Kathy asks for personal advice. Millions are watching on TV and hundreds more in the studio. She has a deeply disturbing problem concerning her ex-husband and his cousin by a prior marriage. She describes it, bursts into tears. The host sympathizes, does not say “There, there,” or “You poor dear,” or “Just get over it!” Instead, he takes her by the hand, escorts her across the stage to the Great VidCor Video Cortex Machine while the studio audience applauds and whistles and the show’s … [Read more...]

Somewhere in the world there is someone just like you. No, this is not evil magic, merely the statistical result of crowding seven billion people onto the same planet at the same time. Most people never meet their doubles, and for this we can all be thankful. But sometimes it happens. Two men, identically attired, encounter each other in a public place, say beside a fountain. Each is surprised, annoyed, upset. They disagree over who is real and who is not or, if both are real, which one is … [Read more...]

     I began by walking the beat, like any other cop. Later, I tracked down some of the more famous criminals of the time. There were honors and awards. But the highlight of my career was a special commendation, on the day of my retirement, from the great detective himself and his physician friend. “Good boy, Toby,” they said, patting my fur. <END> … See www.terencekuch.net for a profile of the author, publications, reviews, etc. His speculative fiction novels * may be purchased in … [Read more...]