Author: Deborah Coy Clarise thumbed through the thick album on her lap. Her mother, sitting next to her, pointed to a rampant unicorn just like the one glowing a proud blue on her wrist. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had legacy tats?” Clarise didn’t answer but quickly ...

Author: Jackson Lanzer A man is silhouetted by a sunset, the heavenly light decorating him in immaculate golden armor and a tattered cape of shadows. His rusty hair flows in the wind, and his oak eyes stare into the celestial abyss. “Just me, alone, suffering in ...

Author: Majoki *Influence of the stars,* Breezy Hicks answered her daughter. The teenager looked at her curiously. *The stars? Why would anyone think the the flu originated there?* Breezy smiled. *They were literally medieval. Plagues. Pestilence. Why not blame the ...

Author: Elizabeth Hoyle “Virtual breakfast with President Mahlers is at 8:30 followed by a joint press conference with the heads of NASA, Earth Only, and The Time Organization at 9:45—” “Who invited those idiots from the T.O? All they want is to keep their rich investors ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Another street carpeted in things once considered essential. I wait. Nothing moves. Picking up a can of beans, I swing my arm back, then stop. Put the beans in my backpack. Spotting a can of prunes, I throw that instead. It lands hard and ...

Author: Andrew Dunn Anonymous hotels on dusty roads close to chaotic ports wasn’t Nick’s favorite part of being an independent fidget. It was worse when the ship he was contracted to meet was three days late, the desk clerk he was bribing told him adherents of the latest ...

Author: Rick Tobin All lounge tables were separated far from the hideous Braxel’s corner booth. A cleared semi-circle void reeked of rampant terror regarding the infamous diner now surrounded by nervous alien species, some tentacled, slurping preferred living or semi-living ...

Author: Ruby Zehnder “Mark, is the download finished?” Laura called from the kitchen. “Just about,” Mark replied. “Should I call the kids?” "Sure. Why not," he said and returned to the controls. The holographic images of his parents were flickering into existence. Laura ...

Author: Lewis Richards I carry a world on my back, bearing it forward across the emptiness ahead. I feel for life in the darkness, not to add to my little world, but to consume so I may endure. So I may tend. This is not my first world, I grow and must leave the worlds I ...

Author: Majoki “Were dinosaurs Christians?” Asterisk asked without bothering to raise his hand. Teacher scanned his face for biometric signs of incorrigibility. Negative. Proper attention would be paid. “Asterisk, please raise your hand and wait to be called upon ...

Author: J.D. Rice Dear Traveler, Welcome. Don't be alarmed at the state of our planet, the overgrowth is intentional. We decided to let nature take the reins while we slumbered. We are eager to meet you. . . too eager, you might say. You have likely already found ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer With a smile, I lay the Ace of Spades across the Queen of Cups. Garv howls. “Oh, come on. You’re going to death card my royal flush?” I point to the stack of food tabs and leisure coins. “There’s two weeks good eating and nineteen ...

Author: Majoki Ever the entrepreneur, he put out a shingle: Claude Computing. 967.3 days later Claude had his first customer. 8,714.6 days after that the customer returned. “A pleasure to see you again, sir,” Claude said. “Same,” the customer acknowledged. “It’s ...

Author: Sarah Klein The Dreamselector opens as George gets into bed. "Mountain Climb", he selects. "Anxiety/difficulty: Medium. Ending: Summit." George nestles into bed, ready to dream of a hard but rewarding climb up a snow mountain. Except that doesn't happen at ...

Author: J.P. Pressley Most people think that an active life makes for the best stories. They’re wrong, for the most part at least. Sure, others may have all these great stories to tell of you and your many deeds, but you, the one who actually experienced the totality of ...

Author: Majoki Call me anything but Ishmael. That, I could not take. I’d jump ship. And it’s not any easy thing to jump ship on a jumpship like the Otra Vez. We were riding intense gravity waves in the Juarez Cluster. Enduring savage currents and floes roiled by shedding ...

Author: Cheryl Snell It’s raining stardust, elemental, anonymous stardust straight from the humming sky, rootless stardust descending on a discontent man, a blank-slate child made of infinite stardust, plugging his ears against sound trapped in light leaking music. While it ...

Author: Robb T. White “That is the aspiration: to avoid AI becoming the other.”—Elon Musk, Twitter, April 23, 2017 Martin slowed on approach to the stone bridge in the center of Camden-on-Wofford. The village was a quaint snapshot of Victorian-era tranquility. ...