This sci-fi novella in progress has been rumbling around in my head for over thirty years. I work on it when I can and I’ll finish it when I finish it.
“Admit something: Everyone you see, you say to them, ‘Love me.’ / Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise someone would call the cops. / Still, though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect. / Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye [...]
Throughout human history, those able to gain power over others, have experimented with methods of maintaining order in the societies they rule. There is no need to reiterate that history here. The legacy of totalitarian despotism (and the brutal repression and revolutions to which it inevitably led) as well as past attempts at democracy and [...]
In the beginning, was an idea. It wasn't a new idea. Perhaps the oldest idea of all... the very first one. And being first, it naturally became that which drove all others. Down the road of existence. But since there were no previous ideas by which to navigate, it drove them blindly. This does not mean [...]
I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks and apostles Niccolo Machiavelli ------------------------ Moving slowly through the large, dimly-lit room, Chancellor John Goodman takes yet another notebook from the vast, carefully organized shelves [...]
The tension is palpable in the counsel chambers. Controller General, Sammy Theman (of Nurfworld's western safe zone) paces the soft, spongy floor. Pausing for a moment, he rotates his left thumb (which has been in his mouth the entire time) and looks up. No one has uttered a word for several minutes as Sammy continues [...]
"Good morning team" "Good morning Cap'n" "Now, I'm not going to waste anyone's time here. Let's get right to the ONLY thing on today's agenda. You all know what that is, right?" Everyone in the room nods, confirming that they are all up to date and completely understand the subject and details of this emergency [...]
Jimmy makes a few, last-second adjustments to his rig and scans the courtyard. Looking for cops. This is his favorite part of a run. That micro-moment in time when he must decide to either commit, and hit that Nurf full on... or bail. He lives for the thrill. Knowing he's just about to go beyond [...]
The Danger Zone: “The Danger Zone” is the area in which all production in Nurfworld takes place. It is completely automated and surrounds the entire structure, acting as a buffer between it’s inhabitants and the world outside. Actually, all of the inhabitants of Nurfworld now think that The Danger Zone IS the world outside. Since [...]
The power of the insurance industry has grown to where all of humanity is under it’s control. All individuals are thus required to give up their autonomy in return for the guarantee of total safety. To facilitate this, the population is rounded up and resettled into a vast enclosed structure, the interior of which is [...]