The 4:00pm Rebels Classes at the Yusupov Memorial Assassin School were done for the day, even Professor Princip’s after-school pistol tutoring. Leon crept towards the back hedge with all the paranoia of youth’s first rebellion. He clutched the contraband tightly. The others were already in the hidden grove. “You got it?” Charles asked. Leon held…
Tag: fiction
To Be Struck by Lightning
To Be Struck by Lightning Mikki had never been struck by lightning, which was a shame. She’d heard it gave you such a nice energy boost. She craved that now. She was 48,564 meters from home and her reserves stood at 6%. She chewed two 9-volt batteries with her tungsten teeth, sucking out every possible…
First Day in the Trenches
First Day in the Trenches The first day of school was over. A group of shell-shocked first-years sat huddled together in the back of the restaurant. “I knew high school was hard, but . . .” “The twelfth-graders were huge! I honestly feared for my life during first period.” “One of them called me Fartin,”…
Everything’s a Critic
Everything’s a Critic I pick up the guitar. Eight apprehensive eyes appear, watching like I’m a toddler with a chainsaw. I’ll try Bad Moon Rising. D, first. No, that’s wrong. The eyes widen. I start again. A moan of protest begins. “I see the bad moon a-rising,” I sing, trying desperately to match my voice…
Discomfort Food
Discomfort Food I pushed the scooter as fast as it would go. A shadow loomed on my left and momentarily the buildings around me seemed to run with blood. Then I was past it, and normalcy returned as the Horror’s mental influence faded with distance. I hate people. I hate Horrors more, but I hate…
Build For What You Want
Build For What You Want In my culture, hospitality is life. And hospitality fills the space it is given. Build a 2-man tent and you can only have one guest. I wanted a tent for a hundred friends. No one makes tents for a hundred people. Merchants scoffed. “You need a palace,” one said. “I…
Jumping Day
Jumping Day The Flea has just started lowering, preparing to jump. And now, as the Springmaster, everything is up to me. “Thank you for coming,” I say to the assembled inhabitants of Kirppu. There are seven hundred of us in the small city built on the back of the Flea. “As you know, we are…
A Real Vacation
A Real Vacation Allison woke to the sun shining through the tent door. She made breakfast and sat looking out over the valley. This is what I need. A real vacation. The breeze smelled like pine. Too much? No, just right. Relax. You are alone in the Scottish Highlands for four days. Enjoy it. The…
Nip and Tack
Nip and Tack 48 Peacock Lane was breathing comfortably. Structural anesthesiologists were monitoring it, and the surgery crew moved in. “Anything major?” Jim asked the lead surgeon as he assembled a reciprocating saw. “Nah, just light touchup work. Some rotten siding. Cosmetic stuff.” “It’s a new world.” Jim shook his head. “Sometimes I wish houses…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 