lorelei

by horace p sternwall

part one of two

harry had made up his mind to get rid of maxine as soon as he got out of prison. he had thought the best thing about going to prison was that she would leave him. but no, the foolish woman had stuck to him like a barnacle, sending him letters almost every day, asking about how he was being treated, and going on with endless gossip about her sisters and friends in the neighborhood. the other guys would say, gee, i wish my old lady would write to me like that. you’re lucky, man, to have a woman who stands by you. a real old-fashioned woman, not like these modern sluts today. if only they had known maxine! and the cookies and cakes! maxine sent harry cakes and cookies every week. they were pretty good, but he couldn’t eat them, because they reminded him of maxine. he gave them to the other guys, and they scarfed them right up. of course, the guards took their share before they even got to harry, but there were still plenty that got through. one curious fact was that maxine never actually came out to visit him. harry was just grateful for it, and if the other guys thought it was odd they never said anything, probably because they did not want to get harry mad and not give them any more cake or cookies. all the while, harry was getting other letters, from a woman named lorelei who had read about his case in the papers. the letters included pictures of lorelei. harry saw right away that lorelei was a real woman, not a tiresome leech and shrew like maxine. he could hardly wait to meet her and hook up with her when he got out. the day finally arrived when harry got out. it was a cold gray day. harry and his case had been forgotten, and there were no reporters outside the gates waiting for him. there was a little store down the road from the prison. just a store, that sold all kinds of useless junk. harry went into the store with his pay from his years inside, and bought a pair of silk stockings. these are for my old lady, harry told the guy behind the counter. i thought i would get her something nice, for sticking by me. that’s nice, brother, the guy said without looking at harry, it shows you got a good heart. of course what harry really wanted the stockings for was to strangle maxine with them. he left the store and started walking into town. there was a bus that left the prison once a day but he didn’t feel like waiting for it. as he walked along in the wind, he took the stockings out of their plastic wrapping so that he would have one all ready to strangle maxine with. * it was dusk when harry got to the city, and almost completely dark when he got to the apartment. it had gotten colder, and felt like it was about to rain, and there was nobody outside on the street. harry took the key out of his pocket that had been kept in storage all the years in the prison. it still worked, and he let himself in the front door. he climbed the stairs the three flights to the apartment. he knocked on the door . it was opened almost right away. but not by maxine, but her sister trudy. she gave harry the evil eye. part 2

the town, part 3

by nick nelson

part three of three

to read part one, click here

to read part two, click here

what did you say this place was called again? sal asked eddie again. ruby’s . i never knew it had a name. i thought it was just a place. it’s just what people call it. it might not be on their license or anything. if it has a license. it has a license. count on it. eddie pushed open the door. daisy was sitting at the counter. she had a cup of coffee in front of her. she was the only customer. an old woman with white hair was behind the counter. was she ruby? eddie and sal did not ask. eddie sat down on daisy’s left. sal looked around and then sat down on eddie’s left. the guy has not been in here, daisy said. we saw him coming through the park, eddie told her. so it’s all taken care of? i guess. you gentlemen want anything? the old woman who might have been ruby asked. i’ll have a cup of coffee, eddie told her. i ‘m thirsty. we had a long trip over here. how about you, sir? water, sal said. just water? he’ll leave a good tip, eddie said. he’s a big spender. i guarantee it. the woman brought eddie his coffee and sal his water and went back to the end of the counter, away from the door. you guys need a ride anywhere? daisy asked. no, we’re good, eddie told her. * daisy waited for five minutes after eddie and sal left. then she got up and left herself. she looked around when she got outside on the street. there was no sign of eddie or sal. she walked a block down third street, away from the park. her car was parked behind the station. it was the only car there. the station was closed. she unlocked the car and got in. the stranger was sitting in the back seat. it went o k? daisy asked him. it seemed to. then i guess our work here is done. the stranger did not bother to answer. daisy turned the key in the ignition. she pulled out of the station lot and headed west, out of town. * dave stopped at the crossroads. night was falling. the two roads stretched east and west , north and south, the way they do. the only thing in sight was a run down gas station, but it was closed, and looked like it might be deserted. there used to be a town here, dave said. really? judy answered. was it a nice town? it might have been, dave told her. they headed east. the end

the town, part 2

by nick nelson

part two of three

to read part one, click here

the night was dark, and cold. eddie and sal walked down the street, away from downtown. where did you say this guy hangs out? sal asked eddie. i don’t know if he hangs out anywhere yet. he’s been seen down at ruby’s. ruby’s? the little diner down by the train station. that place. i didn’t know it had a name. and sometimes he just sits in the park. at this time of night? and it’s cold. we’ll check it out first. then try ruby’s. all right. there were a couple of bums in the park, sitting on a bench, a man and a woman, but no sign of the stranger. the two bums stiffened when eddie and sal approached them but eddie and sal walked past them. they came out of the park on the other side. they could see the lights of the train station, and of the little diner across the street from it. they headed toward them. what did you say about this guy again? sal asked eddie. there was just something about him. oh, yeah, i remember now. they followed the winding path through the park and came out of the other end of it, on third street, where the railway station was. there was another park bench at the end of the path. the stranger was sitting on it. he had his legs stretched out straight in front of him and seemed to be staring at his shoes. eddie nodded to sal, and sat down beside the stranger. sal took up a position in front of the stranger, but not too close to him. hello, eddie said to the stranger. hello yourself, the stranger replied, without looking directly at eddie. i have seen you around, eddie said. so? i was wondering if you were looking for something. or somebody. the stranger looked at eddie. do you have some kind of official position? the stranger asked. you could say that. but what is that official position? i work for the guy who owns the town. oh. well, that is pretty official. so, are you looking for somebody? or maybe you have some other business. i am just passing through. just passing through. so, what do you think? about the town, i mean? looks like a nice place. nice how? a nice place to settle down. but you are not settling down. you are just passing through, right? that is what i said. that is what i thought you said. eddie stood up. i will keep it in mind. if i see you around again. that you were just passing through. the stranger just nodded. you might check out frank’s place before you go, sal said. on the other side of the park. it’s got fine food and drink. and six big screens. there’s a big game tonight, eddie added. the tigers against the wildcats. if you like to bet, you might find somebody to oblige you. i am not a sports fan, the stranger said. or a gambler. eddie laughed. neither am i. eddie and sal left the park, and continued down third street toward the train station and the diner. part 3

the town

by nick nelson

part one of three

eddie walked in. frank was sitting at his desk, staring into space and thinking terrible thoughts. eddie closed the door behind him, a sign that he had something to say. what’s on your mind, frank asked, taking his mind off his thoughts. there’s a stranger in town. so? there are always strangers in town. that is what the town is here for. people come here where nobody knows them, so they can do things they don’t want anybody to know about. it’s our stock in trade, and also our road game if need be. it’s what’s we do, and i think we do a pretty good job. eddie waited patiently for frank to finish. i know all that, frank, but this guy is different. what is different about him? it’s hard to say, but there is just something about him. well, what do you think we should do about him? i thought i would have sal keep an eye on him, and maybe put daisy on him too. do what you think is right, that is what i pay you for. sure, frank. i just thought i would keep you posted, keep you in the loop. thank you, i appreciate it. eddie left, leaving the door open behind him. frank usually left his door open because he had nothing to hide. frank went back to his thoughts and dreams. * eddie walked down the corridor to the bar. sal was the only person seated at the bar. ralph, the bartender, was staring into space. he was indulging his brain in fantasies. the bar was quiet. only one tv screen was on, and it was on mute. but business would pick up later, when the wednesday night game started. eddie came up behind sal, and sal turned around. sal was a deep one, like eddie himself. it was hard to know what he was thinking, or if he was thinking anything. what did he say, sal asked eddie. he said to do what we had to do. well, he told me to do what i had to do. you can help me out if you want. sal shrugged. that is what i am here for. all right. let’s go see if we could find this guy. sure. sal got up, nodded to ralph, who nodded back after two seconds. eddie and sal went out. when they left, since the bar was now empty, ralph turned the tv on to the easy listening music channel, as his brain was getting a little overheated from his fantasies. after a few minutes, dingbat dave, one of the regular customers, came in. he sat down at the bar. what is that crap you have got on, he asked ralph. ralph brought dave his usual, a manhattan, and put it in front of him. i will change the station if you want, dave. you are the customer here. put on sports talk on 606. coming right up. part 2

brad's party

by genghis gilgamesh

brad had great parties. everybody liked them, and wanted to be invited to them. one night the party was just getting started. you could not say that all the most beautiful and most important people were there, but many of them were. brad himself did not usually show up, if it all, until things were well under way, but on this occasion he made a surprise early appearance. a few of the guests had noticed a couple of slightly odd things. one, no band was in evidence. and, a large number of tacky looking metal folding chairs were stacked up against one wall. but, you never knew what brad had in store. excuse me, brad announced, in the booming voice he could use when had to, i have an announcement to make. all the guests stopped talking and turned their attention to brad. we are going to do things a little bit differently tonight, brad continued. i have not ordered any liquor or food, nor do i have any drugs, hard or otherwise, available. also, there will not be any music, any dancers, any movies, or any other form of entertainment. the money i saved by not purchasing any of these things, i have used instead to employ the world’s number one security service, which now surrounds the building and will prevent any of you from leaving. also, i should mention that none of your phones or other communication devices will work, until our business here is completed. but, brad, sam smith asked, what is the business that has to be completed? millie jones piped up. yes, if we are not to have any food or drinks or fun, what are we going to do? we are going to solve the world’s problems, brad announced. solve the world’s problems! a couple of guests exclaimed simultaneously. that is what we are going to do, brad replied. and nobody is going to leave until we do it. brad took a card out of his pocket and began reading from it. here is the list, he said, of the problems we are going to solve, in the order we are going to solve them. first, climate change. next, overpopulation and the depletion of resources. then, inequality. moving on, sexism, homophobia, racism, tribalism, fascism, and organized religion in that order. finally, the alienation of humanity from its roots in nature, and the role of the arts in the new world. and, i repeat, nobody is going anywhere until we solve all of these problems. i think sexism and homophobia should come first, dr alice porter exclaimed, from the back of the room. brad ignored her. are we to have nothing to eat or drink at all? corinna, the international singing sensation, wailed plaintively. we have plenty of water, brad replied. and tofu and cheese sandwiches. nobody is gong to starve. then i suppose we may as well get on with it, sam smith sighed. at a signal from brad, a group of uniformed security guard types appeared and began setting up the folding chairs. a group of whiteshirted waitpersons followed and began setting up a table with bottles of water, slices of tofu, and cheese sandwiches.

the rebel and the dreamer

by nick nelson

there were two guys named bob and bill. bob was a rebel, and bill was a dreamer. the rebels and the dreamers had lived side by side for a long time. sometimes one group was on top, sometimes the other. bob and bill worked side by side in the old mill. the old mill was owned by mr brown, who also owned the town. bob and bill stayed out of each other’s way, except when working side by side in the old mill. this seemed to be a good plan. one night a rowdy group of young rebels walked down a street in the dreamer neighborhood singing loud songs. a dreamer appeared in his doorway and asked them to stop. one of the young rebels threw something at the dreamer. another young rebel threw another object and broke the dreamer’s window. the next day, at the mill, bill said, these rebels think they own the earth. bob punched bill in the face. they grabbed each other and started rolling on the floor. the assembly line backed up, spilling a number of boxes on the ground. the foreman, buck brady, fired bob and bill . he told them he had no interest in the so-called rights and wrongs of the incident, and could not care less who had started the fight. bob and bill were forced to leave town, and assume new identities. bob became dan foster, and got a job stocking shelves in a supermarket in eau claire wisconsin. bill became rick jones, a wino living in the streets of salt lake city utah. many years later, their paths crossed. but neither recognized the other.

xxth

by genghis gilgamesh

the prospect seemed fair for the empire of xxth. its armies controlled the passes through the aieg mountains which separated the empire from the barbarian hordes of the inner continent. its navies controlled the northern coast of the outer continent, allowing its merchants unmolested access to the kingdoms of the lower continent. the petty kingdoms of the lower continent - nczo, iclf, dopz, and ajqf - paid their annual tributes of spices, silks, ivory, grain, slaves, and gold. wealth flowed into the coffers of the empire and through the streets of wnjo and the other great cities. the waters had receded from the terrible floods, offering hope that some of the vast treasures of the drowned cities could be recovered, thereby adding even more to the empire’s towering heap of booty. as with the floods, so with the storms. the sun shone day after day, and the ice which covered the northern continent began to recede, and fertile land to reappear. the arts flourished. the early art of the empire, of course, celebrated its glories, but as the centuries went by, notes of satire and world weariness began to appear, and these tendencies were smiled tolerantly upon by royalty and aristocracy alike. the courtliest graces were developed among the upper classes. the people of the subject kingdoms, and the barbarians, had no choice but to admit that the fairest women in the world adorned the emperor’s court. there was no unrest among the populace. the garrisons dozed in the provinces. no empire had ever obtained, or dreamed of, such unbounded felicity. and yet, within a few thousand short years, all had vanished without a trace. if it were not for the heroic endeavors of dr wasserkopf and his devoted colleagues. its very existence would be unknown today. what brought the great empire of xxth to its doom? as many theories have been advanced as there were years of the empire’s glory. the recent discovery of the mummified remains of a female subject of the empire, possibly a maidservant to one of the imperial princesses of the eighth dynasty, may throw some small light on the subject. excuse me? i did not realize what time it was. no, no, i found professor watson’s paper, exhaustive as it was, quite enlightening. i will be happy to resume tomorrow morning, after we have all had a good dinner and a good night’s sleep. what? ha, ha, yes, that goes without saying.