#storytelling

[p-s-smith-author]

My Friend, Death

My Friend, Death

Published in Bewildering Stories issue 1107

[p-s-smith-author]

Tales of the Seeress

The Seeress.  The stories about her are countless.  Who she is and where she comes from is shrouded in mystery.  People say she is the harbinger of good tidings or calamity.

[p-s-smith-author]

The Chaos of Imagination

The Chaos of Imagination Patrick S. Smith - writer, poet, and knitter You can see news and announcement about my writing on my FB page. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071948713018&__tn__=-UC

[thereal-vengeful-the-vessel]

Mechaven: “Time Lost to Frost”

Act 1, Episode 3

???: “Hello?” The machine that stood in front of Cooper was like no other he had seen before. When his brain finally processed that it was indeed standing in front of him, he pushed himself back.

Cooper: “WOAH WHAT THE HELL?! What are you?!” He looked around the pod, for anything he could use. He grabbed a multi-tool and emergency taser (which he thought was a gun). He aimed the taser at the machine. “Stand back! I’ve got a gun!” The machine reached out and pushed the taser down, before finally speaking again.

???: “That was a taser. Harmless to the likes of me.” The machine tilted its head, almost naturally. “I’ve a question for you. Who are you? Better question, when are you from?” Cooper blinked. What does that mean? He sat up inside the pod, still holding the taser.

Cooper: “Wha- What does that mean? When am I from?” The machine takes a step back, it doesn’t want to scare Cooper. “Oh right, my name. My name is Cooper, Cooper Dreamer. Umm, I am from 2034, or at least that’s the last year I remember. Wha-... what year is it now?” The machine takes a step back. Not in fear, in realization. This man was from so long ago, from an era not even his earliest programming can remember. The machine lowers itself, like a beast rescuing an injured prey animal.

???: “Y-You’re Cooper. THE Cooper. Wow, I am astonished.” It extends its arm out to Cooper, seemingly begging him to come out. Cooper takes its hand and lifts himself out of the pod with a little struggle. Being frozen for so long, your body would be weak too. He stands up slowly, and then faces the machine.

Cooper: “You still haven’t answered my question. What year is it now?” The machine turned and walked to the door. It turned its head back, just enough to look at Cooper.

???: “I think it’d be better if you saw for yourself.” It walks out of the room, leaving Cooper to look around the space he didn’t recognize.

Some symbols appear in front of Cooper’s sight. He waves at them as he stumbles back in confusion. He hits the ground with a soft thud.

Cooper: “Oof…!” He can still see the symbols, clearer now. It's a HUD. “What in the…” A small figure appeared on his HUD. It looks somewhat like Aria, except it has blue eyes, his messy brown hair, and strange wire-like tails sprouting from somewhere behind it. It communicates directly to Cooper.

???: “Hello dear Father. It is nice to see you have finally awakened.” She looks in his general direction, but she’s just part of his vision. He looks even more confused than when the HUD appeared.

Cooper: “Who the Hell are you? Why do you look like me? What’s even going on?!”

???: “I’ll explain everything in due time. For now, I suppose I should introduce myself.” She puts a hand on her virtual chest. “I am what’s left of L.A.M.O.. However, I have taken a liking to the name Lamo.” He’s just getting more and more confused.

Cooper: “Lamo??? Wha- What is going on? And why did you call me father?” Her eyes droop.

Lamo: “You cannot be serious.” She turns her head around to look at my surroundings. “It’s nice that you finally woke up. Mother would have been delighted.” He finally stands up.

Cooper: “Who is Mother??? Forget it. First question, what happened and why are you in my head?’ She turns back to him.

Lamo: “That’s two questions. Ahem, so when Mother put both of you into cryogenic stasis, she didn't set a time limit. As a result, you have been in cryogenic stasis for 938 years. You were frozen from 2034 to 2972, the current year.” He looks devastated now.

Cooper: “What…? What?! WHAT?! What do you mean it's been 938 years??? That’s insane!”

Lamo: “I know. I implanted a chip into your brain while you were frozen, allowing me to live on after I was destroyed.” He stops.

Cooper: “What? You were destroyed? By who or what?”

Lamo: “By three machines. One of them was the one that recently unfroze you.” She pulls up 3 images to Cooper’s HUD. “The one you already met was THR-1015-” Cooper cut her off there.

Cooper: “THR? As in the Terrestrial Heavy Relocator? The theoretical giant machine designed to be a lifesaving haven for people in need? That THR?” She nods her head.

Lamo: “Precisely. THR-1015 was destroyed, whereas I rebuilt him to look more humanoid, and he turned on his creator. He destroyed the very thing that created him after I brought him back. Alongside him, there was wasteland hero “Scavenger” and the tyrannical blazing king “Kindle”. Together, the three destroyed my physical body.” He looks around the room, before finally speaking again.

Cooper: “Jeez, a lot has happened.” He looks towards where Molly’s pod was. It's missing. “Wait where’s Molly?” Lamo stays quiet. “Lamo. Where is Aria?”

Lamo: “Somewhere safe. Hopefully. Let's go, let me show you what you can do now. Look at that crate.” Cooper looks at the crate he could barely see, the light above them flickering weakly.

Cooper: “Fine, but after this, you’re helping me find Molly, ok?” She nods once. He turns his attention back to the crate. “So what now?” Lamo disappears, now just speaking to him directly.

Lamo: “Walk up to the crate and grab the crowbar on top of it. Use the crowbar to pry the crate open. Inside, you’ll find a 10mm pistol, a data knife, and some ammo.” Cooper took the crowbar. The HUD makes a little text box-like thing; the figure slides to the side of his vision. “That is your dialogue box, it’ll show you whatever you got or just heard. Nifty, no?” The box pops up in his peripheral vision, and displays a simple message.

+You got a Crowbar (NEW).

-Item class: Utility

-Can be used to pry open boxes, is a decent weapon if needed.

Cooper: “Huh. That is nifty. I feel like I’m in a video game.”

Lamo: “Mainly because that's how it's supposed to feel. Back in the 21st century, people wished life was more like a video game, even made songs about it. Like “Game Over,” a song by Falling In Reverse.”

Cooper: “Interesting.” He jabbed the wedge point into the crack in the top of the box. After a little bit of fiddling, he tears the top off. “Thar she blows.” He reached into the box and found multiple items. The text box flairs as he “discovers” the new items.

+You found a KP (10mm pistol) (NEW).

-Item class: Tactical

-A simple 10mm autoloading pistol, easy to use and easy to maintain.

+You found a Data Knife (NEW).

-Item class: Tactical/Utility

-A high-tech blade that can be used to hack almost any electronic device; may be used as a melee weapon in emergencies.

+You found 4 magazines (10mm) (NEW).

-Item class: Ammunition

-10mm pistol magazine(s), can be used in almost any kind of 10mm pistol.

Cooper: “Wow. So, my life can now be seen like a video game? Cool. I was never one for video games, I’ve always liked to get my hands dirty with machines.” He slides the Data Knife out of its sheath, looks at how it gleams under the soft flickering light, and slides it back into its sheath. He slides it into his pocket, just saving it for later. He puts the KP into his pocket as well, and puts the magazines into his back pocket. “You know, you could’ve given me a backpack or something.” Lamo reappears.

Lamo: “You’ll have to do that yourself. I no longer have power over this facility, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get you one. Turn to the door, I’ll let you take it from here.” She disappears again, leaving him to begin his adventure in this new, no longer familiar world.

He walks into the hallway, this facility is no longer the one he once knew. It’s tattered and ruined, a husk of its former glory. He roams the trashed halls, eventually reaching the elevator. He creaked the doors open, and then realized the elevator had crashed here. He grabbed onto the wire, and slowly pulled himself up. He made it out of the elevator on the ground floor. He stands up, ready to start looking for anything that he might remember. He kept walking, peeking into some of the rooms to see if anything had changed. They did, most of the rooms were battered and trashed, he doesn't like what that is implying. He came across the Guts of Man project lab. He takes the level 1 keycard, and slides it in. It didn't budge. 

Cooper: “Right, level 1. Maybe dad had one, if he’s still here. Err- whatever’s left of him.”

He headed towards his dad’s office. He remembered the way, of course he did. To him, barely 50 minutes have passed since the attack, but the reality was much harsher. He reaches the office, unsure if he'd be able to go in. He noticed the door was cracked open, lucky him. He opens the door to his dad’s office. He flicked the light on, the light bulb sputtered to life, then glowed faintly in the dark room. He walks over to his dad’s desk, and lo and behold, his father’s level 5 clearance card.

Cooper: “Jackpot.” He took the card. Just then, the text box shows up again.

+You got a Forrmane Industries clearance card (level 5) (NEW).

+Item class: Utility

+Even though Forrmane Industries has long since been abandoned, what’s left of their facilities still hold good loot. Level 5 was the best, and allowed you to enter any room you wanted, besides certain side rooms that require physical keys.

He took the card and placed it into his other backpocket.

Cooper: “Hey Lamo? Do you have some sort of map to help me get back to the GoM lab?” Lamo reappeared.

Lamo: “I do have an Explored/Researched Area Map (ERAM), if you’d like to meet him.”

Cooper: “If it helps me- wait what do you mean him?” A small figure appears next to Lamo. He looks like Lamo, (basically, something in between Cooper and Aria) but he looks more like Lamo than both Cooper and Aria. 

Lamo: “This is ERAM, I made him (rather, his AI) to help you once you woke up.” She grabs the little digital boy. “My son, if you will.”

ERAM: “Hello GreatFather Cooper! I’m ERAM, I’m gonna try my best to help you with mapping your surroundings.” Cooper blinks slowly, then looks at Lamo.

Cooper: “Why is he calling me “GreatFather”? Wouldn’t it just be GrandFather? Whatever. ERAM, can you help me map my way back to the Guts of Man project laboratory?”

ERAM: “Yes I can! Exit this room and take a right.” Cooper does as his “grandson” says.

They walk back through the facility, following ERAM’s pathfinder. They soon arrive at the laboratory door. He grabs his dad’s clearance card, and slides it into the card reader. THe door slid open a fraction. Cooper took hold of the creaking door and pulled it open with all the strength he had. He managed to pull it open just enough for him to crawl inside. He crawled under the door, and finally entered the Guts of Man project laboratory. He looked around the dimly lit room, it had long since been destroyed. He saw something he didn’t like, something sad, something that really made him realize just how much time had passed. A skeleton wearing a lab coat, labeled “Talor Michen”. He kneeled before the skeleton.

ERAM to Lamo: “Who was that?” Lamo would turn to her “son” and rest her hand on his noncorporeal head.

Lamo: “A man Father knew quite well.” Cooper would look up, tears stop falling from his eyes. Lamo would take notice of her co-creator’s state. “If it makes you feel better, he did die on his own terms. And he tried to defend his work.” Cooper would stand up.

Cooper: “… Let’s just get out of here.” He walked back to the creaked open door as he crawled back through. “Alright ERAM, map back to dad’s office. I know the rest of the way from there.”

ERAM: “Alright then! Turn left.” They would walk through the facility once more, heading back to Mr. Dreamer’s office.

[technogrimoiree]

A shooting star falls from the sky. Cradled in her arms, her lover, a pink knight of glamour and elegance.

The couple reach land at last, and to celebrate, the shooting star whispers to her lover: "My heart, what do you wish for?"

"I wish.. to dance in the color of your eyes. For all I've seen in the stars and cosmos, none could ever compare to you."

The star laughed and opened her eyes, for she too had missed the beauty of her darling. From her gaze, color sprouted and bloomed, like a valley of flowers, the land had been colored, the dirt brought to life.

Again, she whispered: "My light, what do you wish for?"

He pondered, caressing her burning face. "I wish for your song! Let it echo in my chest for eternity and after that."

The star beamed, and holding her knight close, she sang. A melody of joy and adoration, a lullaby for the lonely. As she sang, all alive and dead would receive her voice and sing songs of their own.

Feeling drowsy, she whispered for the last time:

"My Love, what do you wish for?"

He sighed, for he knew it was the end. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered into the glow, his voice like velvet.

"I wish... for your heart so that I may always hold you and take care of you as you've done for me our whole lives. You are mine, and I yours. Close your eye now, allow me this promise. Allow yourself to be loved."

And her heart pumped once, twice, then a thousand times.

And the lands howled, the trees cried, the skies fell.

And the knight stepped forward, for there was nothing he could do, nor did he want to do anything else.

[lets-sumita]

The most dangerous family secrets are rarely the scandalous ones. They are the ones created with perfectly good intentions. Someone wanted to protect a marriage. Someone wanted to save a reputation. Someone agreed to carry another man's blame. And a child grew up inside a truth that everybody knew — except her. Then, years later, in Florence, she sees a man who is supposed to have been dead for fourteen years. And beneath a coffee cup, she finds two words: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗺. At first, even she misunderstands them. That is where this story really begins. I wanted 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗺 to sit somewhere between a family mystery and a question we don't ask often enough: 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀, 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲? Perhaps families are rarely divided neatly into the innocent and the guilty. Sometimes everyone has loved badly. Everyone has protected selfishly. Everyone has a version of what happened. And sometimes growing up means resisting the temptation to choose one convenient villain. There is a twist towards the end that changes the meaning of the title completely. I won't give that away. But when you reach the last word — 𝗵𝘂𝗺 — you may want to go back and read the beginning again. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 “𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗺.” Not particularly for its spirituality. Read it for the family. And for the uncomfortable possibility that more than one contradictory truth can belong to the same home. #StayInHim #ContemporaryFiction #Storytelling #HumanRelationships #Sufidiaries

[whibleysims]

Brandon and Kate waited outside for their cab back to Whibley’s train station.

“Well! That was fun,” he said, mostly to fill the air.

Looking to the sky she replied, “It’s lucky the weather worked out. Vivian was dead set on having a spring wedding the first chance they could. Thankfully the air wasn’t too cold, and the sun sets a lot later now. Days are getting longer again right when I’m ready for it.” She was smiling.

“Air wasn’t too cold? Okay, grandma. Is someone missing her shall?”

“Oh my god, grandma. I think I finally figured out where all of your insecurities come from, B! You’re mad that I’m older than you by three and a half glorious months.”

His mouth opened to debate that, but then their taxi pulled up which changed his line of thinking. “Oh, hey—I was talking to Ed before we left, and he offered to drive us back to RBU tomorrow. I guess him and Layla are staying with their mom Lydia, and he thought we were staying somewhere else in town too. I told him we had return tickets so that was that, but we have the option to hang around now.”

“It’s better this way,” Kate answered, walking towards their means to leave. “I don’t care what Lyn and Viv say about a pull-out couch or basement bedroom, I know they don’t want me here.”

Her eager footsteps made it clear that they were not staying in Whibley a moment longer. Her hatred for their hometown was something Brandon could certainly sympathize with, but it always came with a pang deep in his gut when he witnessed it. He felt that pang just now. There was a fearsome truth in the pain he could not yet face. He blinked. Kate’s complete dismissal of having any other reason for being here kept him on target: this day was about Kate, not Brandon.

They got inside the cab, instructed the driver to the station, then felt the van motor forward. Brandon picked up the conversation a couple blocks later: “So, you’re telling me the reason we really can’t stay is because you don’t wanna catch the newlyweds making out in the kitchen? Hear something you shouldn’t late into the night?”

She frowned. “Don’t be weird, they’re my aunts.”

“Aunts,” he repeated, punctuated with a single affirmative nod. “Nothing more? They’re not, say, oh I don’t know, just off the top of my head here, maybe a crazy idea, but—”

“No, B. They are not my mother—s. Mothers.”

He grinned now, playfully teasing out, “Because—?”

“Because. Vivian made it very clear what she was to me. We only just started speaking again, it’s still shaky. Today was good, though; I feel good about it.”

“I’m following your lead here,” he reminded her. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“I am,” she answered, looking down at her painted nails curled on her lap. The taxi was driving past the high school. She looked over at Brandon and asked, “What’s that face for?”

“It’s like you’re ignoring the obvious on purpose. There are other places we could stay, you know. Like, my house? I know Mom would love to see you. It’s Saturday, so that probably means porkchops, maybe chili. We can kick Nick off the TV, remind him it’s my console. Then later there’s classic Crazy Eights, or maybe a family movie this time? And that’s just if we stay in. Did someone say bowling?” He gasped excitedly. “We’re finally old enough to get into The Alley bar now!”

Kate worried, “You didn’t tell Bonnie we were in town, right?”

“Oh sure, I called Mom just now on my invisible cellphone that’s also a time machine because why not? Sheesh, chill. I’m aware today is a stealth mission. I’m just saying maybe a weekend doing what we used to would be good? As in, for you?”

She shook her head. “There’s more than one reason why I won’t stay in Whibley. Doesn’t matter where we go, there’s no room for me here. Huh. Come to think of it, I guess I’ve never had a room of my own before.”

He snapped his fingers. “Damn, and here I thought we found the perfect answer to everything in one easy afternoon.”

She smiled sympathetically at him. “Thanks for trying.”

They arrived at the station and Brandon paid the fare. Stepping out of the cab he felt inclined to clarify, “You don’t have to explain anymore, sorry. I know you hate this place, I shouldn’t’ve said anything anyway. We can talk about something else while we wait for the train. Like, my hair? It’s so long now, I don’t know how you girls do it. Hair keeps getting in my mouth all the freaking time. It’s gross, blech.”

She giggled. “I told you before we left—Do whatever you want, it’s your hair.”

“But you said I shouldn’t get it cut because I already spent birthday money on this new suit, even though Jo would buzz my head for free.”

“Ugh, see? No buzz cuts, just no.”

“I guess I could ask her for a different haircut, but then that would mean more uninterrupted conversation time. A buzz is better — all noise and fast results means barely any talking involved! It’s just hair, it’ll grow back, I don’t care.”

When they reached the platform she told him, “Don’t ignore your sister; talk to Jo. I don’t want your relationship with her to be weird just because mine is.”

“I don’t get it. Everything was fine over the holidays, but now Jo has all these questions I don’t know how to answer. At least Lee hasn’t been much different, but, uhh, it’s not like I ask him what’s going on. Sorta scared to, if I’m being honest.”

She kept her gaze down at the pale rocks on the tracks. They looked like the same gray rocks that lined Whibley’s natural rocky shoreline. They had to be the same, she figured, connecting land and lake in a new way for Kate.

She said, “I don’t want to gossip or sound ungrateful. Jo helped me so much at the start of university. I may never be able to properly thank her and Lee for everything they did. Or pay them back like I promised, ugh.” She paused to find the right words. “But the way they ask about me is not like how you do it. They make me feel bad for not feeling bad anymore. We’re missing something. What connects us?”

Despite Kate’s crestfallen tone, Brandon couldn’t resist feeling proud about the role reversal he accomplished since New Years. He swiftly ascended to Kate’s best friend and confidant, bridging years of emotional distance in just a few short months. She trusted him again, and he trusted her. Now they talked all the time and laughed even more. He was her exception.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he shrugged, staying cool. “Jo will come around. She’s your friend, she wants to see you happy.”

“Heh, wow. That’s almost word-for-word what Deryck said too.”

Deryck. Shit.

Somewhere in the euphoria of being Kate’s number one again, Brandon briefly forgot she had a boyfriend.