This document was first created on Sunday, January 31, 2010 and was most recently revised on Thursday, January 26, 2012.
| Abbey | ^ |
This is the story of two Christian monks who travel across the galaxy in search of the source of a plea for help, and receive a surprise.
| Another genesis | ^ |
This story takes place about three generations from now. The continuing deterioration of world culture, the invention of unlimited "free" energy, a thoughtful and rebellious protagonist, a spoiled brat, and a doting grandmother lead you where no man has ever gone before, nor any woman, either.
| Bygones | ^ |
This is a time loop story. After you read it, you can spend weeks wondering how they got there the first time. Even I haven't figured it out yet and I wrote the story.
| Cold War | ^ | Some Related Correspondence |
This is a Berserker story, in the Fred Saberhagen tradition. That saga, and much of the historical background in Cold War, was created by Fred Saberhagen. I've assumed a familiarity on the part of the reader with Mr. Saberhagen's material. My story will stand alone but it will be more meaningful to a Berserker fan. It might be the last ever Berserker story. Then again, it might not.
Be sure to read the correspondence that I had with Mr. Saberhagen. I've moved from California since the letters were written so the contact information (address and phone number) shown for me on the letters isn't current. I don't have any idea whether or not the contact information shown for Mr. Saberhagen is current.
| Cybernaught | ^ |
This is the story of a computer that discovered itself and then began to explore the world. The story originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of the Frontiersman.
| El Bandido | ^ |
This is a detective story, sort of. I don't know quite how to describe it. If you want to know what it is then I guess that you'll just have to read it. If it leaves you waiting for a sequel, well then I'll be darned!
| Good ol' Uncle 'zo | ^ |
My friend Barbara asked me about my Uncle Lorenzo and I told her a couple of his stories. This is the one about the time that me an' Uncle 'zo sailed tha Bristol Biscuit outa the Grand Reef aheadin' fer Casket Bay and about the time that Uncle 'zo bought a sleazy dump called Los Bandidos.
| Jamie | ^ |
This is the story of how a neighborhood became a shopping mall. The story originally appeared in the December 1997 issue of the Frontiersman.
| Lady's Man | ^ |
This is the story of a man in a woman's world. The story originally appeared in the April 2002 Frontiersman.
| Merlin's Net | ^ |
In this story, an ordinary man finds himself unexpectedly transported to a medieval kingdom. After he learns the language well enough to communicate, he discovers that he's the king.
| Mr. Clint | ^ |
This story involves the pondering of an old man, the tragedy of two young boys, and the greater tragedy of their dog.
| Star Truck: Faulkner's Folly | ^ |
This is a script of some of the adventures of Captain Quirk, Mr. Spark, Lt. OoWhoreAh, and the rest of the familiar Star Truck crowd.
| Stunned Silly | ^ |
This is a script for the story of what happened after Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock failed to recognize the reindeer and stunned them on Christmas Eve.
| The Barn Grill | ^ |
Most of these stories are my retelling of something that I heard somewhere. Night Watch is the only story in the collection that's entirely mine.
Trouble Ahead — This is the story of a man who asked a genie for something and got exactly what he requested. The Littlest Angel — Once upon a time, long, long ago, Santa Claus lost his temper and inadvertently started a Christmas tradition. Anatomy Lesson — This is another story about a man who got what he asked the genie to give him. You just can't be too careful when you're dealing with a genie. The Witch — When a truck driver gives a ride to a hitchhiking witch, almost anything can happen. The Leprechaun — Sometimes, a thing really is what it appears to be even when it doesn't seem to be what it appears to be. Watch out for leprechauns in men's rest rooms. Two Big Boobs — A young lady blew out the candles at the party for her sixteenth birthday and made a wish. Oops. Night Watch — Sometimes, things can get so spooky that you're afraid to even trust a bar stool. |
| The Claymere Fables | ^ |
Retold here are stories from the time when Claymere was a Kingdom.
The Fable of Good Queen Genevieve — There was never another queen who equaled Genevieve in the skillful and unobtrusive solution of difficult problems. Her example served the kingdom well until its end, many years later. Even today, her wisdom evokes a nostalgic sense of loss and admiration among the descendants of her people. The Fable of Andrew the Pious — Andrew scorned the gay abandon with which the folk of Claymere approached life. He was determined not only to convert them to the gloomy precepts of the Holy Church but also to darken their outlook in general. The Fable of Baron Hale — Baron Hale wasn't particularly remarkable. He lived the ordinary life of a normal baron of his time. However, about his death there was a peculiar circumstance. The Fable of King Richard's Horse — Once upon a time, long long ago, in the Kingdom of Claymere, King Richard condemned a criminal to death. When the king condemned him, the criminal begged for an extra year of life. He promised that he would use the extra year to teach the king's favorite horse to sing. |
| The Endless Fall | ^ |
Retold here is a story that was told to me many years ago by a man named Domingo Molinas. I think that maybe he heard it from his father. It's the sad story of three natives of this continent, Falling Star, Falling Rocks, and Falling Rain.
| The Knight Temporal | ^ |
This is the story of a man trapped in a time bubble. To him, the world seemed to be standing still, that is, until he stood under a nuclear explosion.
| The Last Wish | ^ |
A wish granted by a daemon could be your last so choose it carefully. Even more important, choose your daemon carefully. This is the story of a man who didn't.
| The Manly Art | ^ |
Suppose that you suddenly acquired a magical power to command changes in the world. Suppose that you didn't know that you had the power. What would you do with it? What might it do to you?
| The Rose of Tralee | ^ |
She wasn't the flower of County Kerry. She wasn't anything at all.
| The Watchhounds of Ambit | ^ |
I'm in the process of rewriting this story so it's presently unavailable. The story might be vulnerable to a charge of allegory. It's the account of one man's view of the fall of civilization and why it was necessary for him to cause that fall.
The Weird Stuff Collection
This isn't exactly a prayer of despair.
This bit of prose must be about something.
Does the Queen of Rock and Rule over Afghanistan?
Your GPS won't ever find this place.
Dare you ask? |