Norman loved playing video games in his spare time. He worked for a gaming company, helping design new games. Norman became particular entranced by a beta version of a new game designed by a colleague, a young woman. It was a role-playing adventure, set in current times in a big city, where Norman’s avatar was […]
Chapter Forty-Four The Ghost I went into work the next morning apparently alone. The guards watching saw no one walk to the car with me, no one sit next to me. The guards in the car followed while others stayed behind, watching for Phyllis. Sitting beside me, invisible, Phyllis giggled. “This is so much better […]
Chapter Thirty-One Exploring My Inner Space As I looked at Pinetree and Dr. Orwell, I did not really care about them but knew I should. We met following yesterday’s meeting with the thick man and his associates. I did care about the two of them–they were important to me. That was sort of a start […]
My Inner Werewolf By Victor Schwartzman Victor Schwartzman vschwartzman@gmail.com 604-987-0190 604-328-0154 906 Bowron Court North Vancouver, BC V7H 2S7 Canada Copyright Victor Schwartzman, July 2023 ISBN: 978-1-7777625-0-6 Chapter One My Anger Anger led me to become a monster. A real life monster, in many ways. I have anger issues beyond issues. Anger rules my life. […]
44 Running Newman turned on his TV and in a moment there he was, in his face–Shallot’s great grandfather smiling grimly into the camera. Newman knew of this morning’s broadcast. The entire colony had heard about it. Almost everyone was watching. Anyone still remotely close to Newman texted and phoned, urging him to check out […]
36 Hurricane At Your Door “Now what?” Madeline looked at Sally as they sat in her apartment. “Best guess? He’ll avoid the plants. For now. He’ll sit with the workers’ organizations, quietly feeding their fears and need for…him. Ugh.” “Ugh. Drink? Cuddle?” “Not yet. No time.” “So…what? Time for what?” Madeline shrugged. She liked this […]
24 Power Play Before and during the last chapter, there was the early morning emergency Council meeting–the follow up to yesterday’s meeting; for the Councillors it led nowhere, for Newman it led to the final set-up before achieving power. Newman felt huge that morning. Powerful. A guiding light. He saw clear wonderful daylight through the […]
19 Murder on Mars A murder in the colony was terrible–but had been usually limited to domestic violence: couples in love killing each other because they loved each other. But a random murder? Without love? Colonists were shocked. Four murders over the past two hundred years, all domestic disputes-this was the first without any clear […]
12 Ready? Now? “I know who I am,” she told him. “No matter what’s screwed up outside, inside me the time is right. I don’t want to wait any longer. I’m ready. We’re ready.” “Children? Here? Now?” He gripped her shoulders, gently. “Let’s get married instead.” Peter looked at Wendy, at the back of her […]
6 Lust And Lost, On Mars So many felt unsettled. Something was wrong and thinking it was right was almost a crime. By that evening there were few people out, many staying home to play the game. Even colonists who never played computer games tried it—everyone said that, for the first time, the game was […]
Lust, On Mars By Victor Schwartzman Copyright 2024 Victor Schwartzman 906 Bowron Court North Vancouver BC V7H 2S7 vschwartzman@gmail.com 1 Lust, on Mars Below them her bed, above them the dome, sealing in the colony from the reality of Mars. Completed in 2225, today–a hundred years later—still the sole colony. The reality of Mars intervened […]
Arnold was exhausted. He concluded it was because he was around other people. When he sat at home alone, he had plenty of energy, or at least enough. At 80, he never had quite enough energy. Alone, he interacted with people by a distance, with delays—texts, emails. No matter how stressful the interaction was, now […]
A New Climate Change Jack was increasingly concerned about climate change. Not tornadoes or atmospheric rivers or heat waves. Jack was concerned about farts. People ate healthier, with far more fiber, resulting in a wave of farts. Riding in an elevator was often an unpleasant experience, as was being stuck in a meeting with ten […]
Martin was a regular fellow. Unfortunately, people ignored him and his ideas, hurting his feelings. He always turned the other cheek. His turning the cheek was not based on any religious belief. It felt demeaning. He needed an alternative. Eventually Martin had artificial cheeks implanted. The new cheeks looked like his real cheeks–but now when […]