Short Fiction
Short stories published in Piker Press, a weekly journal of arts and literature.
1,823 articles — page 58 of 61
What is the true color of manhood? Hulk Hogan provides insights into the topic that end up being, well... fairly accurate actually.
Sheraden continues searching for Alphonse and her stolen heart, growing weaker by the hour. But she isn't the only one weakening -- as she nears death, the power of the Heart's Blood is fading, too. Will Sheraden regain control of her existence again? And if she does, will she regain her humanity? Part five of five.
The script for <em>Pirates of the White Sand,</em> inspired by Pirate Week here at the Piker Press, won the Federico Fellini award in 2005 at the Duke City Shootout and was subsequently produced as a short film. What follows is a version modified to story format for readability -- complete with favorite ad-libs by the cast. Hey, there was a reason Miguel won the Best Actor award.
Sheraden's symbiont may be a curse, but it's a lucrative one. With a few partners and a ship of her own, Sheraden can seek her father and freedom from the Heart's Blood. But one of her newfound friends doesn't seem to understand that Sheraden can't return his attentions. Will his drastic ploy to break through to her work, or will the Heart's Blood lead to Sheraden's death? Part four of five.
Sheraden finds a way off world, one little step closer to finding a way to rid herself of the Heart's Blood, one little step closer to her own goals. A different world, a different job, a different group of people, but it all feels the same - like nothing at all. Part three of five.
The strange stone that's become a part of Sheraden grants her the ability to heal almost any wound, will make her rich beyond her dreams. Shouldn't she be overjoyed? That's just the problem. Part two of five.
Sheraden is just passing through, looking for a temporary job before she heads off world again. A seemingly kind recommendation from a stranger forces Sheraden into a situation that some might call a blessing, but that she regards only as a curse. Part one of five.
With permission of (and apologies to) fellow staffers Josh and Audie, you are invited to take a step backwards in time, to visit con-man and spiritual psychic Vince Raines long before he met the strange creature who opened his mind to the whispers of demons. Meet a younger Vince, lower on the food chain of scam artists, posing as a pet psychic. And meet "September," the woman whose fecally fluent Scotty dogs prompt Vince to look into a career change...
Blackman reveals the depths of evil he carries with him in his heart; evils done to him as well as evils done to others. Despite his boyhood friend's assurances that he doesn't need the burden of that much hate in his life, evil is calling to Blackman, and though the necromancer is dead, the demon who dwelled with Blackman's old master can not be harmed by flames. Caught between the call of darkness and light, to whom will Blackman finally choose to turn? Harper, or the demon that waits in the ruins of the evil sorcerer's home? Part five of five.
Harper has returned to see if his friendship can save his boyhood companion from the darkness that seems to be consuming him. A hair cut, a bath, some clean clothes might change Blackman outwardly, but is there anything to be done to turn the inside away from the evil and hatred he has embraced? Part four of five.
Seven years have passed, and Blackman has returned once more. Thoughts of the past burn in his mind, but not warm feelings of friendship. Hate and revenge are the driving forces in Blackman's life, and he is willing to strike a bargain with the warlock and serve a demon to further his dark goals. It seems Blackman has chosen his path, and yet no choice is written in stone -- the old school teacher sends an urgent letter to Blackman's childhood companion, begging him to return. Is Harper's simple gift of friendship going to be strong enough to counter the lure of vengeance and power? Part three of five.
Despite his promise, Blackman has fled his childhood home, leaving ten-year-old Ray Harper behind to witness a taste of both the evil that his friend was forced to endure every day and the brutality that the older boy was able to prevent by his presence. For good or ill, however, Harper's friend is gone, leaving behind nothing but a broken promise. Part two of five.
At what point does a person choose to become evil? At the tender age of eleven years, William Blackman had already been made to bear a heavy burden of darkness and given the gift of a friendship of uncommon devotion. Darkness and light -- as childhood's end nears, which path will Blackman choose? Part one of five.
Mankind has been struggling with the issue of bottom-line versus human resources since the building of the pyramids. Finding the right balance isn't something we're going to achieve any time soon.
Rachel is suffering from a strange malady. Cramping muscles, tormented dreams that bleed over into her waking hours until she cannot be sure what's real. How can this be happening to her? And how is it that she keeps seeing ...him? *Parental Advisory*
Inside the dark helmet, the rookie was in his haven, he was master of his own destiny. No harm could befall him whilst he was in his fortress. His breathing had returned to normal. His eyes were pinpoints as he went into a type of tunnel vision only seeing what was transpiring directly in front of him. He finally saw it, he could feel it, smell it, and taste it all at once. The Almighty Draft, he now knew how to conquer it. He now understood all those things that the legends had spoken of, when he was a youth. He was no longer afraid of going too fast. There was no such thing. Adrenaline began to pump through his veins instead of the normal red blood cells...
Surrounded by a world of wonder and intrigue, a young man struggles to come up with a plot for a science fiction story, immune to the marvels around him.
Vindication! The unscheduled pit stop proved to be a good decision after all. In the number thirteen car, Rob is starting to earn the respect of his pit crew and other drivers. The race is still young and strategy calls for teamwork on the track of the Daytona 500.
Take a seat behind the wheel of the number thirteen car in this action-packed tale of a rookie driver chasing NASCAR glory as he makes his bid to win the Daytona 500.
A gang of bikers stops to help Ed when his jeep dies along the side of the road. But there's more to these riders than meets the eye, and every favor has its price.
A beautiful girl catches his eye. She seems familiar, and when she calls out to him like he knows her, he asks where it is that they met before. Why does that seem to cause her so much pain?
Matter and energy are the same thing. It's the basis for the greatest story ever told. But if you knew ahead of time that you were going to write a novel that would change the world... would you? First appeared 2004-10-02
The man with the wooden leg gained fame, fortune and all the whiskey you could drink before he lost it all - to the devil chicken. First appeared 2002-12-02
Just one trip and he'll be able to retire planetside forever, never to set foot in a ship or be forced to endure his crewmates again. But, as one young traveler learns, spacer is a state of mind. First appeared 2005-01-23
An evening of headgames and petty power struggles has turned deadly. Shara must face the predators at home to seek help, where a sexual assault forces her to make a stand. The strange goings-on around her are a harbinger of the end of an entire way of life, but Shara is blind to everything but her own little world crashing down around her. Part two of two. <a href="http://www.pikerpress.com/advisory.cfm">Parental Advisory.</a>
Unaware of a beaker of mold spores knocked over a hundred miles away, the drama of the world ending is lost on one girl watching her own little world crumble to pieces. Part one of two. <a href="http://www.pikerpress.com/advisory.cfm">Parental Advisory.</a>