Stories

  • Back At It

    by T. Gene Davis

    What a difference 10 years makes. I blinked, and now I hold conversations with AI’s that could take my job or become my manager. Androids work in factories and for the military. The US government admits they’ve covered up alien visits. People have computer interfaces implanted in their heads. Private companies launch satellites and plan the colonization of Mars. Taxis and commercial trucks drive autonomously in our cities and across our countries.

    I stated 10 years ago that it’s hard to write near future sci-fi, because it becomes science fact, too  quickly. Yeah, … those where the simple days.

    It’s time to give T. Gene Davis’s Speculative Blog an overdue spring cleaning. This new version is much more phone friendly. I’ve moved to a speedier server that actually loads the stories fast. I’ve also removed the vast majority of those spammy ads.

    One last announcement, … I have begun work on the long awaited anthology with the goal of accepting stories again later this year. I’m not sure what written arts look like in the age of LLMs and the singularity, but we’ll find out together.

    As always, contact me on Twitter, … er, … um, … X ?!

    **Sigh**

  • Anchor and Key

    by Rebecca Birch

    “Can I help you?” the ghost whispered.

    It drifted behind the dust-covered reference desk, an insubstantial wisp with a hint of long hair wrapped in an untidy bun and the barest glimpse of wire-rimmed spectacles.  I tried not to stare.  It had been decades since anyone had required corrective lenses.  And, well, she was dead.  She wasn’t supposed to exist at all.

    I cleared my throat.  The sound echoed in the library’s cavernous skeleton.  “I’m, uh, looking for a book.” (more…)

  • Stepping Out of Stream

    by Marie Vibbert

    I leave home without my simulator, not because I don’t like them or because it is broken; I misplaced it.  News programs and neighbors tell us to keep our simulator handy, even if it isn’t playing, for the security features, but Sharon expects me at noon and I am never late.  I am only going a short distance, across town to the museum.  That is not to say I am not afraid.

    Alone and exposed to the world, I walk to the subway.

    (more…)

  • Where the Demon Lives

    by Allison Mulder

    I noticed the demon living in my right index fingernail because that nail grew ten times faster than any of the others.

    (more…)

  • Moon Road

    by Julia K. Patt

    My mother taught me how to walk the moon road. We find it with the tips of our toes, sliding them along the slick bottom of the river. If I close my eyes, I can feel the slightest edge. I ease the ball joint, the sole, the heel up out of the water. The foot that emerges is not human with its short dark nails and tufts of fur. My nose elongates, protrudes. Whiskers tickle my cheeks. My ears swivel, seeking the sounds of night.

    It is a gentle transformation.

    Mother and I walk the moon road, swishing our tails. We bound over the water, chase meteors, pounce on constellations. We grin at each other the way dogs do—it’s said they learned that from people. Maybe they learned it from people like us.

    (more…)

  • Dwarves, Elves, and Consultants

    by Hamilton Kohl

    Kalm looked at his two-headed axe lying in front of him on the boardroom table and wished that he hadn’t left his shield at his desk. Armor was out of the question, his helm and chainmail sat uselessly in the trunk of his car in the darkest depths of parking level thirty-three, section D.

    “-but who is saying that we need to hire consultants?” The vice-queen’s voice cut through him like a shard of ice killing any further thoughts of his forgotten armaments. You could always hear it in her voice first. The practiced fake charm slithered away to reveal the more suitable growl that lurked underneath.

    (more…)

  • In the Company of Shadows

    by T. Gene Davis

    “Child, keep out of the gravestone shadows.” Wendy gave Aiden’s hand a slight tug, dragging him farther from an elongated shadow in the grass.

    “I don’t want to die.”

    “No one dies in here. Just don’t step in any shadows. The sun’s getting higher. See. The shadows are already disappearing.”

    “Will they follow us then?” Aiden stumbled on a root hidden in the uncut weeds.

    “The shadows?”

    “Those men.”

    (more…)

  • The Wren and the Clockwork Man

    by Rebecca Birch

    When the wren first heard the clockwork man’s symphony of pipes in the blooming days of springtime, she was hesitant—his constant whirring and clanking set her feathers on edge—but the music emanating from his metal chest proved too strong a lure. She settled on his window-ledge and joined in the chorus.

    He smiled from his workbench, silver eyes gleaming. They spent hours together, his full-bodied tones a perfect counterpoint to her own coloratura. Over time, he took to leaving her daily offerings of string, twigs, or tasty seeds.

    Now, months later, autumn glazed the city with frost. The wren had already delayed her departure far longer than she should. Today would have to be her last visit. She would miss their duets, but she took solace in knowing he’d be waiting when she returned with the spring rains. (more…)

  • Troubleshooting Your Doomsday Device

    by Dantzel Cherry

    Welcome to the Doomsday Device Helpdesk! My name is Damien. What seems to be the problem?

    Yes sir, I apologize for the hold times. They’re—

    Yes, sixteen years is a long time to— (more…)

  • Inpestation

    by Jennifer Moore

    “Go on, dear,” urges Janice, pushing her through the door of the First Contact Community Centre. “Trust me. This is exactly what you need.”

    Maya’s not so sure. What she really needs is an evening away from her problems. All those hundreds and thousands of problems scurrying through her cupboards and burrowing under her carpets. Who’d have guessed an alien invasion would have quite so many legs? She shudders, sitting down beside an embarrassed looking lady with thick rimmed glasses and braids, and tries her best to look invisible.

    “Welcome,” says the man from the newly formed Inpestation Information Board. “Thank you for coming.”

    “Of course I’m not here for me,” Janice tells the people in the next row. Just loudly enough for the entire room to hear. “Maya’s the one with the horrible creatures.”

    (more…)