“Now or never, Cal,” Howser says, hand on hips. The boy’s only got six months on Cal, but has grown lanky like a sapling and those extra few inches give him authority. Cal stops chewing his lip. It’s important to… Continue Reading
“We like to think of them as new-life undergarments, Mr. Byrd,” Cynthia the saleswoman proclaimed as she held up one of the latest Brainies (a Chess Master Brainie) by the sleeves, “for the simple reason that they can change your… Continue Reading
They were coming in, and it was well too late to stop them. Always was, wasn’t it? They swung their metal arms like pendulums, battering indiscriminately the doors, walls, windows. They were dull colossi: fifty-foot-high and steel plated; age-faded logos… Continue Reading
I’ve been here before. It’s my sixteenth birthday. Mom is carrying my cake over, her proud, smiling face aglow in the candlelight. Dad is drinking beer. He’s always drinking beer these days. My sister is pushing the remains of her… Continue Reading
It’s the little things. Those that you have to be still to value. Silent. Like the swirling of dust in a shard of light. Or the melting of snow on a windowpane and the bead of water it leaves behind. … Continue Reading
There’s six of us in the landing party. Six of us to one jeep. Michael stays with the shuttle, preparing it for departure, in less than an hour, if we can manage it. The air is toxic but we don’t… Continue Reading
“Wherever we end up, it’s gotta be better than this.” Without another word, the girl climbed into the transporter. Kaya looked on as, one by one, others climbed in and jumped away. But she wasn’t convinced. Not protesting like the… Continue Reading
The crowd went wild. The results were in, with the large majority going for the CD12 party. Every person at the rally looked like they’d gone out of their minds. A million red balloons dropped down from the ceiling. It… Continue Reading
Dashing through the aisles of the market, with neither cart or basket, I searched. Meats — no. Potato salad, beans fried in all their incarnations — no. I went down each aisle, scanning along the way. If it’s on a… Continue Reading
It wasn’t like having a manicure by a professional in a fancy salon or even the Full Set, Walk-ins Welcome next to the supermarket, but Annie wanted to look her best. She blew on her nails while she pulled her… Continue Reading