Uncle Edgar was watching the evening weather with me the other day, and told me not to worry so much about the freakish unseasonable rains we've seen this Spring. "You want weather to worry about? I'll tell you what kind of weather you'd need to worry about!"
Life may be all games for virtual reality play tester Tod Ruckle, but the fun drained out of it a long time ago, somewhere between the ex-wife, the downsized job, the mortgage payment he can't meet and the compulsive gambling problem. But a phone call out of the blue may just change all that. Part 1 of 5. (Originally appeared 2004-08-14)
A slightly alcohol-soaked narrative outlines a tale of mercantile sin and meteoroligcal salvation as a graying barfly describes the night he piloted the Davemobile through the Storm of the Century. (Originally appeared 2005-03-27)
Laws can be useful guidelines for establishing order. But a set of laws that works well in one circumstance doesn't necessarily work well in another. Occasionally, it's better just to scrap the whole thing... (Originally appeared 2005-07-04)
For some sleep is a precious activity during the day. When Helena's sleep cycle gets interrupted, she'll go through anything to get back into her cozy bed and enjoy the dreamlife--even if it means battling a strange creature. (Originally appeared 2005-08-08)
Maybe he was going to die for that rock, but he wanted to make sure his grandchildren had a good life. All he had to do was get there first, and hope for some sweet savior to bring him some air ...
Antonio Hopson's upcoming novel, Ogden Messiah, is a tale of breathing life into the impossible, giving color to faded corners of consciousness and bringing closure to an act of terrible sin. In this excerpt, Abeque-Abeque witnesses the hand of destiny in a very special way.
A bum sipping from a brown bagged bottle, a stray dog sniffing about, squirrels scampering through a park - would you recognize the end of the world if you saw it unfolding before your eyes? Maybe. Maybe not.
A young man is about to quit his job with regardless of the consequences. Meanwhile, a dissatisfied barrista is about to complete the strangest job application of her life.
Dorothy Hall found three more children to add to her family. The only problem with that is that they're in the garage, and have been dead for ten years. At Christmastime, even ghostly kids could use a mother who cares about them ...
Once, long ago, they came to his rescue. Now, there is a price he must pay. How one mortal biker lives determines what will happen to him after he dies, on a lonely stretch of highway haunted by those on an eternal ride. Part 1 of 2
He had the territorial aggression and fearlessness of a wolf, but he was lucky to top the scales at ten pounds. Ultimately, it would prove the little dog's undoing.
Out there it was easy to believe in a God that lived to pull the strings, giving tiny events great significance. A rundown motel and casino reveals itself to be a shrine to the God of Numbers.
The date was a complete disaster, but Annie knew it would be from the start. She has her magazine to run, and that's more than enough to keep her busy. Part 1 of 2.
Extraterrestrials have been kind enough to offer their advanced technology to cure mankind of troubling problems like alcoholism. But some people really just don't want to be helped.
The company reps from offworld have arrived to question why the rules aren't being adhered to. Among the things the rules didn't take into account -- native invertebrates that have a taste for hydraulic oils.
Laws made lightyears away no longer apply to what was supposed to be a run-of-the-mill mining colony manned by cloned workers. Contact has been re-established -- now it's up to the workers and the Company reps to sort out which broken rules need to be rewritten and which need to be re-enforced.
