Illustration: “Crop” © 2005 by D'Wayne Murphy Its endless, dreamy half-sleep was broken. It sensed movement in the firm, cool substance that it lay in. The substance shifted around it. A new thing, cold and sharp, that it had never felt before, touched its outer skin. The familiar closeness of the substance that had always … Continue reading “Crop” by William Wilde
Illustration: “Powercell” © 2006 by Patrick Stacy The black security car slipped through the armored gates of the Areadni embassy like a cat sneaking out for a snack. Roger Desprey sighed, got out of his own car at the curb, and waved an arm. The limo slowed to a stop centimeters from his toes. He … Continue reading “Power Cell” by John M. Cowan
[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Fairyworld” © 2006 by D'Wayne Murphy, has been lost.] Bobby Burns is gone, and with him the fair tongue he spoke. I pray, therefore, the ancient Celts to forgive me as I interpret the Gaelic tongue in order to bring appreciation of it to a … Continue reading “Thomas the Rhymer” by Resha Caner
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows.” Maniacal laughter echoed into the emptiness of outer space, and for the next twenty minutes Valerie and Maria were transported to an alien world where men in black fedoras and trench … Continue reading “Echoes from Radioland” by David Wright
Spatters of pure oxygen Poisoning us, bubble-hard Then comes the sweep cycle --methane never smelled so good * About the Author: Arun Ahuja is a science fiction writer with an MS in biomedical engineering. His piece "Pomposity Penalized" won Editor's Pick in the University of New Mexico's magazine. Poem (c) 2006 Arun Ahuja helioray@netscape.net About … Continue reading “Gas Planet” by Arun Ahuja
driver-less cars glide to gambler-less casinos from owner-less homes
[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Den” © 2006 by D'Wayne Murphy, has been lost.] Den had made himself a good life after leaving the service of King Alexander. He started a small farrier’s shop in the northern border town of Gladia, the kind of town that was full of a … Continue reading “Den the Deedworthy” by Adam Hanisch
Thousands of years ago on a flat bit of land that eventually would be called Salisbury Plain, in what eventually would be known as Southern Britain, stood a ring of wooden uprights that would be compost. For generations the ring had taken many forms and signified many things, including the free availability of wood and … Continue reading “Stone Me” by Roderick Gladwish
[Illustration: New illustration created for the archive; the original artwork, “Fortune Maker” © 2006 by D'Wayne Murphy, has been lost.] “Eww, there’s that creepy Johnny,” Amanda said, squishing her face up. Megan wondered why her face didn’t look that cute when she practiced that expression in the mirror. Then she was fighting to keep her … Continue reading “Fortune Maker” by Teresa S Rich
"Look, if you'll just inspect the implant in the back molar on the left side of my mouth, you'll know I'm telling you the truth." Dr. Karrow looked at the disheveled man in ragged clothing who was sitting in the dental chair. They were now behind the partitions and the door, and the hearing of … Continue reading “The Qual” by Neil Burlington
