Short Speculative Fiction www.ResAliens.com
Issue 4.5 – May 2010
STEEL – A FABLE by Ben Loory The woman loves steel. It is hard to say why – its strength, maybe; its silence. She spends her days wandering the streets of the city, gazing at buildings and watching construction. She watches as girders are fitted into place, watches as skyscrapers are born. I just love steel, the woman says. I really do love steel. Read the rest of this story at ResAliens.com »
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ STATIONARY by Rodney J. Smith The concourse was like a meeting of Ancient Rome with Grand Central Station. Daniel marveled at its size and grandeur: almost the length of a football field, its great marble walls and columns were as high as the floor was long. Beams of light stabbed through the cracked domed ceiling and fell like spotlights on a stage, slicing the gloom of the thick fog pressed against the huge windows. Read the rest of this story at ResAliens.com »
TO EVOKE THE FLOWERS OF CHANGE by Jason Barney Ganora felt a stabbing pain in her back. The police sirens were wailing again outside. She’d jumped at the sound. Her devoted and lifelong partner, Nelnor, saw the uncomfortable look that splashed onto her face. She saw him try to get up from his relaxed location on the couch to help her. She waved him off. ―It’s okay,‖ she said as she pushed her shoulders back. ―I just tweaked it.‖ Read the rest of this story at ResAliens.com »
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THE STARTING GATE by L. Upton Illig ―Running at the speed of light, racing ’till she’s out of sight—magnifico! Was she under 1:10?‖ ―What?‖ The boy’s hand twitched and his stopwatch fell to the ground. Its face peered up at him through broken glass. ―Sorry. I missed it.‖ The bay filly he had been clocking hurtled around the backstretch and, with a flick of her long tail, disappeared around the turn. “Madre de Dios! What’re you doing?‖ Read the rest of this story at ResAliens.com »
MUD MAKER by K. Bond The halls of Maple Hill High School buzzed with the type of excitement that only the first day of school brings. The nauseating wafts of Salisbury Steak from the cafeteria at nine a.m. did not detract from the students’ enthusiasm to reconnect with old friends. Nor did the September day’s dreariness weaken puberty’s propulsion toward the opposite sex, which brought about exertion of one’s own superiority in various ways. Read the rest of this story at ResAliens.com »
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ From the Editor by Lyn Perry Five fresh stories for your enjoyment this month – most of them on the speculative side of things. That is, they follow that path of magical realism that is so popular lately. Actually, it’s been popular since the days of Lewis Carroll. Not quite fantasy, not really science fiction. Not so much supernatural thriller. Just stories that take you on a speculative spin around the neighborhood. Read the rest of this article at ResAliens.com »
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Please visit ResAliens Storefront at http://stores.lulu.com/resaliens to purchase copies of the print version. In the premier issue, we bring together six authors who pilot us on a science fiction journey to outerspace. You’ll be transported from the asteroid belt in our own solar system to the far reaches of the galaxy and back again. You’ll encounter mystery, miracles, suspense, surprise, and even a bit of humor. Featuring stories by Fred Warren, R. E. Diaz, Patrick G. Cox, Dan Devine, Michael W. Garza, and John Farrell. $7.00 - 68 pages.