There’s an indistinct building in an indistinct field full of indistinct people. Employees enter the lobby and shake hands with the palm scanner, then they say “good morning” to the voice transcoder, and finally they look into the eyes of the retina interpretator before the airlock admits them into the bowels of the building. Here … Continue reading The Revisionists
“Dead Motorcyclist Found 100m From Road” reads a newspaper headline. Gary is sitting at the breakfast table sipping orange juice. He’s a retired truckie, and he knows a bit about everything. He examines the accompanying photo. It says it’s a picture of the stretch of road near the place where the body was found. Gary’s … Continue reading The Towie
Rodney’s diary is full of stuff. If it weren’t written in his diary he’d forget to do it. He cleans old ladies’ gutters, fixes mates’ cars, maintains the local bowling club, mows the lawn around the visitors’ centre... he’s a typical retiree - very busy. There’s one thing Rodney never has to write in his … Continue reading The Dog-Walkers
I don't know how I got here. The temperature is fine. I am not cold, I am not hot. It is very bright. The light is clean and crisp. The air is clear for a long, long distance ahead and up to the sky. The sky is not blue, it is iridescent. There are very … Continue reading Maurice
I’m driving through town and the first thing I notice is that everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - is on their phones. It’s a cliché to say it, but it’s never been more apparent. I can’t help but wonder, what are all these people doing that’s so important? I’m stopped at an intersection and … Continue reading Smartphones
It’s self-assessment time again. They tell us it’s for self-improvement. The memo reads: “It’s a way to get your boss on your side, so you can work together to be a better team-member.” Oh yeah? I’m an engineer at the observatory. I’m the guy that helps the astronomers point the telescopes at the coordinates they … Continue reading Self Assessment
Tory bakes bread in the morning at one supermarket, and he fills the shelves after closing hours at another supermarket. He earns just enough to get his teen daughter through school but the cost is dear. He resents the customers that come in for their morning bread just as he’s finishing his shift. They’re weary … Continue reading The Music Festival
The aliens were sick of having their spaceships referred to as flying saucers. Their vehicles could warp spacetime, support life in the most inhospitable places, travel faster than light, collect energy from the void of space and defy the laws of physics. A saucer is a little plate to stop your tea from dripping. If … Continue reading Flying Saucers
Every day I walk home from school the same way. I step off the bus and cross the road. As I reach the crack in the path I duck my head under the cherry tree branch, I squeeze between the hedge and the brick wall, and then I’m home. Today there was a jagged rock … Continue reading The Creepy Old Lady
It’s so ridiculous being poor, literally! Like, no one listens to you. There’s this rich guy called Trenton J. Rhys-King. His parents like, own a salvage company that found a super-old Portuguese boat that sunk like, ages ago. Well, the city tried to put a highway like right next to their mansion, so Trenton’s dad … Continue reading Sucks to be Poor
