’s sister and little brother, and his father. Also, there is the pastor of their church, along with the pastor of a mega church in nearby Kansas megachurch.

Given the time frame and the location, it is entirely possible that this family could run into MJ Tanner and/or her extended clan.

Memorable Quotes

It isn’t often that you get off the phone with someone and know you’ve just become a millionaire.

And that’s me! I’m rich! Oh my God, I – we – are gonna be rich!

I should buy a tux. I need a tuxedo. Wait, do rich people actually own tuxedoes? Do they rent them? Maybe they just buy them, wear them once, and burn them. You know, like tossing the champagne glasses into the fireplace. That reminds me, I need champagne. And glasses for it.

Oh God.

Marynel’s gonna want an evening gown. Maybe two. Or forty. I don’t know. It’s not like we’ll need to economize anymore. The sky’s the limit!

And the kids – holy cow – all four of the kids are all gonna get to go to college. Something me and Marynel never could do. There was never enough cash. Well, there is now.

Rating

The story has a K rating, but you know that it is going to mean the ruin of us all. For, once the Bleeper is adjusted, there is nothing stopping the government from shocking anyone who criticizes the president or the party or anything they’re doing.

Takeaways from The Bleeper

At this point in time, the concept behind this device looks more and more plausible. And it is more and more scary. Plus, let’s face it, more and more like something that the government would love to be able to do.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

A Review of Side by Side

Come on in and check out the somewhat creepy Side by Side.

I wrote this story during the second quarter of 2020. I do not recall any particular prompt word or phrase. And I do not believe there ever was one.

Background

The idea of being able to see alternate timelines did not really mature in my writing until I started to write the Time Addicts trilogy and embody the whole shebang into the character Josie James. So, in a way, this is almost a trial run for the concept.

Because if anyone ever had to, truly, live their life this way, they would be constantly tripping and running into things!

As a result of that obvious issue, I retooled the idea considerably before finally settling on how Josie would actually see and experience the other timelines. This also meant removing her from a detached observer situation and instead turning her into a somewhat active semi-participant.

Plot for Side by Side

Rather than much of a plot, the story (such as it is) consists of the narrator explaining their ability to essentially see an alternate timeline.

The narrator sees in a kind of split screen, and so they are able to see the points of divergence as they occur.

Characters

The characters are just the unnamed narrator and whoever they are talking to.

Memorable Quotes

I have been able to do this ever since I could remember. In fact, until I was in school, I didn’t realize that other people couldn’t do it, too.

I have different vision in each eye. And that’s not too terribly remarkable, I know. I get that. But it’s not because my nose is in the way or a difference in visual acuity like with most people.

Instead, for me, I see a different scene with each eye. Now, you may be wondering just how I could go through life without falling flat on my face every moment of every day. But it’s not as if I see London with one eye and Timbuktu with the other or anything.

The truth is that I see the same external scenes. And no, I haven’t just lied to you. Rather, the difference is not in the scenery, not for the most part. I see the same tree, the same street, and the same clouds, probably the same as anyone else.

The difference is that I see two different versions of the present. They aren’t too terribly different from each other, and very often they are virtually indistinguishable. In my left eye, I might see a woman walking toward me wearing a red shirt. And in the right, she might be wearing a blue shirt. I’ve asked people with me, and they have confirmed it’s always the right side that is, well, right. The shirt doesn’t split the difference; it’s not purple. And no one else sees the red.

Just me.

Rating for Side by Side

The story has a K rating. While the end of a timeline can be messy and concerning, there is nothing really on-screen.

In addition, the reader can almost chalk it all up to a hallucination on the part of the narrator.

Takeaways

I kind of like the idea of there being some way to see a pair of timelines, and to watch the convergence. But at the same, heh, time, it would be rather nerve-wracking to watch another version of the human race in the process of utterly destroying themselves.

Also, as noted above, I believe that converting this experience from detached observations to proto-active participation makes for a more compelling storyline. Which would follow, seeing as I am a far better writer these days!

Side by Side is on Wattpad, where you can read it in its entirety.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

And finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, then please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.