[A scene from The Seventh Effect (Melange Publishers) – available on Amazon] The motel room wasn’t very clean. That bothered me but it didn’t bother Catspaw at all as she explored the variety of smells, both human and animal in origin. Finally she asked me to tell her a story so she could get to sleep. I lifted her up beside me and told her an edifying yarn about the achievements of a brilliant cat named Snuffy, and how Snuffy lost his chance to become rich and famous because he was … [Read more...]
“The Wannabird” / Memorable Fancies #1498
16 March, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Gussie Goose fancies that she is descended from the ancient dukes of Duck. She learns Duckish. She researches how ancient ducks walked and quacked and she masters, after much effort, the harsh accent, the affected waddle. When she appears in public, dressed in the bejeweled dirndls of ducks, the people think “O what a gorgeous duck!” But all she imagines, in her constant fear, are their nodding winks, their whispers “That’s the ugliest goose I’ve ever seen!” <END> Buy it at … [Read more...]
“The Conteur – II” / Memorable Fancies #1475
22 February, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The conteur, a wandering teller of strange tales, has imagined a new story, a lively yet profound story that is his best yet, one that is sure to make his fortune. But the story escapes from him, and in the next town he visits, the people say they’ve heard it before, and better told at that. The tale precedes its conteur to every town he goes to, ruins his acts, reduces audience gifts to a few pitched pennies. Eventually, the poor man kills himself in despair. But word of that, too, was … [Read more...]
Memorable Fancies 