Stuff to Read
SF writer and blogger extraordinaire John Scalzi had a contest on his blog Whatever to win an advance copy of his new book Zoe’s Tale (which is set in the universe of his phenomenal Old Man’s War.)
We were tasked with revealing what really happened on August 19, 1994.
I sent two entries and was one of the runner-ups. I won a signed book, so my joy is full. (I got a signed book by Simon Winchester yesterday, so this is the week of people writing on my books. I’m going to see Neil Gaiman speak at M.I.T. on Friday, but I don’t think he is signing any books. I’ll just dream that he did.)
You could call them flash fiction if you want. Microfictions, perhaps. Teensy weensy short stories. Three Sentences in Search of an Author. Hell, you can call them tuna fish sandwiches if it gets you through the day.
Here they are:
Ah, that was the day that, in a fit of pique, Jonas the Alphabet Man struck the letter “K” from our racial memory. He giggled like a schoolgirl for a few minutes. Then he put it back.
That morning my son held his breath and stomped around because we wouldn’t buy him a pony. We tried to get him to breathe, but he was stubborn, just like his dear old dad.
We buried him a few days later.
Then we bought a pony.
(If you feel compelled to tattoo them onto your living flesh, feel free. Creative Commons and self mutilation go hand in hand in my book.)