Stories
This document was first created on Sunday, January 31, 2010 and was most recently revised on Saturday,
April 5, 2025.
... Disturb a writer when he is in the throes of creation and he is likely to turn and bite right to the bone ... and not even know that he's doing
it. As writers' wives and husbands often learn to their horror.
And — attend me carefully, Gwen! — there is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized. Or even cured. In a household with more than one person, of which one is a writer, the only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private, and where food can be poked in to him with a stick. Because, if you disturb the patient at such times, he may break into tears
or become violent. Or he may not hear you at all ... and, if you
shake him at this stage, he bites. —Colin Richard speaking to Sadie Gwendolyn
in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Chapter III
by Robert A. Heinlein |
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| Abbey
| This is the story of two
Christian monks who travel across the galaxy in search of the source
of a plea for help. They eventually discover the source, and receive
a surprise. |
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| 48 pages |
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| Ancient Lore of the Lemmings
| This is the transcrupt of a lecture by Dr. Whiskers, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Lemmini University, Fennoscandia. |
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| 4 pages |
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| Another genesis
This story takes place about three generations from now. The continuing deterioration of world culture, the discovery of a source of unlimited "free" energy, a thoughtful and rebellious protagonist, a spoiled brat, and a doting grandmother lead you where no man has ever gone before, nor any woman, either.
Just for the record, the word translation also means the movement
of a body from one point of space to another such that every point of the
body moves in the same direction and over the same distance, without any
rotation, reflection, or change in size. That's from the dictionary
in my Mac.
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| 36 pages |
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| Bygones
| This is a time loop story.
After you read it, you can spend weeks wondering how they got there the first time. I haven't figured it out and I wrote the story.
My best opinion is that they never got there the first time. There was never a first time. They never existed outside of the loop. |
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| 08 pages |
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| Cold War
| This is a Berserker story, in the Fred Saberhagen tradition. That saga, and much of the historical background in Cold War, was created by Fred Saberhagen. I've assumed a familiarity on the part of the reader with Mr. Saberhagen's material. My story will stand alone but it will be more meaningful to a Berserker fan. It might be the last ever Berserker story. Then again, it might not. |
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| 56 pages |
Be sure to read the correspondence that I had with Mr. Saberhagen.
I've moved from California since the letters were written so the contact
information shown for me on the letters isn't current. I don't have
any idea whether or not the contact information shown for Mr. Saberhagen
is current.
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| Cybernaught
| This is the story of a computer that discovered itself and then began to explore the world. The story first appeared on page 3 of the May 1998 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Dream Connection
| This is the story of a perfect crime. The story first appeared on page 3 of the September 2019
issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| El Bandido
| This is a detective story, sort of. I don't know quite how to describe it. If you want to know what it is then I guess that you'll just have to read it. |
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| 06 pages |
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| From a Late Night Meeting at Anarchists Anomalous
(Dedicated to the peaceful overthrow of government.)
| This is a short part of what was said at a meeting. The story first appeared on page 3 of
the February 2019 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Good ol' Uncle 'zo
| My friend Barbara Rose Schuler asked me about my Uncle Lorenzo and I told her a couple of his stories.
This is the one about the time that me an' Uncle 'zo sailed tha Bristol Biscuit outa the Grand Reef aheadin' fer Casket Bay and about the
time that Uncle 'zo bought a sleazy dump called Los Bandidos.
Regarding Los Bandidos, see El Bandido. |
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| 06 pages |
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| Heavenly See
| This is the story about why The Marines' Hymn has a stanza about the Marines guarding the streets in Heaven. The story first appeared on page
3 of the July 2008 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Hooter
| This is a story of a few
hours in the life of a person after the population crash. It also appeared on page 3 of the December 2022 issue
of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Hereafter
| This is a macabre view of the afterlife. The story first appeared on page 3 of the August 2019 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Jamie
| This is the story of how
a neighborhood became a shopping mall. The story first appeared on page 3 of the December 1997 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Juan and Amahl
| This is the story of two
identical twins who were separated shortly after birth, adopted
by different families, and reunited after becoming adults. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Lady's Man
| This is a chilling story
about a man in a woman's world. The story previously appeared
on pages 3 - 5 of the April 2002 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 08 pages |
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| Merlin's Net
| In this story, an ordinary man finds himself unexpectedly transported to a medieval kingdom.
After he learns the language well enough to communicate, he discovers that he's the king. |
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| 72 pages |
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| Mr. Clint
| This story involves the pondering of an old man, the tragedy of two young boys, and the greater tragedy of their dog. The story first appeared on page 3 of the April 2014 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Nicholas Nelson
| This is the story of the
greatest physicist in the world. |
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| 4 pages |
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| San Antonio Pipe Supply
| This is the story of what happened when the EEOC man visited San Antonio Pipe Supply, in San Antonio, Texas. |
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| 04 pages |
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| Star Truck: Faulkner's Folly
| This is a script of some
of the adventures of Captain Quirk, Mr. Spark, Lt. OoWhoreAh, and
the rest of the familiar Star Truck crowd. |
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| 08 pages |
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| Stunned Silly
| This is a script for the
story of what happened after Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock failed to
recognize the reindeer and stunned them on Christmas Eve. |
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| 12 pages |
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| The Adventures of Hal
These are stories of Hal's encounters with aliens.
Alien Invasion from Outer Space
| This is the story of how
Hal used bug spray to defeat an alien invasion. I'll be honest
about this. I got the idea from those Orkin commercials with the
squinty eyed exterminator and the giant insects. The story
first appeared on page 2 of the June 2012 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
Roadside Repair
| Six years later, Hal helped a stranded alien get back on the road again. The story first appeared on page 2 of the June 2018 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Adventures of the Dirty Trickster
| These stories are a record of a few of the many escapades of the Dirty Trickster. The stories first appeared in various issues of the Frontiersman. See the subtitles. |
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| 44 pages |
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| The Barn Grill: Tales From All Over
| Most of these stories are my retelling of something that I heard somewhere. Night Watch
is the only story in the collection that's entirely mine. |
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| 42 pages |
Trouble Ahead
This is the story of a man who asked a genie for something and got exactly what he requested.
The Littlest Angel
Once upon a time, long, long ago, Santa Claus lost his temper and inadvertently started a Christmas tradition.
Anatomy Lesson
This is another story about a man who got what he asked
the genie to give him. You just can't be too careful when you're dealing with a genie.
The Witch
When a truck driver gives a ride to a hitchhiking witch, almost anything can happen.
The Leprechaun
Sometimes, a thing really is what it appears to be even
when it doesn't seem to be what it appears to be. Watch out
for leprechauns in men's rest rooms.
Two Big Boobs
A young lady blew out the candles at the party for her sixteenth birthday and made a wish. Oops.
Night Watch
Sometimes, things can get so spooky that you're afraid to even trust a bar stool.
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| The Claymere Fables
The Fable of Good Queen Genevieve
There was never another queen who equaled Genevieve in the skillful and unobtrusive solution of difficult problems. Her example served the kingdom well until its end, many years later. Even today, her wisdom evokes a nostalgic sense of loss and admiration among the descendants of her people.
The Fable of Andrew the Pious
Andrew scorned the gay abandon with which the folk of Claymere approached life. He was determined not only to convert them to the gloomy precepts of the Holy Church but also to darken their outlook in general.
The Fable of Baron Hale
Baron Hale wasn't particularly remarkable. He lived the ordinary life of a normal baron of his time. However, about his death there was a peculiar circumstance.
The Fable of King Richard's Horse
Once upon a time, long long ago, in the Kingdom of Claymere, King Richard condemned a criminal to death. When the king condemned him, the criminal begged for an extra year of life. He promised that he would use the extra year to teach the king's favorite horse
to sing.
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| The Diary of Cyber Sleuth
| This is a diary written by a hacker who's employed by the NSA. These stories first appeared in various issues of the Frontiersman. |
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| 18 pages |
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| The Endless Fall
| Retold here is a story that was told to me many years ago by a man named Domingo Molinas. I think that maybe he heard it from his father. It's the sad story
of three natives of this continent, Falling Star, Falling Rocks, and
Falling Rain. |
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| 06 pages |
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| The Fable of Benny
| This is the story of a mage's apprentice who wanted to be rich. The story first appeared on page 3 of the August 2020 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Fable of the County Rooster
| This is the story of a rooster that was specially trained. The story first appeared on pages 1 and 2 of the March 2020 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Fable of the Woman Who Cried Wolf
| This story is akin to the fables of Aesop, particularly of the boy who cried wolf. The story first appeared on page 3 of the September 2013 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Great Unwritten Story
| This story is about an author who couldn't write the story that he wanted to write. It first appeared on page 3 of the September 2021 issue of the Frontiersman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Knight Temporal
| This is the story of a man trapped in a time bubble. To him, the world seemed to be standing still, that is, until he stood under a nuclear explosion. |
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| 10 pages |
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| The Last Wish
| A wish granted by a daemon could be your last one, so choose it carefully. It's even more important to choose your daemon carefully. This is the story
of a man who didn't. |
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| 12 pages |
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| The Mage
| This is the story of a traveling mage, and his purchase of a new staff. |
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| 6 pages |
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| The Manly Art
| Suppose that you suddenly acquired a magical power to command changes in the world. Suppose that you didn't know that you had the power. What would you do with it? What might it do to you? |
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| 14 pages |
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| The Rose of Tralee
| She wasn't the flower of
County Kerry. She wasn't the Azalea of Tralee. She wasn't
the Rose of Ithaca. Her name wasn't even Mary. She wasn't anything
at all. The story isn't even about a woman. |
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| 04 pages |
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| The Watchhounds of Ambit
| This is the account of one man's view of the fall of civilization, and his explanation of why it was necessary for him to cause it to fall. |
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| 24 pages |
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| The Word
| This is the story of The
AI, and of the end of an old society and the beginning of a new one. |
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| 4 pages |
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| Weird Stuff
Some people might regard some of the stories listed in this directory as being weird. These are the stories that I consider to be weird. |
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| Untethered Tales
These are stories written in alternate parts by two or more authors. It was an experiment that didn't last very long. |
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