The UTCSS Neil deGrasse Tyson moved slowly through uncharted space. Technically it wasn’t uncharted, but no Terran ships had ever traveled into this relatively barren area of space. Through the years, the United Terran Confederation had sent many drone ships into this sector to explore and report back on gravitational fields, small asteroids, and any anomalies that might be present. But no crewed ships had ventured into t...

John has the best Halloween parties ever. I attended the first one of his parties ten years ago. I’m not on the guest list, never have been, but no one knows that. There are always a lot of party crashers at John’s Halloween parties. Part of the thrill of John’s parties is that everyone is totally anonymous. Many years ago such masked parties were quite the rage, but modern costumes and disguises are so much better. In fa...

The Karodang house has been on the side of the hill... forever. There are some old frontier pictures of great-great-great-grandma’s sod house from when they first settled their farm and the old stone house is in the background sticking out of “Granite Hill” as the locals call it. Some people from the state university came down and dug around a little both inside and outside of Karodang. There only conclusion was, “It’s ol...

Belinda Barnotti, known to her friends as BB, stood at the entrance to the Witch Hill Nunnery Museum silently debating with herself. She was almost a Doctor of Anthropology. All that was left for her to gain her PhD was to complete her thesis. Then she had to make a name for herself by turning that thesis into a book. That would make her a well-known anthropologist. Well-known anthropologists get teaching jobs in prestigi...

Sid is a good friend of mine from days long past. He has fallen on hard times. A lot of the men... and women who have been the places we have been and done the things which we have done have been overwhelmed by what has been burned into their memory once they try to “return to society.” Many, like Sid, try to drown the memories of what they saw... or did. When that didn’t work, he fell totally apart... booze, broads, drug...

They want to know when I first realized that I could change my world. That’s not exactly how they posed the question. They asked “When did you first realize that you were disconnected from reality?” That is a really stupid question, but not nearly as stupid as the questions they asked me in the mental ward. There everyone asked about how I handled the death of my parents and my three sisters in an auto accident when I was...

Lady Lucille’s Bar & Grill has been a fixture down on Second Street for many years. Supposedly it was once even closer to the river, but back in the big floods of ’93 it survived only because the owner and patrons got together to sandbag a six foot high flood wall all the way around it. Once the floods went down, the owner picked up the building and moved the bar three blocks– and about twenty feet in elevation– up to wha...

Chapter Five - Commander Sylvia Rogue walked up to the base airlock and reached up to trigger the microphone so he could speak the entry code. But before he could speak, Jada said cheerfully, “Good Morning, Rogue.” The lock on the inner door clicked and it swung inward. As he entered the kitchen area, Commander Blackstone looked up at him and said, “You look like hell. I was going to ask you more about your battle plans,...

Chapter Three - Amanda All of the staff except Julie and Jennifer were done with breakfast and at their posts by the time Rogue had showered. He hadn’t shaved because he didn’t trust the razors that Darlene and Amanda had sitting in holders next to the sink. He would shave when he got back to his ship. There were several choices from the automated food dispenser. Rogue chose an egg omelet, which was surprisingly good for...

Chapter One - The Brulaxians “Incoming! Incoming!” the shrill voice of the communications tech for Earth Base Two Omega screamed loudly just before the auto-defense alarms began blaring, drowning out her screams. “Report!” barked the commander after silencing the alarm and the tech replied a little more calmly, “I’m reading an incoming ship traveling at light eighteen.” The communications tech’s bright blue eyes were wide...

Quarrie Balfour slowly climbed the steps of his mansion that led to the second floor. It was early, only a little after ten, but the guests were gone and the house was quiet. He paused to look out the tower window that was half-way up the steps. This house wasn’t a castle, nor was it made of stone, but the architect had attempted to capture some of the characteristics of the Balfour Castle, the family ancestral home which...

The town of Mystery sits in the middle of a valley of extremely good farmland. Nowhere else in the area has such bountiful crops. And no other town in the area has such a large park located right in the middle of town. It is almost as if the town of Mystery grew up around the park. The lush grasses and wildflowers of Mystery Park make it a great place for picnics and impromptu sports. Sometimes lovers come into the park a...

Marcie carved a smiling jack o’lantern and lit the special candle as the old woman had instructed. She was desperate to get David to notice her. Soon after placing the pumpkin in her window, heavy, strange scents overwhelmed her with visions and dreams full of David and her and earth-shattering sex. Her phone awakened her. “I drove past last night,” David said, “I couldn’t believe the face on that pumpkin. Is it OK if I s...

I’m not sure when I first realized that I could change my Halloween costume with just my mind. I'm pretty sure the first time was when Belinda McDaniels wore the exact same costume to school that I did. Well, not exactly the same. We were both Jasmine from Aladdin, but hers was much, much better than mine because her parents were rich and could afford the best. With the professionally-applied makeup and the jeweled tiara,...

Loretta walked slowly down the hallway of the old mansion. The Halloween party was a fundraiser for the historical group which was trying to restore the place. They also rented out some of the restored bedrooms as a B & B during tourist season, but this annual adults-only party was their big money-maker for the year. In one night it brought in almost as much money as the rest of their fundraisers. The tickets were not ine...