Category Archives: Short Stories

Some free short stories and story sketches

Appendix (a New Frontiers Story)

Posted on June 18, 2021 by dan

I remember I was out on a mission with my translator Plamen. We were way out in Aaha space, trying to sell a magnetic confinement fusion device as “human folk art.” Here was the scam: you take this stellarator coil, which … Continue reading →

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Well, Boom

Posted on February 26, 2021 by dan

Energy curdled back into mass as the ship translated out of light speed. After a pause for the crew to get used to experiencing time again, the ship’s instruments extended. From the crew’s perspective, they’d finished an extensive survey of … Continue reading →

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30y+

Posted on February 12, 2021 by dan

This Thirty Years Plus story is inspired by Joanne Rixon’s op-ed in the Tacoma News Tribune. I encourage you to write your own. 2050 The year is 2050 and a storm washes Sloveykov Square. Rain curtains hide buildings of concrete, … Continue reading →

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The Event Horizon

Posted on January 29, 2021 by dan

The crowd didn’t seem to be violent, at least. They weren’t holding up signs or chanting slogans. They didn’t even seem to be talking much with each other. They just ambled sedately around one of Bruce’s stores, heads bent towards … Continue reading →

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Clean Evil

Posted on January 15, 2021 by dan

…or “Ghost Decon”… The heads of the press swung to follow him as Rutger walked through the door. Cameras like glaring eyes and microphones like accusing fingers. Rutger could feel the hatred. Three deaths and more than a billion dollars, … Continue reading →

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The Greenhouse

Posted on January 1, 2021 by dan

“Come in,” I said. “Thank you for coming.” And because I’d been in Bulgaria for a long time, “sit down.” Predictably for early summer in Sofia, the day had begun with clear skies and fluffy white clouds, then opened up … Continue reading →

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Earth With Heaven

Posted on October 13, 2020 by dan

Earth with Heaven The storm was roaring, lights flashing. The temple of Nippur, the storm was roaring, Lights flashing. Heaven with earth was talking; earth with heaven was talking. <rest broken> — The Barton Cylinder. Surface A. Column 1. Lines … Continue reading →

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Logarithm 2

Posted on August 2, 2020 by dan

(see Logarithm 1) August-2030 The sun is hot on my back, and my thighs burn with the effort of holding this position. My back doesn’t hurt, though. Those stretches work. My face is full of leaves. They come in triplets, … Continue reading →

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Logarithm 1

Posted on July 17, 2020 by dan

July-2021 I am sitting on a bed in a house in a village 15 kilometers from Serbia and 20 from North Macedonia. My back is propped up against the wall, my laptop balanced on my stretched-out legs, and I’m breathing … Continue reading →

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Vassian language

Posted on April 1, 2020 by dan

(Note: In accordance with Vassian culture and tradition, Vassian words in this article are not to be embedded in English sentences.) Vassian( /ˈvəsijən, ˈvas-, ˈvæs- / also Vessian, Bessian, The Good Language, The Trustee Language (religious/traditional), and The Crypt Language (dated); … Continue reading →

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