Short Stories

Attached to the Job – A Devolution Universe Short by Lee Hodgson

by Rich

Weak sunlight illuminated the morning mist carpeting the vast expanse of cracked tarmac.

Parco peered through the foggy windscreen at the lines of cars, searching for a space.

“Do you enjoy driving?”

Parco glanced at his passenger. “Most of the time.”

“Most of the time?”

“Some days it gets a bit tedious,” he sighed.

“What makes it tedious?”

Parco shrugged. “Well. Maybe searching for a space in the same parking lot day after day.”

He turned the vehicle as it reached the end of the line of tightly packed cars and drove into the next row.

“Are you happy in your work?” Continue reading →

Short Story in Progress: Doll House

by Rich

While I wait for Static Push to come back from editing, I have decided to try my hand at something a bit different. Doll House is based on a brief by my friend, Lee Hodgson. He provided me with a very short theme, and I could immediately feel the story unfold in my mind. So I started writing:

There is a world of dreamers, drifting through the void of space. The seeds of life, a pre-packaged colony that will take many years to reach its destination. Humans sealed in pods like packaged dolls.

 

But there is one person awake, although he shouldn’t be. One among thousands. Trying to survive, alone, in a place he does not know, with only the mindless walking vat-clones to keep him company.

 

He is four years old. And this is his doll house.

DollHouse-CoverMock3

You can find the work in progress over on my WriteOn profile, where I am adding and editing live (which is a little scary in and of itself). But no guts, no glory, right?

And yes, that is my son, Eli, who happily got dressed up and allowed me to photograph him for the (temporary) cover image. This story is for him, my little space man.

All comments are welcome, and if you have any themes or scenarios you might like to see turned into a short story, let me know!

Rich