Survival of the Diligent - a short story

Survival of the Diligent (Fiction 101 Series)

The Wolves hunted Them with the arrow. The Bears with the rifle. The Cows herded Them into fences and corrals. The Bears initially protested the Chickens for being too civilized until they witnessed the cramped, industrial housing provided for Them. Fascinated, the Bears adopted this technique and shared it with the Wolves.

Then the Robots built the Processing Centers once their empirical study of the Animals was complete. They approved of their efficient extinction methods of Them – albeit brutal. Ironically, the responsibility lay with Them when – many years prior – they had invented the Robots and traded Human civilization for the Artificial. 

Sand - a short story

Sand (Fiction 101 Series)

Mining had always been dangerous, especially below the turbulent global ocean. That was where most of the valuable sand was located – under water. Cities spotted the planet over the ocean and on the remnants of high ground and mountains that pierced the raging sea. The cities illumination was meager compared to the past. So the vast blanket of bright stars returned to the night sky. It was a reminder of what once was. Now, the sand was more valuable than diamonds and more beautiful than stars. And the dry sand was still more plentiful than the inhabitants of the priceless planet. 

Mondegreen - a short story

Mondegreen (Fiction 101 Series) 

On an arid Saturday, after Mercy finished brushing her horse, she filled her garage with a static-filled song from the seventies as she worked on her Harley. She sang along, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy,” she teased the passing neighbor’s husband.

He just shook his head.

The wife wasn’t thrilled and snapped a correction, “It’s ‘the sky,’ you stupid girl. Hendrix used to lean in – on the stage.” She pointed at her, then snatched her husband’s arm.

Mercy rolled her eyes. She saw the world as a better place when she applied what she called Mercy’s Rules to Life.

(From Mercy, Chapter Twelve of Hawktown, The Blank)

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 A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase - most commonly a song lyric or poem - that results in a new, similar-sounding phrase that makes some kind of sense to the listener. Unlike simple gibberish, a true mondegreen is a plausible-sounding substitute that often tells a completely different, sometimes humorous, story than the original. (Wikipedia)

April 1958 - a short story

April 1958 (Fiction 101 Series)

April sat up in her desk. Her teacher asked for the second time. Two was all the times the teacher allowed before being sent to the Principal’s Office. So, April sat up. This only gave her a better view out the window. From the second floor, she could see out her mystery window. Now she remembered. Her mystery window provided her an “A” on her last theme. She imagined a mushroom cloud erupt and instantly collapse, replaced by a man on a white cloud. She wrote a new theme about her collapsing fear. When will this take place? She asked herself. 

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"[The angels] said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" - Acts 1:11

The Promise - a short story

The Promise (Fiction 101 Series)

Aaron blew out all one-hundred candles. The assisted living nurse cut his cake. He always liked his birthday. And this was the day he needed to fulfill a promise. The morning after his fiftieth birthday, his mom had called him and said, “Welcome to the second half of your life.” And that’s when he made the promise. Aaron had been an avid cyclist most of his life. His plan, ride his age every birthday. So, after his morning birthday party he snuck out of the facility and prepared his bicycle. Ten long hours later he finished. The next day, he died smiling. 

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"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7

A Different Smile - a short story

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic...

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A Different Smile (Fiction 101 Series)

“Can you tell the difference?” The salesperson asked. He tapped his pad for the units to rotate.
“Not yet,” she looked them over from head to toe. “Biotech integrated?”
“Of course,” he assured her. “And with memory reset – if you’re ever inclined.”
“When?”

“Today, if you like!” His enthusiasm betrayed him. 
“You know I meant the time period.”
He checked his pad, “1920.”
“Ask them to smile,” she insisted.
Reluctantly, he accommodated her request. Each unit smiled.
“These three are the same. That one’s different,” she pointed.
He coughed and double-checked his pad, “My apologies. That’s our 2020 model.”
“Looks anxious.”

Tears of War - a short story

Tears of War (Fiction 101 Series)

The generals exhausted all options – on all sides. All the options exhausted nearly every resource. No bullets. No bombs. Depleted crops. Limited energy. Clean water, more valuable than gold. Until one day a scientist came across a unique discovery. After the last fallout, a specific compound mutated. The tears of children could be used to regenerate crops – even purify water. However, one side-effect placed the children in a conundrum. The tears could be weaponized by inflicting extreme passivity, and the opposition would just lie down and die. Eventually, the children learned how to only cry tears for peace, and not war. 

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To the day when there will be no more tears!