James Pyles's Blog, page 143
June 13, 2018
Head Tax
Manny almost jumped back from top of the escalator when he saw Leah walking across the baggage claim area right below him. She hadn’t looked in his direction and was out of sight by the time he reached the bottom. He hadn’t expected her to still be at Seatac. Her flight should have arrived hours […]
Connie’s Flight
The courier taking Connie and the other birds from the lab to the observation center dropped her cage in the parking lot and she was the only one he didn’t catch. Now she was free. “Hello little birdie,” said the young girl. “Are you hungry?” The coturnix quail hadn’t eaten in a long time. “I’ll […]
June 12, 2018
Is There a God in the Moon?
Tristan Schaefer wasn’t sure if this was magic or just the drugs kicking in. Vixia’s single moon Tatis always seemed unusually large in the sky when it was full, especially compared to Earth’s, but now it was impossibly reflective, as if the forest were perfectly mirrored and inverted on its surface. “Izola!” Where was she? […]
A Suburban Horror Story
“How did it happen? I mean, who was looking after her?” Gerald and Marni were standing with the crowd of neighbors on the other side of the street watching. Police cars, fire, and paramedic units were seemingly cast in random arrangements in front of the stylish home in the upscale neighborhood. “I think her brother was supposed […]
June 11, 2018
The Eshana
The eastern horizon bled the color of garnet, quickening a new morning and the possibility of survival. Once the air temperature rose to somewhere near four degrees C, Tatiana could shed her alien enhancements and revert to humanoid form. She had survived the night crossing of the Gael badlands and once she made it to […]
June 10, 2018
The Quest to Save Landon
Nine-year-old Landon and his classmate and friend Ana were in school, which was strange, because school was out for the summer. What was even stranger was that Landon was at the head of the class and Ana was the only student. “Now today class, I want to introduce you to magic wands.” He was wearing a […]
Sea Angel
“You weren’t kidding, Somata. An actual sea water pool.” Gary had been dating the beautiful model for weeks, but this was the first time she’d invited him over to her place by the beach. “It helps to live so near the ocean. You can’t see the machinery, but the pool’s water is constantly being recycled […]
57 Pink Flamingos
“$2500! You spent $2500 on that?” Jeanette watched in horror as she watched her husband Terry insert the last of the 57 pink flamingos he’s purchased on Amazon into their front lawn. The driveway was littered with the debris of cardboard shipping boxes. “Come on. We can afford it. You know how much dough we […]
June 9, 2018
Comic Books Have Gone Crazy
“I’ve kept a limited number of comic books from my youth, ranging from the 1960s to the 1980s, and occasionally take a few out and read them. I’m not really into comic books anymore, especially the current titles, and for a lot of reasons. Originally, I started collecting them in the late 1960s when I was […]
Paradise is in Orbit
Fred, the male mail carrier sat in the Outer Ring Coffee Shoppe eating his chocolate mousse out of a vintage cup bearing the image of Bullwinkle the Moose. Except for the baristas behind the counter, he was the only human in the room. “How wazz ur confekshun, Fred?” Phebb was one of the refuge aliens […]
