by submission | May 25, 2022 | Story |
Author: Rick Tobin
Choxthonzu wandered towards ghastly yellow glows of a huge, throbbing sign disrupting grim darkness, below which shadowy figures scurried from a cement block, like ant farm residents, hoisting grains to distant abodes. Choxthonzu was drawn below the throbbing neon where delicious insects fell to cold asphalt, ready for his quick tongues to whip wriggling fare into his slender mouth aperture. This unexpected feast refreshed him after a foolhardy trek far from an unscheduled landing site. Choxthonzu glanced skyward outside the strange edifice, focusing on dull-red glows approaching a sun’s length away, far from human detection.
Using his tactical encounter training, Choxthonzu grabbed a gray grocery cart with squeaking wheels, and then followed entering shoppers, imitating them as they collected various objects from stacked isles of foods and odd wares. Choxthonzu’s cart was filled with a dozen cantaloupes and a single bottle of whiskey. His trail led to a checkout counter tersely managed by an emotionally warn and boisterous tyrant. He wondered if this human could provide directions back to his spacecraft. The stout, haggard matron behind the checkout counter looked away temporarily as she droned through memorized customer greetings.
“Welcome to Sav-U-Mart. How are you doing?” She seemed dazed while wiping the slime from the conveyor belt.
“I need directions.” Choxthonzu stood still, waiting.
“So, did my ex. Please put your items on the belt. I…” she paused, gasping air past her tortoiseshell glasses balanced carefully on her bulbous nose while focusing on her customer. “Christ…a bit early for Halloween, isn’t it? Or, did you think this was like those other stores that care less how you dress?” She bobbed her head, scanning Choxthonzu’s yellow bumps and spindly legs within his silver organo-metallic jumpsuit.
“I don’t mean to offend. I need help to find my ship.”
“Harbor is out the door. Take a hard right. Get a map. You boat people—snowbirds. Bunch of weirdoes. Can’t read, either, huh?” She points at a sign over the register that warned Ten Items or Less.
“Must I do something else?”
“You have more than ten melons and a bottle of booze. Just let me count them and get you out of here so I can serve my regulars”
“What else can I do?”
“Any coupons?”
“Will that help?”
“Need stamps or ice?”
“I’m lost…”
“Need cigarettes? Got a photo ID? You might be a disguised rich kid pulling a fast one.”
“I assure you I am quite old.”
She set the bottle aside “Nice try. Heard that before. No ID, no booze.”
“What if I had coupons?”
“Forget it. Paper or plastic?”
“I don’t want either. I just want directions.”
“Fine, brought your own bag. Credit or debit? Do you need help out to your vehicle?”
“I can’t find it.”
“If you need help, go to the Service Desk. Enter your membership number when the screen comes up. Be sure to type in your phone number to get coupons. Want to donate to the Save the Earth fund?”
“I want to save Earth. Would a coupon help?” Choxthonzu did not touch the screen.
She lifted her store phone and called out, “Signal Black on counter three.”
A security guard appeared.
“Harry, take this crackpot outside. He won’t pay. Not one coupon. Next in line, please. Have a nice day”
“Please, let me save you!” Choxthonzu cried out as he was ejected out the front door.
When Choxthonzu finally reconnected with his scouting craft for evaluating Earth’s mass evacuation, his commander asked, “You met them. Are they willing to leave?”
“I’m not sure,” Choxthonzu replied. “Not without coupons.”
by submission | May 24, 2022 | Story |
Author: Carla Ra
There was a slight chance her name would be Little Bun. Most likely, though, she would be named Suzanna. Her mother kept cycling names in her head at the moment of birth. She would stop when the baby arrived, and the last name would be the chosen one.
Little Bun, Suzanna, Marcelle, Suzanna, Tina, Antonia, Suzanna, Karina, Elena, Little Bun, Suzanna—a contraction broke the chain of names.
At that moment, the unborn baby was Little Bun and Suzanna at the same time. And also Lydia and Gloria and Tamara. Each possibility encoded her entire future.
The life of Little Bun was distinct. The curse of an unusual name annoyed her. Other kids constantly picked on her during her early years because of it. At times, she got tired and demanded her mother to legally change it. Agatha would be good. On other occasions, she defended her mother’s choice. Little Bun was original, exceptional, compelling. Later in life, she embraced the personality her name encased. Little Bun was a woman to be respected and admired.
As Suzanna, she thrived. Since infancy her name became Sue, and other kids loved it. Everyone wanted to be close to her, but not everyone could. Her friends called her Sue; the others, Suzanna. She learned how to deal with people and how to assess their intentions. Sue was popular, enthused, gifted. Her name was mighty, and so was she. Later in life, she embraced the personality her name encased. Suzanna was a woman to be respected and admired.
Tina had a contemplative life. She struggled with her busy mind, a source of insecurities since childhood, and resented many things about herself. There was more happening inside her head than around her. But she learned how to navigate through the rollercoaster of overthinking and, most days, her life choices seemed right. Notably, however, she never wanted another name. Tina was cozy, simple, cool. Later in life, she embraced the personality her name encased. Tina was a woman to be respected and admired.
Suzanna, Bianca, Suzanna, Lydia, —.
“Push!” ordered the doctor.
The Sun stood in front of the Gemini’s constellation; the Moon was in Aries. The Solar System happened to be under the collection of random stars, which the Great Observer named The Constellation of Parrot. They looked at this tiny universe created in their laboratory with the cosmic microscope. It was the traditional instrument used to watch quantum phenomena in space and time, like the birth of a little girl on the third planet orbiting a generic star located at one arm of a pretty spiral galaxy.
The Great Observer saw the little girl being welcomed to life, collapsing the odds of her name into a single reality.
“She is beautiful!” said the doctor, handing the baby to her mother. “What is her name?”
by submission | May 22, 2022 | Story |
Author: E. O’Neill
Cyrus Bellini handed a deposit receipt and club membership card to the teller and watched as she punched in the numbers.
“There you are, Mr. Bellini”, she said, sliding the card across the counter. “Your new total is fifteen thousand and sixty credits.”
“That has to be enough”, he thought before asking, “Which way to the redemption center?”
“Stay left at the customer service kiosk, and through the double doors”, she replied.
As he strode across the lobby, Cyrus tucked the membership card into his shirt pocket, all the way counting the days, weeks, and months that he spent collecting credits anyway, and anyplace that he could. It was rarely easy and never pleasant. But he knew it was a task that had to be seen through to the end.
Pushing the heavy glass door, Cyrus entered the redemption center showroom. He passed the small appliance display, as well as the golf clubs and tennis rackets. When he reached the far end of the patio furniture and garden care tools, he spotted the redemption agent’s window.
Stepping up to the window, Cyrus pulled the card from his pocket and slid it across the counter. The agent took the card and scanned it. “Mr. Bellini, how are you today?”, she asked, never looking away from her terminal.
“I’m good, thank you.”
“Good. It says here that you have fifteen thousand and sixty credits in your account. Would you like to redeem any or all of them today?”, the agent asked, never looking up.
“I would.”
“What can we get for you today?”
Cyrus cleared his throat before speaking. “It’s really for my wife. She’s wanted it for a while. She deserves it. I want it too.”
“Okay. Do you have an item number?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Bellini. What can we get for you and your wife today?”,still not looking up.
Cyrus’s response was low and unintelligible.
“I’m sorry Mr. Bellini. Can you please repeat that?”
Cyrus cleared his throat again. “Justice”, he said softly.
The agent looked up to see the tears welling in the customer’s eyes. “I don’t understand, Mr. Bellini.”
Cyrus struggled to speak. “It’s for my wife. She needs this. I need it too. But it’s really for my Gina. My precious angel Gina”. Tears ran freely.
A tone of sympathy tinged the agent’s voice now. “I’m sorry sir. Who is Gina?”
Cyrus spoke. “My only child. Our angel. The sweetest soul. Eleven years old for eternity because some son-of-a-bitch had bad aim. My wife. My poor wife. She cries every day.”
“I’m so sorry Mr. Bellini, but what brings you here?”
“I have over fifteen thousand credits in my account. I want to redeem them for justice. My wife needs it. Gina deserves it.”
The agent leaned in as close as she could and softly said, “Sir, this is a Thoughts and Prayers account. I’m afraid you can’t redeem thoughts and prayers for justice. Justice is a concept. You can only exchange your Thoughts and Prayers credits for the household furnishings you see behind you.”
by submission | May 21, 2022 | Story |
Author: K. A. Williams
It was hunting season on Kreegat. Beasts were imported from neighboring planets to designated areas on this small world. My section now had a furry, yellow hindosen.
The animal had been released hours ago, but the shuttle was late. The rain plummeted down as the two guests disembarked. My partner, Rocdon, and I quickly introduced ourselves as we stowed their gear in our hovercraft.
“You were supposed to be here this morning. I’ll have different guests in two days. Make your choice – sit before a fire tonight, or go hunting in the rain. Which is it going to be?”
Kolash and Synka decided to hunt in the rain.
***
When we reached the forest, we left the hovercraft and split up. Rocdon took Synka off to the left, Kolash and I continued forward.
My weatherproof gear was above standard issue, but I still hated supervising a hunt in this weather. On the plus side though, as we slipped and slid through the forest, nothing could hear us over the rain.
“Did you see that?” Kolash asked.
The underbrush was moving, it could just be the wind. He pulled something from his jacket pocket, and I only had time to see that it was a projectile weapon before he fired into the bush.
I heard a howl of pain and then silence.
“You idiot! Put that away! These animals are expensive. Didn’t you read the rules of the hunt? Non lethal weapons are to be used.”
“What rules? It’s a hunt. I even had the shuttle pilot go back because I’d forgotten to bring this gun.”
“That’s why you were late?!”
“Well, yeah.”
I called Rocdon on my communicator. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Kolash shot the beast with a projectile weapon.”
“Is it dead?”
“I don’t know yet, I’m checking. Take Synka back to the hovercraft and wait for me.”
“Stay here,” I told Kolash, and parted the bushes. The animal wasn’t there. It had forced itself onward.
“Have you found it?”
“Shut up. Just stay there and wait. And don’t speak to me again. It’s wounded and our voices might frighten it.”
When I found the hindosen, it lay still. I moved closer, my headlamp shining on the bloody wound. The first aid kit in my backpack came with everything I needed. I used the electronic scalpel to remove the metal object and heal the wound. Then I injected the beast with a mixture of antibiotics and vitamins. I’d done all I could. I covered its body with my jacket, and went back to Kolash.
***
The atmosphere in the lodge was gloomy, like the weather. We had changed clothes and were sitting in chairs before a roaring fire, waiting for supper.
I pulled out my communication device, and looked up the contract agreement. Just what I thought. I called the shuttle pilot, with everyone listening to the conversation on speaker.
“Kolash shot the hindosen with an illegal weapon. According to our contract, I have the right to cancel their trip. Come back in the morning, and pick them up,” I said.
“Hey, you can’t do that,” Kolash argued.
“Read this.” I showed him a copy of the contract they had both signed and pointed to the prohibited weapon’s clause. “And if the beast dies, you’ll reimburse our company for it.”
by submission | May 20, 2022 | Story |
Author: Carew Bartley
After the dusty, scorching heat of the Via Flaminia, I looked forward to the cool silence of the tomb I had read so much about before my trip. Originally buried in a Central Italian necropolis, the tomb had been assiduously reconstructed in the basement of Rome’s National Etruscan museum, a trove of ancient art and artifacts housed in a sumptuous Renaissance palace. It was the highlight of the collection, Frommer’s Guidebook to Rome proclaimed: it must not be missed.
When I arrived at the museum, I was enthralled by the rustic yet sophisticated charm of the Etruscans, Rome’s peninsular predecessors. But as I drifted through the soaring galleries, my attention was wrested away by an unusual object amongst the ceramics and coins. It was a grave artifact unlike that of any civilization I had ever encountered: a figurine, hand molded from some pliable metal rather than ceramic or bronze. It resembled a human, but it had six arms ending in barbs rather than hands. Its skull was insect-like, with sharp mandibles and gaping eye holes. And in place of a navel, it bore a rough hewn oval of yellow quartz. I glanced at the plaque that ought to describe its origin, but there was no text, only a ghostly white swirl.
I soon found other alien creations: insect warriors armed with curved knives grinning madly through protruding fangs, insect charioteers palled by straining snakes or birds, insect priests presiding over altars strewn with animal viscera. All were inset with chunks of milky yellow quartz and labeled only with white swirls. Themes emerged: violence, submission, sacrifice; an unknown, otherworldly religion being rendered tangible.
Pulled deeper and deeper into the bowels of the museum by the sinister magnetism of these objects, I reached the entrance to a rough basement that appeared to have been carved out long ago. I hesitated at the top step, wondering for the first time how long I had been here and where the other visitors and employees had gone. But looking down, I saw a white line on the floor leading down the steps into the dim hole. I followed it into the earth.
The tomb was lit by candlelight from each corner. Shimmering streamers of metal like that comprising the figurines hung from the walls. The white line entered from the steps and spiraled like a whirlpool around a stone dais bearing a heavy knife and a large log. I drew inexorably forward, grasped the knife, and set to work. After an unknown time, I knelt before the altar that now bore an insectoid idol hacked and carved from the wood. But it was not done. His blank eyes told me what must lay on His altar. I pulled myself onto the dais in the center of the white swirl and set to work with the knife once more.
The following year’s edition of Frommer’s Guidebook to Rome made no mention of the tomb under the museum.
