Acorns  Mainstream story set in the U.S.A. Partly about acorns, but mostly not. Partly about acorns, but mostly not. This literary story is a piece of contemporary fiction.

An Alien in Japan. For the alien, Japan is a pretty alien place. There are all kinds of things which really defy comprehension. One of them being these strange creatures called dogs. Edible creatures ....

A Pilgrimage to Plaka Kalada  Ida Brahma is on a mission to the planet Plaka Kalada. She has two problems. One is that if her disguise is penetrated then she may end up dead. The other problem is Doctor Defrock.

Astral Talent  An Oolong Morblock story. While Danzburg is in prison, his son Oswald (aged nine) is endangered by the exorcist Elmace. Elmace, who is a dangerous blunderer, summons Oswald's spirit from his sleeping body.

Bad Sex  Terrence Azlenabek is one of the most difficult people to deal with. He believes in telling the truth, regardless of the consequences. And the truth regarding this guy John Milton? Well, the tabloid press is making a meal of it.

Basque  If the Basque language is to be studied in its ancient uncontaminated form, then the time travelers will have to get moving, fast. But are their observations innocent or genocidally destructive?

Consenting Adults  The rules of Business-Business are simple: keep your personal life out of it. But Burton wants to see Matilda again. He knows he might be putting his corporate career at stake. But, actually, it's rather more dangerous than that.

Consequences  Jervil makes an irretrivably error and ends up being cursed. He hopes he can get out of Asia alive. But the odds are against him.

Diving on the Wreck  Heineman does not have the temperament of a hero. Even so, he ends up diving on the wreck, struggling to save the lives of those not yet dead inside.

FLASH FICTION - very short stories.

Gally Smith and the Massacre of the Orcs  Gally Smith faces the task of keeping alive the orclets in the face of the practitioners of genocide.

Gap Music  Well, of course, everyone has to remember their previous lives. That's an acknowledged part of growing up. But for some people the process kicks in later than others. And the results can be a bit ... well ... you be the judge ....

Golf Course  You've heard about Heaven and Hell. And Purgatory. And Limbo. But it's a bit more complicated than that. There is also Golf Course ....

Life and Death in Oolong Morblock  Three months after committing the perfect murder, Mafling Yonrungon dies of a heart attack. However, although dead, he's not yet ready to call it quits.

Life on Planet Earth  Landing at Fort Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, was the first totally inexplicable and utterly alien thing which the aliens did. After the invaders left, the people of planet Earth were left with something else which was extremely strange: each other.

Live on Channel 10  Everyone wants to be on TV, right? Horror story.

Mountaineering Complex  Just what is this contagious form of insanity known as "mountaineering"? Why has it been banned? And what can we expect to encounter if we bump up against an uncontrolled case of the disease?

Night on Bear Mountain   Roy Pajelva faces a crisis in the virtual reality world of Bear Mountain when one of the teenagers under his care seems to be dying of hypothermia.

On the Wings of a Cockroach  Jozanna Yu, poet, wakes up and finds she's been turned into a cockroach. Again. And she thinks she knows who's responsible. In fact, there's only one suspect - boyfriend Gregor Samsa. A story about being a poet and writing poetry - a story about creative writing.

Patriots  Even if you're a genuine patriot, and Jason is, that doesn't set you free from the need to play the game. And a pretty rough game it can be, too.

Quilting  Some people aren't asked if they'd like to become the enemy. They're just born into a particular community, and that seals their fate. Even so, quilting would seem to be a harmless enough hobby. But it's surprising what can be turned into a lethal weapon, if you're imaginative enough.

Remembering Nagasaki   Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. But an individual act of recollection is no guarantee of safety in the face of a communal drive to destruction.

Saint George and Ibrahim  There's a bit of blood, but don't worry. Saint George is on a mission from God!

Swiss Toys  The question: can Switzerland's quest for world domination be halted? Or are the robots which have been unleashed by the Swiss just too much for the civilized world to handle?

The Angel of the Seventh Apocalypse  Fran and Cobril were prisoners of the Memory Masters, the intelligent jellyfish otherwise known as the Kabila Yutenji. Because their memories were limited by a thirty-day decay rule, it was not easy to keep track of what was happening.

The Ghosting of Heineman Jubiladilia. That body is Heineman's. And if he can't get back into it, then he's dead.

The Kidney Bean Diet  There's a certain amount of screaming coming from the neighbor's house. Does this mean the neighbor has a taste for violent videos? Or violent tastes?

The Rat. He woke up at night ... why?

The Secret History of Lord Dreldragon  The day before his arrest, Asquith North gets an anonymous letter. It is short and to the point. "What you call truth others call treason. Run if you value your life. You are only twenty-four years of age." But Asquith does not run.

The Suicide Bomber  He doesn't think of himself as a suicide bomber. Or even as a terrorist. He genuinely believes that terrorism is not the answer. But, day by day, he has less and less to lose, and more and more reason to take action.

The Transfer of Patient Twenty-Seven  Mainstream story. (This kind of thing happens).

Too Far from Home - a travel story. Jamie Heck is traveling in India. He's already gone far beyond the borders of any reality that he's familiar with, and perhaps he's in danger of transgressing across the boundaries of reality itself.

The Warden of Jestabel Zee - a fantasy story. In the face of a threat of violence ....

The Wrath of Babril Hestek - science fiction fantasy. A spacecraft is going to land on the planet of Velis Tantris. Burning all in its path. A priestess gets involved. Then a god ....

UFO Invasion - the Truth about Alien Abductions!!  Each year, millions of Americans are abducted by aliens. But why? This lightly fictionalized account of a TRUE STORY supplies the answer.

Upgrade - an SF horror story. This is fairly long, weighing in at 9,162 words. A story about Eric. When Eric was under interrogation by the police, he felt no stress. The police were nothing compared to the Institute. "What do you know about the body?" said the voice behind the light.

Vorn the Gladiator  Vorn the Gladiator, fearing torture, flees the city of Chi'ash-lan, accompanied by Sharla the Swordswoman. Whom he can trust. He thinks.

Wet Leaves on the Track  The lump of icecream melting in the schoolyard is bigger than the house. The condom which has fallen on the neighboring town is larger than the town itself. But none of this drama brings to an end the mundane day-to-day tensions of the family.