Alex and the Wolves

He should have caught the feeling he was supposed to, but somehow the wolves never felt right. It was as if they never really belonged, as if each of them demanded their own space and were meant to be controlled.

He didn’t know what it was like to be lonely, to be alone.

A Series of Experiments

If you don’t believe me, try this experiment for yourself: Put on a pair of shoes that have a circular heel and step onto a raised platform, which will also have a circular heel. Stand in front of the platform and shine a flashlight on your shoe so that you can see the crank on the side of the platform. Let your shoe spin until it bumps the tip of the crank, and you will hear a small sound.

A Simple Question

Cat bites can be accidental—for example, the kitten learns that human teeth are a novel sensation, then it may try to scratch out the edges of its mouth as it plays, never realizing that his teeth are “safe” and she is not a human being. He will frequently play-bite so that no more has to be said.

One Road into Mordor

From the Divine Gate’s throne, Solus brought a tray of snacks over. They weren’t sweets or jelly beans. They were just slightly cooked hot biscuits. It appeared that he had prepared them just in case.

This was the first time I was able to watch Solus eat.

The Abduction of Miriam

The Abduction of Miriam is a Lovecraftian horror story set in 1924 New York City during a nightmarish episode in a European gothic orgy. From a richly imagined perspective, this tale can be read as a dark and shuddering portrayal of the horrific culmination of a sexual encounter. This is the story of a young woman who sees a shadowy figure as she is trapped in the dying throes of a horrific ecstasy.

Tourist Is Obliged to Decline

When an Englishman tells you he’s from Devon, he has a picture of a river and a plaque commemorating the terrible Gallipoli campaign in 1915, or something similar. If the tourist says he’s from Istanbul, you have a picture of a mosque and a plaque commemorating the great slaughter of Turkish minorities in 1915.

The Place Where Beasts Are Most at Home

The outer shell of my uniform caught fire, the light blue dye shimmering as it burned.

The Volcano House

“Well the first 28 of those are entirely correct: America is white.”

“How about the next 26?”

“America is black. I’ll assume the left side of the keyboard also has ‘white’ as the first character.”

“Then it’s a dead giveaway.”

Inspector Legrasse Plays Shakespeare

It is almost the only time the writer of the Inspector Legrasse Plays Shakespeare plays, Samuel Coleridge, gets to be the sadistic speaker at the end of the story.

Moosetooth

“My tooth hurts. Like a moose’s tooth.”

You say nothing. You just sink down further, deeper into your seat. One of those moments when you’re so used to saying nothing it’s as natural as breathing.