The House Remembers

They sealed Emily's room three days after the accident, trapping puzzle games and animatronic bears behind the white hydraulic door. Her parents did not want to see the small proofs: things like names doodled on digipaper, the I's topped by pixellated hearts. A week later they shut down the ...

Brietards

The Annual Garden Party was called such more out of tradition than anything else; there was no vegetation to be found, only green crystal ferns and porcelain roses. However, appearances and traditions had to be respected and kept up. It was commented on that the way the artificial sunlight ...

Where The Wild Horses Run

Even in the heart of the city, Rene is in the open places. His feet splash in streams, not gutters, and his ears feel the whistle of the wind and not the cry of sirens. Past the dumpsters and yakatori stands, Rene smells green grass and the air right before a storm. He can hear his brother's ...

Weekend Warrior

By federal law, I am required to inform you that by stepping outside of these doors, you are releasing the federal government from liability for your safety. Although I have never lost a person on one of my guided tours of the Outside, I have seen people maimed and kidnapped. People have died ...

Welcome To The Monkey House

The stranger had come full of bizarre smells and even odder forms of payment, and while Hikari wrinkled her nose at the collection of coins and seeds, it was technically money. So she tucked the coins away, placed the seeds in some soft earth so they could blossom properly, and offered the ...

Liberty

Liberty ate her lunch alone. It wasn’t that she was shy; back at home in the national park where she grew up, she had been very outgoing. In the city, under the press of glistening buildings and cars speeding through the sky, advertisements wailing and the press of people, sensation zappers ...

Stitches

Today, my arm itches like hell. Then again, lots of me itches. Everyone has an itch somewhere, but the scarring is never permanent. I'm working my new arm left and right trying to get the feel for it down while walking to my favorite breakfast place. Everyone I pass looks at me in the same way ...

Happy Trails

The neon sign outside the dingy brown building said "Roxie's Travel Agency" and featured a woman in a fedora holding a white machine gun. Few people but Roxie, the owner, are old enough to get the reference. She's had a good deal in front of her that night, a couple of newlyweds right out of ...

The Big Red Button

"What just happened?" Eliot's eyes were as wide as Cid's as both of them skimmed the code-riddled display. The letters and numbers went on for as far as the eye could see…literally. Their cruiser looked like a speck of dust next to the onyx-colored greatness that spanned out farther than ...

In Touch

She carried the link with her on the airplane, exchanging witty comments and gossip with her friends through small boxes on its high-resolution screen. "I'm going to miss you so much!" Cindy typed. "You'd better keep in touch!" She promised postcards and souvenirs, though she rejected ...

Doesn't Mix

Danny jumped from the roof this time, hitting the ground with a short thump and glancing down at his legs with pure awe in his pale blue eyes. It took him a moment to jump for joy, feeling his weight on those strong, solid legs. It was the best gift a ten year old could ever ask for. His ...

Sense Of Worth

Master Paranthany set the vase down delicately at the feet of Mr. Lurgess. Mr. Lurgess, for his part, rubbed his spongy hands together excitedly. Master Paranthany removed his velvet gloves and returned them to their pocket in his coat. "How did you--" Mr. Lurgess sputtered out. "How did ...

Mrs. Lansing and the School of Humans

Mrs. Lansing slapped the back of Edward’s head. “What is this?” she asked, pointing at his computer pad. “It’s the site I built!” whined Edward, rubbing the back of his head. His teacher tapped her foot and folded her arms tightly to her chest. “That site looks like it was ...

The Illuminated Man

The last time I saw Alnersans was back when I owned a bar. We used to joke that Alnersans always brightened up the place, due to the lights implanted on his arm. Alnersans had 6 LEDs crawling out of the flesh of his left forearm. I asked him about them once; he told me that they were his six ...

The Whole Night Sky

Muddy came over to Chris’s studio apartment on Saturday afternoon. He came with his old guitar wearing his mismatched black thrift store clothes. Chris plugged his ears directly into his music system, and they both played, but since they couldn’t hear each other, it wasn’t much different ...

Above the Law

Churos went there alone, although he was surrounded by a scattered platoon of guards and officers all charged with the task of escorting the 5'8" teenager to court. When the doors to the court opened, it was clear that the media circus was in full swing. The smile that drew across his lips ...

Springtime on the Mountain.

Matthias bounded up the mossy hill towards the cave. It had been six years since he had last seen his master. He had often found Aupta meditating in the cave when he was her student. He could picture her perfectly, curly red hair, a yellow tunic, her silver sword balanced across her ...

Internal Clock.

It wasn't until the subway stopped at Union Square that Alba noticed the difference in time. I've been on this train for hours, she realized. Before the conductor's announcement, she'd been lost in the newness of her amplified intelligence, rolling her mind around foreign concepts like a ...

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