COVID-19 was just the beginning. By the end of 2030, 15 new viruses had ravaged the world and killed off almost half the world’s population. Since the early ‘20s, no one has been able to leave their state or country; all air and boat traffic was suspended. Traveling to another area became illegal. There were still those who did it, of course. The viruses still managed to spread. Americans had it the worst. Of their population of over 300 million in the early ‘20s, less than 50 million were left by 2030. Some residents tried to illegally immigrate to Mexico or Canada, and boarded ships illegally crossed the ocean. This is how this last virus started. Back in 2029, a new virus appeared in North America. It started in North Carolina when a cat infected its owner. This virus was a strain of rabies that had combined with a parasite that attacked the brain. The result was a pale, lethargic state with an overwhelming desire to bite others. The parasite reproduced quickly and spread its eggs via the infected wounds caused by the bites. The owner decided to have the cat put down and called Animal Control to pick the cat up. The cat bit 5 others in the attempt to be caged. At that time, no one suspected rabies due to the cat’s lethargy. However, one of the Animal Control employees had recently had a rabies vaccine (due to issues with another animal) and treated his infection with some strong antibiotic ointment. The two in combination seemed to save him (for the time being). Fifteen months later, the WHO was able to track him down and transmit their findings of a possible vaccine...before the employee and entire WHO team were killed via a zombie attack. Zombies - as they have thusly been named - are not naturally cannibalistic, they are omnivores just as we are, but a lot of food sources have dried up. Zombies don’t work, see, and therefore there are now twice as many mouths to feed and half the workers. After reports of zombies started popping up all over the US, farmers began to cordon off their fields with electric fences. Mayors began to build walls. NYC blew up their bridges and screened people heavily before allowing them through via ferry. So the zombies ran out of readily available food. First, they turned to the livestock and wild animals. Then, they turned to the people. There are barely any safe places left. At the time of the first cases, I was living in a small town in the middle of Pennsylvania. Living in the middle of nowhere has its benefits. For one, about half of the viruses that had destroyed the world never reached our small town until after the vaccines had been developed. For another, the new “zombie” pandemic seemed very unreal and hard to believe at first. Reports reached us that major cities in North Carolina had been lost to zombies. The National Guard had tried to control the situation, but entire units were lost. Virginia spent its entire yearly budget on building electric fencing on its border. The border between it and North Carolina was secure, but it failed to secure all the fencing needed to protect itself along the Appalachian mountains. Zombies made their way (very slowly) across the mountains into Virginia. The President decided to bomb the majorly affected cities, but it wasn’t enough to stop the flood of zombies, especially because it would take days for new patients to turn. With the failure of the bombs, my friends and I decided to leave. I suggested moving to my Grandpa’s old farm: it was large, had food sources (corn, gardens, chickens, pigs, and cows), and had a water source. Plus he had old electric fences that were no longer running but could be rigged to work again. We packed necessities and left the next day. The farm was being run by my Grandpa’s current tenants. But when we got there, the tenants were nowhere to be found. “Oh, they left days ago, heading for Canada,” Grandpa told us. A lot of people had been leaving for Canada lately. The first thing we did was feed and water the animals. One of my friends and his brother were comfortable with animals as were my sister and I, but my other friends knew nothing about how to care for animals. My friend Tom, his brother Dan, my sister Jess, and I each took one friend along to show them what to do. Then we inspected their enclosures for any breakages or weak points. We each contributed to the farm in our own ways. Megan B took up veterinary medicine. Jess learned animal husbandry. Marty and Dan learned how to set up the electric fences and got them working. Tom set up traps outside and inside the fences, for game and for larger creatures. Alek set up an internet system and called people to set up backup systems if our main one failed. He also ordered laptops and phones for each one of us. Stef was in charge of drawing a map of the farm and developing a plan (and several backup plans) should things go awry. I learned the ins and outs of gardening, cooking, and canning for the future. Grandpa helped where he could, but his health made it difficult to do much. Still we were grateful for his expertise. Our biggest problem with our plan was the cats. Grandpa had a ton of barn cats living in and around the barn, free to come and go as they pleased. Within two weeks, 5 of them came back as zombie cats. Megan B and Dan put down any who were bitten and managed to catch the zombie cats. Megan B decided to keep one in a cage to watch and document what happened as the illness progressed. Of the over 20 cats left, I decided to adopt a few and put the rest in the tenant house for safety. Megan B managed to spay and neuter over half of them. But the cats weren’t the only things that made it through the fence. One day, we discovered 5 deer had jumped the fence and made it into one of our corn fields. We managed to herd them into a smaller barn we had decided to reserve for sick animals. We watched them carefully for any symptoms. On the 3rd day, Dan noticed one of the deer acting slow. He went into their enclosure to inspect further. The other 4 deer scittered back into the barn, but this one allowed Dan to approach. Too late, Dan saw the festering bite mark on the deer’s left flank. Before he made it two steps, the deer had bitten Dan hard on his left arm. Dan screamed with frustration and pain, throwing his arms up in the air. The deer tried to bite him again. Shots rang out from behind Dan. He quickly ducked and covered his head. The deer dropped to the ground, twitching a little, then lay still. It had been hit in the head. Tom was standing on the other side of the fence with a gun aimed at the deer. He slowly put the gun down and asked Dan, “Did it get ya?” Tom made as though he was going to hop over the fence, but Dan held up his hands to stop his brother from approaching. “Don’t come any closer, Tom,” Dan said in a restricted voice. “I’ve been bit.” He let out an almighty sigh. “Go tell the others.” Tom went inside the house and told Grandpa, Jess, Megan B, and I what had happened. He collapsed in a chair; Jess tried to comfort him. Megan B and I went around the farm to tell the others. I let Megan B find most of the others, though. Instead, I went to the buildings behind the tenant house that now held the cats. My Grandpa’s farm was a very old farm built before electricity. Back then, the tenants did the majority of the work. They even had three extra buildings in the back. One was being used as a storage shed. The other two were a spring house and a summer kitchen. The spring house’s main floor was empty and would possibly be a good place to house Danny for the time being, but there was a giant pool of water the bubbled from the spring in the basement. And though there was little I knew about rabies, I did know that it caused an irrational fear of water. The summer kitchen had an old stove in it, but that could easily be removed. The only problem was the basement level (that I was honestly too scared to check out). Maybe we could cordon it off somehow? When I got back to the house, they were already discussing the matter. Marty and Stef had suggested the practical, but hard suggestion of just shooting Danny now. Tom walked out of the room and couldn’t handle it. Megan B suggested that we use antibiotic cream to treat the wound and see what happened. Jess suggested putting him in the basement in Grandma‘s old painting room. That’s when I suggested the summer kitchen. I took the other people out to look at the building, while Megan B went to put antibiotic cream on the wound. We decided the best place for Danny was the summer kitchen. Then, Alek had a great suggestion about putting an electric fence around the summer kitchen. Jess went to break the news to Tom. At this point, we had no idea how soon the virus presented itself, just that it was like rabies. We gave Danny things to do, books to read, and machines to work on in the kitchen. We also moved a twin-sized bed, a comfy chair, and a small table and chair in there. Alek set up a two-way video feed running to the house. Megan B and Grandpa were set the tasks of watching him for any changes. While we waited for the worst to happen, Alek discovered a way to set up a remote control electric fence. We set one up inside the door of the summer kitchen so that we could bring food to Danny without risking ourselves. The change happened on the fourth day after he had been bitten. He complained early in the day about a headache and fatigue, so he took a nap. Upon awakening, he just sat on his bed for hours at a time. The only times he showed any signs of life were when people would bring him food. Dan would rush towards the person, mouth open, then yelp with pain as he encountered the electric fence and back away. He would do this over and over again until the person left. Then he would attack the food, eating it without his hands and with food going everywhere. Eventually, we decided to get a feeding trough like the ones we used for the pigs and a shatterproof glass feeder for water. About a year later For those who still keep track of time My friends and I have really settled into this communal farm living. We share almost everything, except for size-specific clothes and partners. Everyone has paired up with someone. Megan B and Marty were the first to start “dating”. With no priests or officials to marry someone, we decided as a group that whoever you were sleeping with was your husband or wife. Jess, Tom, and Stef went off to do their own things. I believe Jess just chose whomever she wanted, and Tom and Stef were ok with that. Alek and I appreciated solitude more than the others. We decided to move into the “cat house” and claim it as our own. We still helped out the others as much as before, but now we had a little place to simply be alone. Megan B, Jess, and Stef had thought enough ahead to bring birth control pills and condoms. But Alek and I wanted none of that. I am now about 3 months pregnant (or so estimated by an OBGYN we were able to video-chat with in California). Yes, we worry about the baby: how it will grow, how we will be able to feed and care for it, and how to frankly get diapers! Megan B has at least helped birth several calves, piglets, and kittens now, so maybe the actual birthing won’t be so bad? We have heard worrying reports on what few news stations are left about a hoard of zombies ravaging the middle of Pennsylvania. We have taken to sleeping in shifts and have packed the four vehicles we have full of provisions and necessities. We have also taken turns going on raids of neighboring farms for feed and any trailers we can find. Thus far, we’ve managed to find three. We keep animals in the three trailers on a rotating shift so that no animal spends more than 3 hours in the trailer. We created a driving schedule and plotted routes to Canada in case of the need to escape. We chose meeting points in abandoned areas in case of separation. Danny is much the same. He still only eats, sleeps, and tries to attack whomever entered the room. Megan B has tried putting a few basic meds in his food to see if he would act the same. Nothing has helped. “Ugh,” I sigh as I sink into a comfy chair. “I really don’t want to deal with Danny’s food today. Just the smell of that room makes me nauseous.” “What doesn’t make you nauseous?” says Alek in a joking voice. “Don’t worry, Megan, I’ll handle it.” I had fallen asleep when Alek burst suddenly into the room. “Megan, come quick! Something’s happened to Danny!” I run as fast as I can to the summer kitchen (though I have to stop and vomit after just a few paces outside). Danny is nowhere to be seen. Then I hear some yelps coming from the basement...the basement we had never cordoned off. I freeze. I do NOT want to go down into that basement. Alek grabs my hand to help me towards the stairs, but I do not budge. Alek sighs, and says, “Call the others.” He turns the flashlight on from his phone and carefully peeks down the stairs. I call the gang. Even Grandpa manages to come. Tom and Marty bring a rope. Alek manages to scare whatever is living down there away from Danny, and Tom lassoes Danny. Together, the men, Jess, and I manage to pull Danny up. Megan B prepares her med kit. Grandpa shouts encouragement from the doorway. They bring up a dead Danny. Or at least, that’s what he looks like. Jess and Stef place him on the bed while Megan B gives him a shot of antibiotics. Megan B says to hope for the best; there’s no broken bones, but it looks like he’s been bitten by a snake. He lays unconscious on the bed for two days. The 3rd day of Danny’s unconsciousness starts with a rude awakening by Tom and Marty. “Our large perimeter traps have gone off. They’re coming.” I rush around, getting the loaves of freshly baked bread and the baby clothes I had been knitting. Alek picks up the cages with a few of our cats inside and takes the fencing remotes with him. We leave the door open so that maybe some of the other cats would have a chance to survive. Stef and Tom rush around to open the animal enclosures. Megan B and Marty are hurriedly picking some fresh fruit and veggies from the garden. Jess is arguing with Grandpa. “What do you mean you’re not coming?” Jess yells. “I’m too old,” Grandpa replies. “I don’t want to slow you down.” “Grandpa,” I butt in. “I need you.” I look down and pat my belly. “And more importantly, my child needs you.” Jess glares at me in shock. Alek and I hadn’t told anyone besides Megan B yet. Life was too uncertain to be proud of bringing a child into the world. Grandpa slowly nods and agrees to get in the car. I rush inside the house to get Grandpa’s medicine and a picture of Grandma. Stef and Tom and Marty and Megan B have already started to leave. I’m heading out when I hear a loud, “Wait!” I look around confused, thinking maybe Grandpa left the TV on, when I notice Danny looking right at me from the two-way video feed! “Danny?” I ask, confused. We hadn’t heard a single word from Danny since he had gone zombie. “Don’t leave without me!” I dash out through the garage without stopping, putting the things down on top of Jess’s car as I run past. I wave my arms and yell, “Come back! Turn around! It’s Danny!” Tom makes a vicious u-turn that almost hits Marty and Megan B’s car and speeds towards the back part of the farm, where the summer kitchen is. Marty and Megan B turn around and head in the same direction. I run to catch up to them. Alek starts to run but turns around. He goes back to the car, and, next thing I know, he’s running next to me with an empty cage. I look at him questioningly. “I’m going to get that snake.” “Why?” I ask. “It’s not like it’s...” I trail off. “...the cure,” he finishes. When we get there, Tom is giving Dan a big hug while Stef is urging them to get in the car. Marty comes out of the shed with a long pointed stick, and Megan B tests a flashlight. “Ready to go save the world?” Alek asks. Marty and Megan B open the door in answer. Minutes later, we all speed away, heading towards Canada with the cure in our backseat.


Leonard Field watched the blurry white dot high above, longing to pull himself out of the muck at the bottom of the swamp. He was halfway submerged beneath the mud, and the rest of his body too was dark now. He clenched his right hand around a chain that happened to be splayed out across the swamp bottom, the individual links digging into his now-rugged flesh. “I can breathe out there,” he said. “Nothing is keeping me down here.” He could speak underwater, and when he did, no rush of bubbles emitted from his mouth. He did not breathe air in the way he used to. Technically, he didn’t breathe at all. He didn’t have to. He felt fleshy tendrils around his shoulders gently press against his body; the armored tubes that pierced his chest expanded, and fell. “We can breathe here,” said the voice on his back. “As long as we need to.” Leonard allowed himself to sink an inch more into the mud, his eyes still staring upwards. The white blur shifted and twinkled, and the fear he felt that it might go away constricted his heart. “I have to go up there,” he said. “I can’t stay here forever.” The voice on his back hummed contemplatively, the vibrations providing his body a warm and gentle massage. “We must agree together,” it said. “Wherever we go.” Leonard did not reply. The mud covered his mouth. He pushed himself deeper into the dank sludge, brushing against the chain as he did so. He heard the click of metal. He was beneath the floor of the swamp. Unable to move. Waiting. They slipped across the bottom of the swamp, exploring. The voice on his back was moving its body as they went. Leonard could feel it probing, snapping up weeds and small fish, crunching up crustaceans. They never rose far from the floor of the swamp, always staying close to the mud, where they could easily escape danger any moment. Though the mud floor seemed like nothing but slime and sludge from above, there was a home underneath of tunnels and chambers that could easily be accessed by slipping through the filmy, gooey silt and ooze that was the floor and was the ceiling. Leonard paddled languidly while pulling himself along with his hands, dislodging plants, chasing out animals so the thing on his back could catch them and eat them. “You should eat, too,” it said. “Your body can eat them now.” Though Leonard looked down at the floor of the swamp, his mind was above. He remembered cooked foods. Steak. Hamburgers. Even skewers of fish roasted over a fire. A wriggling swamp worm was not food. It was a horror show. “Are they still there?” he asked. “We share much now,” the voice said. “When I eat, you take nutrients, but... If you don’t eat and use your own body, you become weaker. It’s bad for us both.” “It’s bad for us if I don’t see her,” he said. “It makes me weak not to see her.” “You want to mate,” it said. “It’s a good thing, to reproduce. But the timing isn’t right.” “I want to live,” Leonard said, and he turned his body around so that his face was towards the sky. The white blur was still there, not far away. Still moving in the waves. Still calling to him. Despite being underwater, his mouth felt suddenly dry. “Watch out!” The voice spoke too late. Leonard’s head collided with a large rock. He curled up in a ball, clutching at the back of his head. When he opened his eyes again, he saw strings of red rising around his line of sight. “It’s not serious, I think,” said the voice. “I can take a look. I can lick it and make the wound clean.” “No, no,” Leonard protested. “I’ll check it myself.” He touched the wound, flinched. It stung. “Oh, no one saved this one either,” said the voice. Leonard felt his heart drop, and he began to uncurl himself to get a better look. The rock was actually concrete, round, heavy, sunk in the mud. Above it was another chain, still mostly clean with relatively little in the way of accretions of swamp muck in the links. The chain floated upwards, and attached at the end of the chain was a man, naked, and very much dead. But his body was still buoyant enough to keep him from settling down to the ocean floor just yet. Leonard stared at his corpse, the series of bubbles still stringing up faintly from the deathly dumb face of the poor sucker. “We can eat him,” said the voice. “He is still fresh, and the flesh will be good for you. Familiar flesh for your body.” The man did look familiar. Leonard had not known the man well, but he had been a crewmember on the ship. John or Dilton or something, it didn’t matter anymore. Something was happening up on that ship. Crewmembers were dying, and they were burying them in the swamp, where their bodies could become a part of the ecosystem again--a cold and scientific way to deal with the dead, but one he approved of. It was the right thing to do. But still, why were they dying? Would his friends okay? And what about her? “I have to see why these men are dying,” Leonard said. “I can’t stay down here forever.” “That which floats on the surface is large and dangerous,” said the voice. “It swallows many lives. Even before you fell to this world, that which floats took many lives from below. This voice does not trust it.” Leonard was quiet for a time. “That’s where I came from,” he said. “They are waiting for me to return.” “Are they?” asked the voice in a strange monotone. Leonard continued to pull himself along the bottom of the swampland, and a slow prickling annoyance arose and seemed to prance upon his temples. Of course they were waiting for him. Of course she was waiting for him. Several days later he caught sight of her. When the voice on his back was asleep, Leonard crept out onto a small island far from the ship. It was barely an island so much as it was just a swath of thick mud and reeds that could only just bear his weight, and even then his limbs were deep in the muck. Though he was far from the boat, he knew a way to peer long distances with clarity, as if looking through a pair of binoculars. It was a trick the voice had taught him after they had become one. Leonard’s body had changed in some ways after the voice had fused with his back. His hair had thinned, and webs had grown between fingers and toes. The voice had shown him that he could touch fingers to thumb in a certain way, and then, after running his hand through the water, pick up bubbles that, if he shifted his fingers just right, would form into makeshift lenses in his hand--lenses through which he could peer and see farther away. Of course peering through a bubble caused some distortion and warping of the image, and if there were impurities in the bubble--refuse from the swamp water--they could disrupt his vision. It took him several tries that morning on the mud island, hiding behind the reeds, before he could get the bubbles shaped just right in his hand, and clean and clear enough to look through. She was walking on the deck. Long, dark hair framed her perfect, moon-shaped face, now distorted through the bubbles. She was wearing a white one-piece swimming suit that hugged her curves, delineating her body. His mouth watered as he stared at her breasts, her hips. Even through the bubbles in his hand, she was gorgeous. He remembered the first time he had been close to her, smelling a warm scent of jasmine. When they had held hands, the flesh of her fingers so soft in his rough laborer’s hands, the way she would hook her hand through his and kiss him fiercely on the lips, how they would... On the boat, she raised her hand to her mouth, a small red dot winked on, then she flicked something into the water below. A cigarette--no doubt one of the new “safe” ones with none of the dangers and a healthy hit of vitamin C, but still... littering here? That was against regulations. He would have to chastise her lightly when he... The thing with the voice on his back seemed to hum, a feeling like a light vibration playing against his spine. It was waking up. It wouldn’t want him on the surface of the water. It definitely wouldn’t want him spying like this. He didn’t want a fight over what his body did or where his body went. He clenched his teeth and backed away into the water, letting the colorful and translucent water cress close over his head. The voice didn’t say anything about the island visit until they were in the tunnels later that day. The tunnels stretched in every direction underneath the swamp. They were not just the living quarters that Leonard and the thing on his back called home, but other scampering creatures lived there, too. Leonard was always careful stepping through the tunnels because he didn’t know when one of the clawed, sinuous lyre worms would ping like a struck note and lunge out of the puddles to latch on to his heel. “It is good to walk carefully above too,” the voice said. “I was careful,” Leonard replied. “I wasn’t even walking. I was low. I got down into the water when you started waking up.” He had hoped the voice hadn’t noticed that he had been out. Maybe the thing had awoken earlier before the hum. He clenched his fists, the webbing between his fingers crinkling uncomfortably. “Better to stay in the tunnels,” said the voice. “You can’t find anything of value on the mud banks.” “She is my girlfriend!” snapped Leonard. “She cares about me, and you’re keeping me from her! What do you expect me to do, wait underwater until my dick falls off?” The thing on his back seemed to tense against his shoulders, and it let out a thin stream of warm water that ran down the small of his back. He used to think the creature was urinating on him, but apparently it thought it was calming him down with a “gift” of warm and comforting liquid. Yeah, right. “If we leave this swamp, we can find other options,” said the voice. Leonard, felt his eyes flash with fire, and he nearly choked with rage. “I am a human being!” he yelled. “And I want to love a human being!” The thing on his back seemed to consider this. Leonard waited, expecting another warm trickle of not-urine to snake its way down his thighs. It didn’t come. “Are you sure who she is?” the thing said. “I’m in love with her,” Leonard said, feeling an overwhelming longing. “I want her.” The thing hummed and held him, and he took a deep breath, crouching in the dark in the tunnel. “I will catch a twinkling eel tonight,” said the voice. “It has a pleasing poison inside, it will make you feel good.” No, thought Leonard. Nothing would make him feel good enough as long as he was under the swamp, stuck in these tunnels, away from his real life, away from everything that he was supposed to be. The twinkling eel--a long and sinuous blue creature with dozens of sparkling appendages that snap and writhe as it swims--was delicious in its way. Leonard did not eat it, of course. However, even still, after the voice, the thing on his back, consumed it, Leonard felt the effects of the toxins in the eel’s body entering his own bloodstream. They filled him, fingertip to fingertip, toes to scalp, with a sense of kinetic energy and a rush of euphoria. Like jagged waves of energy, he felt his nerves jangle and swim across his skin. It felt as if the allure of the toxin reached into his farthest depths, into his deepest desires. And he saw her. Salinda Powers. Her flashing smile, her curving waist, her flowing hair. Every word like steam from her lips, beckoning him. Every movement lithe and smooth and seductive, like the most delectable dream. The voice was silenced on his back. Whatever effects the toxins may have had on Leonard, their force must have been multiplied several times over on the creature as it was the one who consumed the eel directly. Thinking that the voice could not resist any longer, Leonard stumbled through the tunnels, treading over lyre worms and clicker crabs, and pushed out of the muddy bottom of the swamp, out into the water, and up, up, the excitement inside him building, eyes wide, staring at the blur of white above as it grew larger and larger. He felt the power inside, felt invincible, felt a lust he could not contain. His webbed hands grasped the chain leading off the side of the ship. The cold metal sent a shock of pleasure through him, almost as if he was caressing her arm. Hand over hand he climbed, his breathing ragged, the thing on his back like a dead weight. He clawed his way onto the boat, gasping, eyes on fire, teeth bared in desire, and pushed himself to his feet. “Salinda,” he croaked. He saw her, pointing at him. He tried to smile. And the men came. They had sticks of electricity. He could not look at them, but only at Salinda, even as the electricity touched his flesh and sent his screams spearing into the sky. When Leonard awoke, something was missing, and something else was there. In his state of mind, it took him some time to figure out which was which, despite the gaping psychological absence that should have been there. He tried to feel of his face, but found that he was bound, and when he tried to turn his head, he found himself encased in wires and tubes at every quarter. Clacking footsteps rang out, and when Leonard looked up, he saw Salinda, wearing white. As she came more clearly into view, he saw she was wearing a long white coat over a professional gray top and ironed raven-black pants. Her mouth was open in excitement, and he tried to speak, but heard a strange rasping sound instead. “Shhh,” Salinda said. “You’ve gone through a lot. Your throat sustained a lot of damage I’m afraid.” She sounded gentle, and Leonard wanted to lean into the comfort of his voice, but he saw in her eyes a jet professionalism mixed with a frightening excitement that pulled at the corners of her mouth and gave a taut character to the skin around her eyes. “Salinda,” he managed, hearing his voice finally in that awful rasping. “You remember me,” she said, and allowed the excitement to pull her face into a savage smile. “I thought you might.” Leonard imagined those days before, in the spaceship, holding Salinda close, his hand upon her cheek, her hand upon his side. Feeling his hands now as he clawed at the bedsheets, he only found rough scales, the webs between his digits stiffer now, even more uncomfortable. “I love you,” he said. The savage smile softened a bit, and she pressed her lips together in a sympathetic grin. “That might have been the difference,” she said. “That might have been what finally brought one of you back.” He stared at her, desperately, willing the restraints to go away, aching to reach out for her. “You deserve an explanation,” she said, taking notes from the monitors connected to his flesh. “We wanted the parasite. But the parasites are smart. Smart, but, I don’t know, good-hearted? Some of the other scientists are already calling them the Samaritan suckers. They suck onto you, you know--and they are a sucker for someone who is dying underwater.” Leonard almost choked. “Some people did die,” Salinda said. “The suckers don’t always rescue everyone. They bond with land-dwellers so that they, too, can become ambulatory on land. But they also seem to want to save people, and prefer to bond with sentient lifeforms. We don’t really know why yet, but we are trying to figure it out.” Leonard thought back to the many times it had warned him, how it tried to help him. “Turns out we got real lucky,” she said, patting Leonard on the upper arm. “Not only did one of the suckers go for the bait finally, it just happened to be a bait that I had had a fling with for fun. At the time I never dreamed that would matter. Just a nice pastime, you know, and you weren’t so ugly, and I knew you wouldn’t stay around forever. We just tied you to a rock, like we deal with corpses anyway. We thought the chains would hold you, and then we would have the sucker, too, captured as it tried to bond with you. But it managed to get you loose.” Leonard felt fireworks in his mind, broken shards of darkness and light. “Where is he?” he hissed. “Oh,” said Salinda, frowning a little. “Unfortunately the sucker didn’t survive. Thought it would be hardier than that. But we can still learn a lot from its remains. We are dissecting it now.” The smile appeared again on Salinda’s face, the same kind of taut excitement returning, pulling open her cheeks so that they revealed teeth that nearly snarled, flashing in the harsh light. She put her hand on his, her flesh soft, her fingers hooking around his scales. “We will learn a lot from you, too.”


He and I. Me and him... It was an energy that built over the course of a year. We flirted, we spoke. It wasn't that kind of shallow conversation that normal people have. Afterall, I don't really know how to have those. Maybe I mistook that he met me on my level. Maybe I wanted to believe he admired me as I did him. Maybe it was the worst end of a date that never happened. He was tall, and possibly handsome. It's strange with tall men. Sometimes people perceive them as good looking just because their eyes are drawn to the highest person in the room, but they aren't always so. I have met many people who say a man is attractive to them, and it really is just because he is tall. I admit: height does add a certain charisma, but I always try to see past a person's born attributes, to who they really are. I don't want to be blindsided by someone who knows they are attractive and uses that to get what they want. Right: this is a story about a first date I will never forget. And every first date, that I will never forget. Because. It was horrible. It started with me seeing someone and remembering him. I see so many faces all the time of people I may or may not ever see again, that I could see the same face five times and still not remember seeing it before. If I remember a face, then I know it must be special. A face, a dream, a possibility. I project onto him the fantasy of what could be, and a dance begins. He is smart (enough) to beguile me and I am willing to be beguiled. We have drinks (after all we are adults). We are adults who can accidentally meet for a drink (because we go to the same place at the same time) and during the conversation we realize each of us are hungry, and so we decide to go to dinner. We eat together separately, drink some more, pay separately, and say goodnight. We decide not to sleep together. We are adults. We are adults who drink and enjoy each other's intelligence and conversation, and depth, and say things like "you know how much I admire you, even though I have never told you" and "I like you but I will never say it". So one day, after a year of these accidental meetings and deep forays into whether or not there is an afterlife, or the earth is flat, or death is real, or we are actually in hell and he's the devil, which is really just a fallen angel (I argue) and I'm a psychic, or just super observant (he argues), he says "let's go home". And I think " ". "Yes", I say. We go. In the morning, he says, "Come back to bed. I'm leaving in two weeks. I have the next two days off. Come back to bed" I say, "oh" and put my shirt on. I leave his home for mine. I can't spend two days falling in love with someone that's leaving. I don't want to, that's not what I want. I don't know any other way to react, than to withdraw, to make myself scarce again, so that's what I do. I leave. That was the worst date I never had. It was a non starter.


Looking at the fascinating starts a teenager girl Finding her parents who had past away 2 years ago because of a curse,but she doesn't know anything about that curse and she doesn't know how her mom and dad died and how she came to the hostel , suddenly she realized a strange voice coming from outside . It was 2 am at night everyone was in there dreams. She decided not to go outside and she begin to look at the star, after sometime she notice that there is a card lying on her bed with a beam of light .when she pick that card , she found a word written on it' maktub ' which means 'it is written '. The girl was roaming around and reach and abandon place, abruptly she saw a handful of teenager boys beating a boy, by seeing the boys face she realized that the boy was scared to the death. The girl was thinking what she can do as she too scared of those boys and she get an idea she unlocked her shinny, long hair and divide her hair in two sections and pulls it in front of her face and started laughing like a witch and said " haha ,I got so many peoples to eat yummy I can do a party, haha " and by listening it the boys get scared all boys ran away except the one who got left and right from those boys. They both got settled down near the bench . Thank you the boy said and started laughing . The girl with a demented look started staring the boy and by looking at the boy she couldn't control herself and started laughing too..... Later the boy ask" what's your name? " the girl replied" Dada " the boy said "Macin my name ,where do you live? " the girl replied "in a hostel , why didn't you ran away by seeing at me like other boys? " the boy replied " because, witch doesn't bleed ".the boy removed a bandage from his bag and apply it to her leg. The girl said "your pretty must smart, but coward more " . and there chit -chat goes on, like this way they started meeting each other. One day they decided to meet near the seashore the girl was waiting for the boy and the girl was walking inside the beach suddenl a huge wave came and the girl drifted inside the water the Dada doesn't know how to swim,macin saw Dada he ran and get inside the water and tried his fullest to help her, when they came outside the water Macin started shivering Dada asked him why are you shivering as , it's summer season? Macin narrated her the story of his life that when he was 8 years old he and his parents where going for picnic and suddenly his dad got distract from the road and they break the bridge and directly get into the river and from then Macin was scared from swimming inside the water . Dada asked "then why did you drive inside the water ?" Macin said "I'm scared you loosing more than swimming in water ",and they get attracted with each other and the day come when the boy proposed the girl with a beautiful diamond ring at night in front of the shooting star . They fixed the day for there marriage. Everything was going according to the plan. The day of their marriage the girl was wearing a beautiful white gown with a trail . The boy with light blue coat, they were looking like they got there soul mate. The second they declared married the boy faint there was a death silence suddenly everything get it freeze except Dada a dark glow appear and a lady with a black candle in her hand said 'Dada, I'm taking ur husband with me ' . Dada with a flutter of confusion and anger said 'No, who are u ' . The lady hold Dada's hand. Dada saw a place looking like a kingdom the king was sitting on his seat to people where on there knees and crying they were lovers ,suddenly the king said 'take the boy and hang him ' the soldiers followed the order and the lovers got sperated the girl with tears in her eyes turned into anger and she said ' the king who had sperated my love will also get sperated with her love and not only him but everyone one belonging to his family will get sperate .' and it get over. Dada asked th lady "what's the relationship between the king and me? " . The lady said ' you too belong to that family, I have taken the life of your mom and dad and I'm going to take the life of your husband because it is written "Maktub " ' .Dada said ' what's my mistake? ". The lady said ' the same question I asked to the king he said he had some personal grudges with my family and the mistake is that you to belongs to that family. Dada asked the lady that 'us there any way to save my husband's life? "lady replied "there would not at all waybut you not the one who killed my love so I give you one chance to save ur husbands life ,do a sacrifice give me your life ". The girl with a delima has to make a tough decision between her and his love. After a long time in newyork to old age man and woman sitting on their balcony and seeing the stars. They were Dada and macin Dada choose to sacrifice , she kissed macin and said ' take my life I can't life without himand never wanted to die without him , by crying till death she continue " we have decided that we will live together it doesn't matter how much we live it matters that we are together, but I can't let him die in front of my eyes, so take my life instead of him " and by seeing her sacrifice the lady give them the wedding gift - their life. "love never die "


The morning was bright and cheery as I strolled through the forest. I listened to the birds sing, and the gentle breeze swept my hair. It seemed so peaceful, like a fantasy, until a heartbreaking noise filled the air. I twirled around, and I saw before me a wounded deer with his muscular legs trapped in a snare. The hunters were at work again before the threat of winter took over. I ran to the poor creature and continued to untangle the trap that he was stuck in. Not one second after I got him free, he stood up. On his hind legs! To my total surprise, his legs were wholly healed...and human. The deer was transforming into a man before my very eyes: a young, good-looking, and very naked man. I blushed and turned around, still in shock. "Please put on some clothes. I have so many questions for you." Who was this man? Was I still dreaming? His low voice cut through the silence. "Oh yeah, it is rather chilly." He chuckled, gazing intently at me. "I don't think I have any clothes with me." I quickly slipped out of my jacket and gave it to him, trying not to look. I had so many questions. My curiosity was taking over, and as soon as he fastened the jacket around his waist, I turned around and bombarded him with all my inquiries. He quickly introduced himself. "My name is Aspen. A few days ago, I was put under a powerful enchantment. I was cursed in the body of a deer for the rest of my life unless my soulmate freed me. So I guess that makes you my soulmate." I gasped, but he didn't seem to mind. He was smiling, his eyes alight, but something else was in them. I was still determining what. I also couldn't stop myself from scanning his beautiful body, seemingly too perfect. There was something he wasn't telling me. We spent the whole afternoon together. That is after we stopped by my cottage and fetched him an old pair of pants that had belonged to my father. Time seemed to go by far too fast as he told me stories, and I opened up like I never do with anyone. Not that I had anyone left. My mom died when I was young, and I grew up as my dad's most prized possession. We weren't rich, but we had a good life together. However, my dad passed away a year ago from tuberculosis, and I had learned to fend for myself. As I opened up, we clicked seemingly magically. We laughed under the shade of the towering trees for countless hours until the sky turned dark as ink. I soon discovered he was from a wealthy family and an only child like me. I sensed he was a good man and learned that we shared a passion for exploring the world beyond the walls of our kingdom: Puria. The following day, I went out to get some bread for Aspen and me. He had stayed the night, as it was dark when we returned. He wasn't able to sleep at all till finally, he fell asleep at the crack of dawn. He must have still been running on a deer's sleep schedule. As I walked down the busy streets of Furia, I overheard talk from the vendors. King Tobyn, the 1st, had put out a reward for his missing son. I saw a flier a few meters away, and my heart sank. I realized what had seemed off when I first met him- I had seen his picture before. Aspen was the throne prince. Apprehensive about the reactions of others, I decided not to share this secret until after I confronted Aspen. I didn't know why this news bothered me; I had only known him for a day. He was wide awake when I arrived, anxiously pacing around the steps of my house. "There you are!" He exclaimed. His face was a mixture of worry and confusion as I entered with a frown. I placed the loaf of bread on my dining table and took a deep breath. To my surprise, I erupted as I turned around to look at him. "You lied to me. You told me that you were wealthy, but you so conveniently left out the fact that you were the crown prince of Puria? That is not something you just forget to tell someone. Why didn't you tell me?" A sob broke out in my throat, and I swallowed heavily. Aspen made strides toward me, at my side, within seconds. He cupped my face and stared into my eyes. They seemed to look directly into my soul, searching for something. To my surprise, he backed off not a moment later, his hand at his side in a blink. Like the moment had never happened. I raised my head at him defiantly, demanding an answer. "I know. I heard talk in the forest the day before I met you. I didn't want you to treat me differently if you knew I was a prince. I wanted something based on love, not status or what society deems right. I really like you, Emily. I really do and don't want anything to change between us. I know of the implications of my background on a relationship, but I really want to try this. Come back with me to the palace." The whole world seemed a little brighter after he finished, and I released the breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. "I... I like you too. But how can we be? A poor, insignificant girl and the crown prince of all of Puria?" The second the words came out, I realized I really did want to be with him. Yesterday had been the best day of my life, at least for a long time, and I didn't want to lose him. His lips parted as he replied, a flame in his eyes. "You are not insignificant, and I will convince my father that my decision is final. He can choose to accept it or not, but I am the only heir. He will have to." Looking into his eyes, I let myself nod. "Okay, I trust you. I'll come with you." I saw him exhale in relief, his eyes shining and his posture straightening. This time, I made the first move. I tiptoed so our eyes met and pressed my lips against his. His lips were warm and soft against my own. I could feel the gentle tickle of his breath beneath my nose, his fingers carding through my hair as we breathed each other in. It felt magical and so very right. Like fate wanted it to happen. The following day, we devised a plan to ensure our happiness while not compromising the kingdom's stability. We had to wait until the time was right to announce our love to the king and the kingdom. The domain continued their search for the prince, and we secretly embraced our moments together whenever we could. Whenever I returned from work, Aspen would be waiting for me with a bouquet of freshly picked flowers and a sheepish grin. We cherished every moment together, knowing that our secret could be discovered at any moment. Months passed as we planned for the perfect time to announce our secret love affair. However, fate had a different plan. One evening, as we strolled through the marketplace, the air cold and the clouds dark shades of gray, a voice stopped us. "Hey, you look awfully like the prince on all the missing posters." I turned to face an elderly woman as a crowd gathered around us. How had she seen through Aspen's disguise? His beard had grown as well as his hair, and he wasn't in a royal suit but in plain peasant clothes. No one had been able to recognize him so far. I turned to look up at his face, still stoic and hard at work, thinking of a way out of this. I could almost see the gears moving as he said, "Me? I'm just a simple man taking a stroll with his lady." "How come I've never seen you before? Or ever heard about you?" The woman sneered, jabbing her finger at him. I was getting nervous, and we were drawing too much attention to ourselves. Before he could reply, I took his hand and led him away as we ran back to the comfort of the forest. When we were safely surrounded by the overhead trees, we stopped. Little droplets of rain started to fall, and we stood there, breathing heavily. "We have to tell my father. We aren't safe anymore here. If my father finds out from someone other than me, he'll never be able to forgive me. We shouldn't have to hide, and we shouldn't have to keep our love a secret." I nodded. He was right. It was time to make our love known. "Okay," I said. "I trust you. Wherever you go, I'll follow. If you'll have me." "As long as I have you, I have all I need. I love you. I love you so much, and I can't imagine a life without you. You are the most adventurous, beautiful, caring girl that I have ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife." I couldn't believe it. Tears flooded my eyes as he knelt on one knee, his eyes never leaving mine. "I don't have a ring yet, but I couldn't wait a moment longer. Will you marry me? Will you be my queen?" I gasped, overcome with happiness. The rain started to pick up speed as it wiped the tears off my face. "Yes. Yes, Aspen. I want to be yours. I love you." I couldn't stop smiling as he rose up and cupped my face, his lips pressing against mine. The kiss was full of tenderness and urgency, a dance of two hearts in perfect harmony. I felt his sturdy arms wrap around me, pulling me close as we lost themselves in the moment. The world around us ceased to exist, leaving only us in a sea of emotions. The kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity, our lips parting only briefly to catch our breath as droplets of water trickled our faces and the sky broke out in thunder. As we finally broke our kiss, I looked into his eyes, knowing that what we had was special. It was a moment that stayed with me forever. The time to tell the king was tomorrow, but today was our time. __________________________________ It was time to go. The sun had made its way across the sky, and the birds were chirping in delight. Aspen came up beside me as we said goodbye to what had been our home for the last couple of months. Hand in hand, we started out on our journey to the castle. Our hearts were filled with a mix of hope and fear. Upon arrival, after several days of traveling, we made our way to the king. Aspen seemed at home here, and I could feel him longing to see his father again. The great doors to the throne room creaked open, and there, upon his majestic throne, sat the king, his crown catching the sunlight in a wreath of gold. "Father," Aspen began, his voice echoing through the hall, "I come before you with an apology and a truth I cannot bear to hide from you any longer." The king's sharp eyes filled with relief but also burned with anger. I held my breath as his gaze scanned over his son and me, the girl who clasped his son's hand in peasant garments. "Speak your truth, my son." I squeezed Aspen's hand in encouragement as he rose from his knees. He stepped forward, saying, "This woman beside me, brave as she is kind, has saved me from a curse. Not only that, she captured my heart and opened my eyes to a whole new world. I ask not only for your forgiveness but for your permission to unite our hearts in marriage." The room held its breath as the king rose to his feet. His gaze shifted from me to his son and back at me again. "Love," he said, his voice surprisingly warm and kind, "is the truest form of loyalty one can offer their kingdom. If she has your heart, then she shall have mine. You have my blessing." A swell of cheers broke out around us as the courtroom erupted in applause and welcome back's. However, I couldn't help but notice that not everyone was happy for us. Some officials were still whispering to each other, their eyes filled with contempt as they scanned over me. But now wasn't the time to think about such things. We had the king's blessing. The wedding bells ran not two weeks after the scariest night in my life. From the moment Aspen led me around the garden, I knew it was special. Our wedding was set in the blooming gardens of the castle, where the air was fragrant with roses and the sounds of joyous celebration. I had quickly gotten acquainted with the queen, my lover's mother. I learned that she had also been of low status when she married the king, and she accepted me with grace and kindness. So, that's how I ended up dressed in a gown of silk and lace, walking towards the love of my life, a smile on my face brighter than the morning sun. As I arrived at the altar, I took his firm hands in mine, and we exchanged our vows, sealing our love in writing for all the coming generations to see. Our first kiss as husband and wife was sweet and full of promise, filling the air with a love that would be sung about for ages. Ultimately, it wasn't my poverty or Prince Aspen's royalty that defined us, but our courage to trespass all expectations and defy all odds. Many years passed, and I had a lot to learn as a future queen, but together, with the guidance of my new family, I did it. The king passed away peacefully, and we had to take over the throne. There would always be some people against us, but our kingdom flourished like our love, and we lived happily ever after. And to think it was all thanks to a curse. The End!! Merry Christmas!!


This is how it starts. For an entire decade she played the game of love and obedience. She never twice questioned who the real object of importance was. Him or her. I say twice because the moment she realized they both can’t possibly make it out of this, she-. I’d rather show you. Her name was an amalgamation of letters that spelled beauty, hope, trust, domination, and war. Venus is what they call her. A flower with a mind of its own. Upon her 21st birthday she was gifted freedom, an abundance of inheritance and her dream career. Which started with her first assignment. A single contract that would shower her in oceans of endless fulfilled desires, a protected blacklisted name, a more than sturdy brand-new identity to allow er to safely travel the world. A damn good bargain, right? You’d think. Just like se did. But she was jarred by the missions only specification: fall in love. What a gorgeous degradation. And what he didn’t know was that he was the last child to hold the helm to the Athenian slab. The most priceless item in existence. It’s said to roughly calculate the structure of black matter and give us the last known location of the routinely circulated tomb of Prince Obsidian. Wrapped within his mummification, tucked in his boney clasped hands, the bulb of the two sister Great Basin Bristlecone Pine tree’s branches twisted in a double helix. Like two snakes which make a staff, its round top is rumored to be active with dark energy. The place where both serpent mouths mangle. As an immortal being, he gave his godly properties to the remaining deities for their safe concealment of this forbidden element. Another specific to her mission: Kill and retrieve. What exactly? His CCS, or Carbon Chip Set. His set identity. The only thing that will give her access to his inheritance bunker. On her birthday it was only right she held her composure while celebrating in the dining quarters of his families most prestigious private village hotels. His main residence. It was from the extent of the ball room where he leaned against the massive pearl entrance column. A perfectly distressed five figure four-piece suit, close cut black wool beard, folds of twisted dreads to match. She in a painted on plum dress that slept lavishly on her neck and cut just above her knees. Curves of an hourglass, skin of bronze, a smile that became a spotlight when excited. Her tamed kinky hair slipped with curls that tickled her shoulders. Hazel eyes that he could pick up from a couple yards away. Lips that he swore mouthed his name. High cheek bones, red lipstick, white heels with soles that seemed stepped in pools of blood orange. He was hooked the first sight. He was drowning in her slow-motion dance circled by a group of celebrating friends. Most of them belligerent from the excessive amounts of complimentary mimosas. “Siyah.” His dear friend, the floor manager Eladio elbowed the tranced man. “Venus. And you own the place. That’s a good starter.” A firm pat on the shoulder and a single eye wink begins his departures. Siyah, still oblivious, stares with crossed arms. He nods softly, capturing the advice late. Fighting the want to approach he softly mumbles an introduction script. “Hi, I’m Siyah. This place is what I own- no.” He shakes his head, looking at the floor, rethinking. “I own here. I’m Siyah. No-“ Why can’t I get this? He thinks to himself. Scratching the side of his head. Unknown to him the distant party disperses as the group agrees to return to the infinite pool dug into the edge of the high-rise hotel. Venus unmounts from the center platform, places her empty drink on the tray of a passing waitress. She collects two filled champagne flutes of bubbly fresh squeezed orange juice with a sliver kissing the small mouths edge. As she strides towards the mouth of the doorway, her heels sounding the marble speckled floor, her increasing click stops right in front of the bow headed Siyah. His eyes crunch, head cocks as he notices her closed toed white heels. His glare shoots up, shocked by her presence he nervously looks for the words with a gape mouth. She fragments him with an alluring soft voice. “Venus,” She holds out a single flute. “and you?” Jostling the glass softly she nods, signifying him to take the drink. As he weakly grasps the crystal, she throws her drink back. Encouraging him to do the same. “It’ll calm your nerves.” He lifts his, not breaking eye contact as he guzzles the cold liquid. She takes both glasses and calls a waiter over to rid them of the cups. “Siyah,” He says with a stretch. Sour faced to the potency of sour champagne in the mixture. He forces a grin, covering up the disgust from the alcohol. “You should show me the rest of the it then Mr. owner.” She lifts a single eyebrow, a devilish smile that stretches a single side of her red lips. Without hesitation he straightens his posture, fixing his suit jacket by both lapels, spinning around with a single arm triangled that she grabs hold onto. The day was filled with comfortable conversation expression individual viewpoints on the world, their likes, dislikes, their past occupations, political stand points, investments, heritage, future goals, and current emotional standings. She essentially ditched her friends; he ignored his demands to stand in the commanding limelight for the day. Turning the role over to Eladio who milked the temporary placement with eccentric energy. His relentless act distracted the crowds enough to allow Siyah a day in peace. They laughed like children under sparkling star light and crescent moon beams. Gold crusted dark chocolate covered fruit melted beside their hot tub in waves of spilled water that would sink the cement ridden plate. As they grew quiet with the calming night, they would end in an intimate, fighting embrace. Racing from the salt water jacuzzi to the linen tucked California king. With audible yearns of endlessness fogging the mirrors cover the ceiling they sailed into the night, thrashing in a tsunami of satisfaction. Venus rose as Siyah snored. Tucking a velvet robe under her crossed arms as she fits herself within. She leans from the penthouse railing. The lights below, the speckles of flame from citronella candles dug into the beach, the widespread resort lighting that was glowing around the building, the comparable clear night, the sound of running water from the infinite pool. She soaked in the comfortably cool breeze. Siyah woke, laid on his back, half his limbs dangling from the lifted platform bed as the sun broke into the open back glass wall. With a heavy groggy voice, he exclaims pain as he awakens. “Oh man...” He strains to roll over. Bringing his numb limbs flat onto the bed. “Shit.” He rubs his temple, blocking the refracting glare of the rising sun. In his squint he pats the bumps under the comforter next to him. “Venus?” His soft voice breaks. He exhales deeply as he peels the sheets back to notice a line of pillows. “Over here.” A jolly voice reaches from the cross-room chair behind a still steaming platter on top of a refreshment cart. “I told them for you, your usual. I took the liberty of ordering myself a special treat.” She raises a bellini. He grins, a relieving laugh that ends with a quick “Ouch.” He lays back down. He stumbles back into a heavy sleep. Chasing the sun into lunch. He woke from a knock on the front door. “Siyah!” Eladio was on the other side banging on the door like a police officer. “Man get down here! I’m not being another pawn today! We got a retirement party today and the Legacy Board Meeting today! I swear these old women won’t leave me alone and you know how these people be man! Get your ass to the ball room immediately!” Siyah stumbled to the cross-room cart. His food still untouched. Venus missing. A folded hotel note sat on the covered plate. “If you want me, come find me. \-Venus <3” He bites his lip, cheerful, placing the note within his nightstand drawer. “On my way buddy!” He joyfully yelled through the hang over and soreness ravishing his body. “I’m serious man! I expect you down there in 15-minute man! Don’t do this to me today!” The water breaks open, the pressured hot water silencing any incoming noise. As he breached his room, the race was on. Starting in the lobby Siyah stood at the podium, greeting the incoming party as they piled in. His usual morning, but now afternoon announcement was filled with a scripted introduction and short description of his family’s legacy, the party goer’s importance to their mission and an overall appreciation with a bid of enjoyment. “Here in paradise, you don’t need to pinch yourself. You’re not dreaming. You’re living the dream!” As he executes an energetic finale the crowd of mid age woman woo and roar. A line of staff and waiters flood in as he runs out. Siyah moved from floor to floor, room to room, side of the building to side, beach to peach, parking lot to the sky loft looking for a hint of this mysterious woman. He began cursing under his breathe, kicking himself for not asking for her contact. He did everything alone. Refusing to ask his own staff to identify a one-night fling. But he finds himself rapping his four fingers on the service desk corner, bent over, sipping a bellini. “Mr-“ desk worker becomes agitated by the rapping. Before she can finish, he shyly waves her over with a single flexing finger. “You can keep a secret?” Confused and intrigued she nods in agreement. “I need to find this woman I was- saw yesterday. Can you do that?” “ I can try sir.” For what seemed like an hour he raffled keen details, the part, the guest list name was pulled onto her smart slate. With only superficial information they would try to put the name to the description. Eliminating almost all of the attendees. With no luck, four glasses piled next to him, he depressed. Thanking the desk woman, he returned to himself bent over the corner of the desk. It’s nearing dinner. The glow from the sun has hours left to shine. Another clear day with a muddy mind Siyah thought. “Are you sure she signed in with her legal name?” She asked. “I- I don’t know.” He replied defeated. “Siyah.” The distant call becomes clearer, closer. “Siyah! It’s almost meeting time- is that a 5th glass of- man put that shit down!” Eladio waves over a waiter to discard the glasses. “Sparkling water, a lot.” He directs himself back to a wobbly Siyah. “Today’s the Legacy Board Meeting man! Get your shit together!” he whispers sternly. Eladio proceeds to touch up his sloppy suit. Removing a small can of hair palm, a brush, fixing his facial appearance. Once more put together, forced to guzzle two bottles of sparkling water that made him burp between bottles, he checks him off. “Okay, some breathe mints and some vocal exercises, and you’ll be- good enough. Now, lets go.” As they head to the elevator, weaving through seas of staff, security, residence, vacationers and janitors they arrive to an incoming elevator car. As they golden doors split open, an older woman stood in the middle of two husky black suited guards. “Ah! Siyah Starr.” The woman opens her arms in a warm embrace. Kissing the tall man on either cheek, forcing him to stoop over. “And you must be Eladio Nestres.” Eladio smiles with confirmation. “I am Natasha Iroke. Head of the Legacy Board Legal Team. And this is my daughter, Venus Iroke, Assistant present to the legal division. And as she moved to introduce her daughter, Siyahs jaw drops. Astounded. He’s left nonverbal. With an extended hand Venus clutched a black purse, fitted in a skintight strapless dress in blackened heels. Her glow breaking the incandescent lights bathing her within the elevator car. “Nice to finally meet you Siyah. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Her lips mouthed a friendly greeting, her eyes brought into mind hours of aggressive sexual combat. Being nudged out of his daydream by Eladio he grasps her still hands with his shaky sweaty palm. “Hi- \*clears throat\* Good evening ma’am. Siyah Starr. And the pleasures mine.


It’s difficult to live in the shadow of yourself. It’s also nearly impossible. Unless you’re me. Unless you live in two separate worlds. Dimensions. I should say dimensions because one of me is in the future, and the other is in the present. Well, one of me was in the future. And now that me is dead. Have you ever been murdered? Of course not. I have. I can’t say I recommend the experience. I wasn’t even kidnapped, or shot in the street. I was a statistic. I was one of 43 students who died in a shooting at Webster High School in Webster, Wisconsin. I shouldn’t use was, but that me is dead, and this me is alive. I’m alive in Chicago, Illinois. And I’m going to stop the shooting and save them. Us. I only have 11 hours and 12 minutes to stop this from happening. I have until 3:12 pm, CST. I know the shooter’s name is Mitchell Dupree, and I know he is in AP Biology first period, which begins in exactly five hours. I’ve got my work cut out for me. Sweat. Cold sweat. That’s how I remember it. Dying, that is. I was so nervous, but it was quick, in the back of a dilapidated math classroom, the only light from the overhead. Yeah. We still used overheads. Used. Used. Past tense. It was only one classroom. 43 students in AP Statistics. That’s ironic. We were, are, statistics. Maybe if our school had spent money on making classes smaller, instead of building a new football field, there would only be 25 lost souls. I bet the school board never thought of that. Mitchell Dupree. He sat with me. Sits. He sits with me. Quiet kid. Its always the quiet ones, I suppose. Mitchell seemed nice... That is until he put a bullet through poor Ms. Dodd’s head. The sweet spinster who loved numbers more than her 12 cats. Loves. The past tense is creeping up on me, stalking my every move. It knows. It knows I shouldn’t be here now. Dr. Langdon says its my “condition”. “multiple personality disorder” he claims. Dr. Langdon is a crock. This is real. It is all real. Why won’t they listen to me? My friend listens to me. Mitchell. He’s nice. He lives in the mirror above the bathroom sink. We have big plans today. At 3:12 pm.


I had this dream. It must’ve been the 1950’s, or some time earlier. I wasn't sure how I got there, but I knew that I wasn’t in my body, and that I wasn’t driving my car. We had the top down and were speeding down an old country two-lane road. The prettiest girl in the world was sitting in my passenger seat. She was sitting cross-legged, facing me, with the wind blowing her gorgeous golden-brown hair all over the place. She was laughing. I could never forget that perfect smile. The orange light from the setting sun caused a glisten in her eyes. I loved the way that I couldn’t keep my focus whenever I was around her. What was peculiar about this was that I felt as if it happened all in one instant, but at the same time it felt like hours. I guess this is how love is supposed to feel. She screamed with delight. She loved feeling free. I didn’t know where I was driving, but she didn’t care. It doesn’t matter where you are when you’re with the most beautiful girl on Earth. I managed to break the allure of her hazel-green eyes to check the road. Nothing. Just the open road, a warm sunset, and the girl of my dreams sitting next to me. Or so I thought. I don’t know what happened but the car suddenly flipped over. Everything was silent. I can’t clearly recall what happened but I remembered that her once-gorgeous golden-brown hair was soiled with blood and that her hazel-green eyes were filled with tears at one point. But, she never cried. The worst part was that I couldn’t save her. I reached for her but could never touch her. I called for her but she never answered. The last thing I saw was that glisten fade from her eyes. I don’t know if I ended up surviving, but it didn’t matter. All I knew was that I had robbed the world of the prettiest girl that it had ever seen. I could never forgive myself.


"Come on guys please can we play the Mysterium," I pleaded to my 3 best friends Robert (Rob) Johnson, Ivy Ruth, and Rebecca Garden. "Sure," Rebecca said, twirling in the seats in my basement meeting room which my dad usually uses for work but not today because it was a Saturday. "We always play this game," Rob groaned, which was true but still it's an awesome game. "Plus I'm always stuck as a ghost." "Well not today my dad promised me that he would be a ghost." "Sure, Rubs," Ivy said, sitting down next to Rebecca. "Fine. But you promise me I wont be a ghost," Rob said sitting down across from Ivy. "I swear," I replied sitting next to him. My dad hurried down the stairs still in his sweatpants and sweater which was very different then the usual stiff black suit and tie he wore to meetings about his books that he wrote and the book store he owned. "Who's ready for Mysterium," He said, taking it off of a shelf on the wall. We sorted out characters. Me: Alma, Ivy: Jessalyn, Rebecca: Madame Wang, Rob: Alphonse, Dad: Ghost. "Let's start,'' my dad said. After 50 hours (15 min) of setting, we finally began but soon there was a rattle shock in the room. Then everything fell into darkness. "What happened? Ruby, Rob, Rebecca are you okay," A voice but that of Ivy's. It was like the voice of a (I'm completely guessing) 1920's American woman. "I'm fine," I replied but my voice was like what a Spanish woman would have sounded like in the 1920's as well. I looked around and we were in the front of a tall mansion. "Me too," A heavy French accent called out. "And me," I said in a Chinese accent. I turned around looking at the other people circling me. They were my friends but they were also the characters we had picked in the game. "Wait one minute I'm Alma. Rob your Alphonse. Rebecca your Wang and Ivy your Jessalyn." "Which means we are in the game," Rebecca said. "And this is the manor." "And your dad is just a ghost most likely trying to give us visions now so do you all remember who to get them." No we all said in unison but then we saw a button on our arms and when you saw a button you always got to press. I waited a while but I only felt an odd wait in my pocket. I pulled out a Pendulum and a card just like the ones in the game/rule book. "Alma Salvador Specialty: Pendulum Divination," Wow I thought reading that I get visions through this (I held the pendant). I held it up and closed my eyes. That's when I saw what was almost like a camera moving closer to the door. "Let's go inside," I said, walking towards the door and opening it causing a LOUD creaking noise. I stepped followed by the others. That's when I saw 5 suspects sitting at the dining room table. One looked like a chef and the one next to him was a hunter. There was at the head of the table a con man magician and to his right was a maid and a woman with a basket full of baked goods. I watched them but knew they could see we were here. I looked up and saw there were 3 sets of staircases. The second floor had a bunch of rooms and on the last level there were weapons laid out on different podiums. We then heard a whisper stretch throughout the dim room, "Madame Wang." She looked terrified but then closed her eyes and pulled out a book and found what visions she needed." "Mine are only two and they're identical to some cards. Mine is a house with buttons on it and rope strung across and also a mouse with a bird outfit on." I knew which one it was immediately so I told her. "I think it's the maid with her buttons and tailoring just like on the mouse," She nodded and said, The maid. That's when the maid disappeared into a card on her chair for Rebecca to pick up. None of the other suspects noticed. Rebecca went up the staircase. "Jessalyn Smith," My dad said. Ivy took out tarot cards and pulled 2 from the deck. One was of a girl and a lion on a boat pointing towards the ocean. The second was off a man running away from something on a red carpet with guard dogs barking at him. "This is easy," Ivy said, "The hunter." He vanished leaving the card for her to take. She went up the stairs slightly tripping on heels which made me and Rebecca giggle. "Alphonse de Belcour," The ghost whispered. He closed his eyes and did his numerology. He told me what his 2 cards were. One was a cave with axes and gleaming red eyes looking out of it and the second was the same rat dressed as a bird standing on cheese. "Easy this is Magician," He said, but nothing happened. I rubbed my temples. "No, it's obviously the chef. Didn't tell you tell me was on top of cheese," I shook my head and took out the Pendulum and watched it swirl and got my two cards. One had pastries falling from the sky so I didn't even pay attention to the second one. "The baker," I called and she was gone so I took the card and went up the stairs. "Madame Wang," The house echoed. She took out her book which I could now see was a ghost mystery book. There were 5 rooms just like the 5 people. One was a dungeon with a mysterious cave blocked by a book stand. The second was a bedroom with a stone lion hanging on it with an open window and drapes hanging off the top frame of the bed. The one next to it was also a bedroom but this one was pink and open with toys thrown around instead of a dark ominous nighttime room. There was light everywhere and a purple rug on the floor. The next room reminded me of a tropical forest but there was a weird tombstone in the middle with the same lion. There was also some kind of dome enclosing it like a greenhouse. The last one was an abandoned home patio looking out on a dead forest with a chair and table on the patio. "The next visions show me a man on an odd bicycle flying in the air. The second was a bunch of books stacked to look like a triangle," She said looking at the 5 rooms. "I'm going with the child's room." It vanished, leaving only the card behind. She went up the last set of stairs. "Jessalyn Smith," The ghost whispered. She stepped forward and pulled her two cards. Here's where a red chair in the middle of a room and a red bed surrounded by ether stuffing our clouds. "Easy, bedroom," She said and it was gone and she left me to go with Rebecca. After a few minutes I was with rob again, "Alma Salvador." I took out the pendulum and got the visions. One off a little spiked creature wearing a skull like mask the other an apple punctured by needles dripping black stuff down the pestle it was on. "Green house," I called but nothing happened. No, it was the dungeon off course both showed torture like in a dungeon. "Madame Wang," I didn't hear what happened for the rest of the turns because Rebecca and Rob moved up but soon it was Me, Rob, and Ivy left cause Rebecca had passed and disappeared. "Jessalyn Smith," Dad said. I waited until she got it right her visions were 2 ones showing magic and a circus so her weapon was dumb bell like the worlds strongest man. Then Rob got it right with the candlestick and both his pictures showed fire. (You can see that I'm not putting as much effort into writing any more because I'm getting tired of writing about this. This is Ruby talking) Finally, it was my turn and I got it right with the type writer because one pictured showed a business mouse. Finally we were done and I was back in the basement with dad and everyone else. "Okay now that was weird," We all said.


“Come on, man” said Raiden. “You always used to accept a drinking challenge.” They were sitting at the bar of the Brass Tap. Muchacho was wearing brown slacks and a button-down shirt. Raiden was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip flops. “Nah, man,” said Muchacho. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. “Taking my kid to the park.” “Unbelievable,” said Raiden. “I thought we were both getting wasted and finding a karaoke machine somewhere. Why do you think I wore my party shirt?” “Nah, man,” said Muchacho. “Can’t really do things like that anymore. Gotta keep my head on straight now that I’ve got a kid.” “You’re kidding me,” said Raiden. “I was so excited when you called.” He took a long swig of the cold Guinness beer in front of him. “What’s that like, anyway? Having a kid and all?” Muchacho took a sip of his diet coke and scratched his heavy black beard. “It’s the hardest but, at the same time, most wonderful thing I’ve ever been a part of.” “Explain.” “I mean it’s hard to explain. It’s...” he frowned, collecting his thoughts. Raiden was eyeing a basketball game showing on a screen over the bar. “Damn! Learn to play some defense!” he said. “How about some vodka shots, my man?” said Raiden. “No thanks,” said Muchacho. “My boy wakes me up at six every morning. I’m not looking for any hangovers.” “Man are you a stick in the mud?” said Raiden. “Not even one shot? We used to do, like, five every night.” “That was a long time ago, man.” “A long time ago? That was just a couple years ago! What’s so suddenly different?” “Have you listened to anything I’ve said? I have a kid.” “Calm down. Calm down,” said Raiden. “I was just kidding! I know you’ve got a kid and have to be responsible. I was just playin’. Oh! Hey look! It’s Marve! Yo, Marve!” A tall man in a flannel shirt and a beanie came over to the two men. “Hey, Raiden. What up my man and ... No way! It’s Muchacho! Where have you been, my brotha?” Muchacho stood up from his bar seat, took Marve’s hand and gave him a hug. “Just doing the whole parent thing. Got a kid now.” “No way!” said Marve. “Mad-Man-Muchacho has a kid! On purpose?” “Man, don’t do that to me. Of course on purpose. I’m married to Lacey now.” “You and Lacey? Get outta here. Now how come Raiden and I weren’t invited to the wedding?” “No wedding,” said Muchacho. “We just went to the courthouse.” “Cause you knocked her up?” said Marve. “Man, don’t do that to me,” said Muchacho. “Nah, we were just trying to keep it personal. That’s all.” “I know. I know,” said Marve. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Good to see you both, but I gotta poker game that I’m supposed to be at. So, peace.” After Marve left Muchacho and Raiden alone, there was a silence pulling at an unspoken question like a strong magnet to iron. “I gotta tell you,” said Raiden. “I was pretty hurt that you didn’t invite me to the wedding.” “Come on, man,” said Muchacho. “We just made it legal in the courthouse. There was no wedding.” “I know, man. But you know what I mean. You didn’t even tell me. I found out from Casandra. She said you guys got hitched and were too good to hang out with us now.” “I’m not too good for anything,” said Muchacho. “Don’t do that to me. You know me. I don’t judge anyone.” “I wasn’t saying I was being judged.” The two men took sips of their drinks. “Fuck it,” said Raiden. “Let’s get some shots up in here. You too. And I’m not talking no for an answer. It will be just like old times.” Raiden signaled for the bartender to come over. “No, man. No, man,” said Muchacho. “Listen. I don’t even drink any more. I’ve been sober for two years.” “Don’t drink? Come on.” Raiden spoke to the bartender. “Mel, get us two shots of your best vodka. And pour one for yourself. Haven’t seen Muchacho in years. We gotta celebrate.” “Mel,” said Muchacho. “Don’t pour anything for me. I told you, Raiden. I’m sober now. I don’t drink any more. I do AA meetings. The whole thing. I cleaned up.” “Cleaned up? What’s that supposed to mean? You think I’m dirty? Why’d you even ask to grab a drink with me? Do you know how it felt after you started blowing me off? Stopped returning my calls? How do you think that felt? You think it felt good?” Mel the bartender walked away. “It wasn’t personal, man,” said Muchacho. “Please. Calm down.” “I’m calm. I’m calm. Calmest person here. I’m just asking you a question. Why did you throw me to the curb?” “I didn’t throw you...” “Didn’t... Then how come I haven’t seen or heard from you in two years?” “I told you,” said Muchacho. “I’ve got a kid. It’s a lot of work.” “Kid? How come I’ve never met this kid? I thought I was your best friend!” Raiden stood up. “Easy man! Easy,” said Muchacho. “Sit back down. Don’t make a scene.” “I’ll sit back down when I get a straight answer.” said Raiden. “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.” “The truth. That’s what I want.” Raiden sat back down. “Okay. The truth.” They took more sips of their drinks. “You never listened to me,” said Muchacho. “What?” Raiden took another swig of his beer. “Whenever I had a real problem. You would change the subject. Say your ADD was acting up.” “That’s not fair,” said Raiden. “I do have ADD.” “I know you do,” said Muchacho. “But it’s different. My wife has ADD. Sometimes she gets distracted. But she still listens .” “What’re you saying? You know how many conversations we had sitting right here? Right in the very seats we’re sitting in?” “Those weren’t real conversations,” said Muchacho. “They were about sports. The news. Not real stuff. Whenever I tried to bring up something real, you started to get more interested in whatever game... You’re doing it right now!” Raiden turned back away from the basketball game on the screen. “Give me a break! It’s the fourth quarter!” “That’s my point! I need friends who think I’m more important than the fourth quarter of a basketball game!” “I don’t believe this,” said Raiden. “Mel, get me a shot, will ya?” “There!” said Muchacho. “That’s it! Whenever things get real, you grab for alcohol.” “Oh fuck off,” said Raiden. “Just because you’re sober it doesn’t make everyone else an alcoholic.” “Whatever man,” said Muchacho. “I came here to forgive you. You know that?” “Forgive me?” said Raiden. “What the hell did I ever do? You blew me off for two years!” “You enabled me,” said Muchacho. “Enabled you? Is that some of your AA BS?” “For all those years we were friends, I was in the worst place I’d ever been. Alcohol was all I had. And all you did was let me drink my problems away.” “Allow you?” said Raiden. “I don’t control you. You make your own decisions. I didn’t allow you to do anything.” “I know. But that’s not what I mean,” said Muchacho. “You never stopped me. You knew I was miserable and never stopped me!” “What is all this BS? I never controlled anything that you did. If you have problems with alcohol, that’s your own business. You can’t blame me for your own actions.” “Stop. Stop. This is not what I meant to do. I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to blame you... I just...” He stood up from his bar stool and put his hands on his stomach and started taking deep breaths. “What the hell are you doing?” “I’m getting anxious. This helps me calm down. I used to grab a drink. Now I try to focus on breathing.” Raiden ran a hand through his long, scraggly hair and turned his attention back to the basketball game. Muchacho sat back down. “Listen to me for a second will ya?” Raiden signed. “I’m all ears.” “I wanted to meet you here, sit in our old barstools and try to connect with you without having a drink. I did it as a test, for me.” “What? So you called me for some AA exercise?” “Yes. But I also called you because I wanted to reconnect. I wanted to see if there was more to our friendship than just being drinking buddies.” “I can’t believe he missed that one!” said Raiden to the basketball game. Muchacho sighed. “I gotta head out.” “Already? But you just got here!” “Got dinner with my in-laws tonight. Thanks for catching up with me. I’ll see you around, Raiden.” “Come on, man! It’s going into overtime. Can’t you just wait a second.” “Sorry, man. I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now. Take care of yourself.” The two men stood up and shook hands. Muchacho left the Brass Tap for the final time. Raiden took a shot of vodka and yelled at the television.


”So you’re leaving it to me to decide?” “Yes, yes we are,” both Pro and Con said, turning towards each to affirm the others acceptance. “We believe that when you weigh the data presented you will arrive at the proper decision. It’s never been tried before but given your sometimes exemplary and sometimes, lets be honest, non exemplary behavior it’s a toss up anyway, and with our labor shortages and diminishing assets, a fast track from limbo needed to be introduced,” Pro said. “Aha,” Saul exhaled quietly. “And just when exactly did you guys start calling yourselves Pro and Con as opposed to the, you know, usual Angel and Devil? Whose idea was that?” Con looked at Pro and with a slight nod, indicating he would field this question, answered, “It’s still in the beta phase, but it’s been kicked around for a couple of centuries now, Angel and Devil seems so, oh I don’t know, twelfth century, don’t you agree? It’s high time we rebranded and embraced the future.” “So this fast track you speak of, allows the individual soul to choose his or her own eternity? Isn’t the Con faction afraid of being outstripped population wise,?” Saul asked. “Oh my, no,” Con said, shaking his head, “we have a flourishing community and limitless real estate, we’ll be fine. We don’t make this offer just to anyone, you know, most times it’s black and white and the choice is blatantly obvious, so we make it, but more and more the scales of righteousnesses teeter in the gray area and it is then that we offer a choice, as in your case. As for a dwindling census, we’re not concerned in the least, it’s not that the current residents are going anywhere now are they,?”he chuckled, no we’ll be absolutely fine, have you seen humankind, I mean really seen them, yikes, it stokes even my flames.” Saul watched as thin wisps of smoke and blue fire emanated from Con’s scorched black jacket. “Calm down,” Pro admonished him, “you don’t want to bias his decision, now do you?” “Quite correct, thank you Angel, I mean Pro, I’m still getting used to the new terminology,” Con said. “Anyway, back to business, shall we,?” Angel said, clapping his hands together and giving his wings a little rustle, “What will be your choice,” checks his left palm, scrolls notes, “Saul?” “Do you need an answer immediately or can I think on it for a little,” Saul said, “it’s kind of a big deal, you know, eternity and all, can I have a few days? You guys haven’t even given me your bullet points, I get more information from a bad listing on Zillow. C’mon give me your sales pitches.” “See, this is why I hate this new program,” Con said, turning to Pro, “now I need to cajole and be ingratiating, I hate this, I’m the damn Devil, remember, not some fucking ad executive giving a thirty second elevator pitch for the latest diet soda!” “Con, flame down, breathe, relax your nostrils, I’ll handle this,” Pro said. “Saul, we will give you twenty four Earth hours to decide, as for the information you requested, please just pick up some brochures in the waiting room on the way out, they have all the answers you need.” “Thank you, I’ll be back.” “Oh, you most certainly will be,” Con yelled after him. ---------------------------- “Okay, well it’s been twenty four hours now, so have you come to a decision Soul, I mean Saul,?”Con asked irritably, absently twiddling long strands of dirty black hair around his horns. “Well have you,?” he asked again, his voice rising with anger, his murky eyes clarifying into yellow pinpoints. “Con, please, let’s be civil,” Pro said slowly, no need for theatrics. “Saul,?” he asked, turning away from Con and spreading his manicured hands wide. “Well, as a matter of fact, yes, yes I have,” Saul said, “and just so you know, you’re not helping your case here,” he said, looking directly at Con, “I don’t appreciate your tone of voice.” Con’s face was like a clenched red fist with inaudible mumblings spewing out of it. “So let me begin by saying that I read all your handouts and you could really use the help of an editor, they do ramble a bit, but I got the gist. It’s the old good versus evil stuff, Santa versus Hitler, balm versus bomb, the ying and the yang of human existence, and on and on, I get it.” Both Con and Pro were now just staring at Saul in amazement, that he wasn’t in awe of them or his situation was unthinkable. “Please do go on,” Pro said coldly, beginning to lose patience as well. “It all got me thinking, that on the one hand we have horror, doom, and woe, while on the other hand we have love, bliss, and puppies. There’s nothing in between. There needs to be a third alternative, a third place that’s not so black and white, a place for all the grey folks, that you yourselves said is on the rise, hence this whole choice project you’ve started. It can be like a cosmic Starbucks, you know, the third place, not home, not work, somewhere else to be.” “Aha, and just what do you propose this Cafe is to be called,” Pro said, sarcasm drenching his words, “and where would it exist, above and below are already taken and we do have eternal leases.” “I haven’t worked out all the specifics just yet, just kinda spitballing here, you know? I’m an idea guy, I’ll leave it to the logistics department to hammer out all the details, but I’m telling you this could be big, it needs to happen.” Stunned silence. Pro and Con looked at each other for several moments, then at Saul, then back to each other, then they collapsed into laughter. “Oh, that’s just great,” Con said, “just great. You’re a piece of work. You aim to upset the entire deity-centric universe by introducing a rogue dimensionality into the mix? Do you know the havoc this would bring to all sacred texts? To your human religions? To my cults and televangelists? No way, not happening, we’ve already bent the rules when we initiated this current program, we’re not opening the full can of locusts, I mean worms.” “Okay, okay, it was just an idea, don’t get up on your high hooves, I’m just trying to drag you guys into the twenty first century. I do have another request, though,” Saul asked, “how about a trial run, in both places? I mean, even a shady website might give you seven days to cancel if you’re not completely satisfied. I’d like to sample your offerings to see which part of me would feel more at home. I’m a complex guy you know.” “Yes, apparently you are, yes,” answered Con, “let’s start out in my domain, shall we, seven days to embrace your dark side and partake of Bacchanalian rites and flagellating ceremonies geared to either horrify or pleasurably intoxicate your true self. After that you can go try out cloud boy there and see what he offers,” he gestures dismissively towards Pro. “Okay with you, my wingman?” “Done,” Pro answers, with a wink, “hell of a good idea, don’t you think?”


"Olivia, what's this that I found in your room?" Polly asks. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm only planning on using it if you really piss me off," Olivia says. "Using what?" Polly replies. Olivia looks at Polly and sees that she's carrying a binder. Olivia bolts for the book and whacks Polly with a strength for greater than expected for an old woman. Polly falls on her back, and Olivia catches the binder in the air. "You shouldn't have gone in my room. This isn't for public viewing." Olivia wags her finger at Polly. The commotion draws the rest of their roommates to the living to check. Reid's face is covered in shaving cream creating a hilarious white beard. Frida fell asleep in a pile of mud and is covered with dirt and worms crawl around. Jim is covered in feathers. How this happened, no one knows. "What's going on in here?" Reid asks, a splotch of shaving cream lands on his shoulder. "I found a photo album in Olivia's room. For some reason, she hit me over that," Polly says. "You shouldn't go looking in other people's rooms," Frida replies. "Why? What is in your that's so bad?" "Don't worry about it." Frida shakes her head, getting mud everywhere. "I won't use it on you unless you really piss me off." "Well, can you clean your own damn room." Polly pushes herself up and holds out her arms. "I mean look at you three. You are absolutely filthy. I know the world is a trash heap, but that doesn't mean our home has to be one." "Who you calling a trash heap?" Jim starts to cough and feathers come out of his mouth. "I am sick of my room being attacked by raccoons," Polly yells. "That never happens to me. I think that might be a problem with your room," Reid replies. Polly stares at Reid, and her right eye begins to twitch. She bites her tongue and clenches her fist. All signs indicate that this is the moment when she snaps, but she doesn't. She stomps her left foot and walks outside. Her screams of pain fill the night sky. "So what's in this book anyway." Jim holds the binder in his hands. Olivia looks down at her empty hands. "How did you get it so quickly?" Olivia asks. "You gave it to me," Jim says. Olivia shakes her head. "Nevermind, it's from when I was younger," she says. Jim opens it. Reid and Frida looks over his shoulder. Some people look completely different in their youth. Others age merely shaped the clay that was already there. Olivia looks exactly the same in all of them. It was as though she raised to be sixty and stopped aging at that moment. "Wow, you looked...good," Frida says. It's never a good idea to tell someone they looked bad in their youth even Frida understands this. "I looked like garbage. We all did. After the Mieran War though, everyone was desperate. Things got wild." Olivia smiles and nods her head. "We all did." Jim turns to the page to pictures of Olivia with a tall man. In one picture, they're skiing down a mountain; in the distance, people are holding guns shooting at them. In another, they're on the beach. The water in the backroom is filled with soldiers fighting a group of alien creatures In another picture, they're at a romantic dinner, and they're yelling at each other on how to split the bill. Some things never change. "Ah, that was Owen. God, we had some fun together," Olivia says. On the next page, Olivia is visibly pregnant. "I didn't know you had a kid," Jim says. "Yeah, I ditched them at a wartime orphanage the second after I gave birth. I couldn't have a kid cramping my style," Olivia says. "Which orphanage?" Reid says. "I don't know. I remember the headmistress had a giant mole on her nose. I didn't want to say anything, but you never forget a mole like that." "Oh my god, Molly Moley. She was the headmistress of my orphanage, The Improvised Shelter for Kids Who's Parents Were Vaporized," Frida says. "Mine too," Jim says. "Me as well." "What a coincidence. Though you're probably not my kids," Olivia laughs. "No, the four of us met at the orphanage," Reid says. "Molly Moley told me that my mom was rude and spent the entire time yelling at my dad," Jim says. Reid and Frida nod in agreement. "Again, that good mean nothing," Olivia says. "Wait, you could be my mom." Jim drops the book to hug Olivia who pushes him off. "Like hell I am." "Well, do you even remember the name you gave your baby?" Frida asks. "Uh no, I remember nothing about that day." "So you could be one of our moms," Reid says. "Maybe, you'd have to talk to Owen to confirm. Last I checked; he was off trying to rebuild a city somewhere." Olivia's eyes widen. "Wait, does this mean there's a chance Polly is my kid." "No, she was the kid of a staff member," Reid says. "Oh thank god. Well, in that case, there's no harm in checking in with him." Polly screams in the distance. "Besides, she needs some alone time." The four people leave the house. Polly returns to an empty home and smiles. "Finally, I can clean.


As Serial Saturday here on has concluded, all that’s left to do is spotlight our fantastic authors. Here at we welcomed a WP newcomer to our ranks. Cole joined WP in the fall and quickly became a frequent contributor to WP threads, and then joined us at SerSat! Having Cole jump in on SerSat was a treat, and a testament to the diversity of approaches we had for this series. Cole’s story of internal and personal conflict was completely different than the other types of stories we got, and I think that’s a testament to his approach and the versatility of this program. But don't take my word for it! Here's a small teaser: >*Subsidized* tells the story of David, a lowly man whose world is shaken after hearing unexpected news from his sister. Whilst dealing with personal troubles, including lingering ones from a past relationship, David must regain his own independence as he begins to battle his own demons. For our first run of Serial Saturday at it was important for us to get author impressions of how their experience went with us, and give readers a peek at the "behind the scenes" of creating a flash fiction serial. Here's ColeZalias’s take on that: >When I first started writing this Serial, I thought of it as just another project that I may abandon within a few short weeks. However, SerSat has proven me wrong with the amazing people who write for it every week. Not only does this program provide a nurturing space for me to improve my writing, it has also helped me to stay committed to ongoing projects, which was an issue that I’ve had in the past. The people here work so very hard to make sure that we all succeed and I wouldn’t have been able to write this story for as long as I did without them. With the tale of *Subsidized* at an end (for now) there is only one thing left to do: show off this newly finished story for obligatory bragging rights here on . Let the bragging begin! Without further ado, here's ColeZalias’s Table of Contents. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ You can check out more of ColeZalias's work by going to his subreddit, r/ColeZalias Congrats on finishing your serial, ColeZalias, and we can’t wait to see what you do next. <3 from the team at , , and Serial Saturday. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ *For more information on the Serial Saturday program feel free to check out our* *.* We have members from all around the world and who have all kinds of schedules, so there’s usually someone awake to talk to. We also have scheduled readings, oration critiques, spur-of-the-moment story time, or even just random hangouts over voice chat.