Time to go, the alarm indicated. Jacob Conner dreaded the announcement, regarding it as a horrible turn of events. It meant he needed to get to Houston to support the space station for NASA. As a lead Astronaut, it was his job, forcing him to make the commutes from his home in Dallas. I hate […]
Category: Short Fiction
Stranger: A Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Strangerby Torn MacAlester Photo by Christian Fridell from Pexels Alex handed the customer his whiskey in the Lunar-strawed cup, expecting to have a reaction. All the tourists reacted. “Why not a proper glass?” They would ask, not knowing that it was impossible to drink most liquids from a regular terrestrial glass. This man did not. He merely accepted […]
Cold Contact: A Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Cold ContactWritten for: The Fiction Fountain 4 Aug 2019 Photo by Min An from Pexels Frank ‘Cooter’ Ross looked at his books, trying to find information about first contact. Where the hell is it? He thought. I know there is some information here somewhere. “What’s going on Frank?” said the female voice over the computer […]
Robot Friend: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Chris and Doug smiled happily as I held on to them for the picture. I tried my best to smile too, but I had found that my smile frightens most people, so I always tone it down for pictures. Doug’s mom snapped the photo with her phone, then Doug ran off to the left. In […]
Fifteen Percent! A Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Fifteen Percent!By Torn MacAlester Photo by Anna Nekrashevich from Pexels Deputy Miller smiled. It was that smile of hers, Nils realized, the one that led to certain disaster. “Okay Miller,” Nils attempted to gain the initiative. “What do you want?” “What makes you think I want anything?” “Dammit, Miller!” Why do you answer a question with a question? […]
Rejection: A Vignette by Torn MacAlester
RejectionBy Torn MacAlester Photo by Life Of Pix from Pexels “Deputy Miller, a serious situation has risen.” Alex said, cleaning a lunar beer mug as he spoke. “Like what?” Miller answered, clearly disinterested in the Conrad Station barkeep’s current crisis. She checked her watch. Miller knew Nils Carmike’s schedule like the back of her hand. He would soon […]
Lunadyne Incident: A Short Story by Torn MacAlester
Lunadyne IncidentY+28, Day 1: “You, in the jail,” the voice said over the intercom. Sheriff Del Anderson stood and switched on the voice channel. Del watched the warped video of the shady figure in the hallway outside the Sheriff’s office. The facial recognition software failed to place the individual. Either the man wasn’t in the […]
Directors and Malcontents: A New Vignette by Torn MacAlester
“I’ll say it one more time. Johnson and Carmike are not coming back!” the Director said. “They left the space agency. It’s over. Why are we even having this conversation about them? I can’t believe I will spend my Saturday making a case for us to try luring back two malcontents that have no desire […]
Morgan’s Road: A Short Story by Torn MacAlester
Morgan’s Road a short story by Torn MacAlesterMorgan’s Road, a short story by Torn MacAlester Graphic by Shannan Albright Making a living on the Moon is not for everyone, but Nelson Carmike actually preferred the airless basalt plains over Earth’s windy prairies. Unfortunately, three years of Moon prospecting left him penniless, and without funds for […]
Clash of Titans: a Vignette by Torn MacAlester
Clash of TitansPhoto by Valeria Boltneva from Pexels Clash of Titans by Torn MacAlester . “I see you’ve bought K‑Systems,” said Morris Mason to his son Mark as he raised a glass in a mocking toast. “I thought this was a casual dinner, not a business meeting.” Mark growled, wiping his scarred chin with a […]