Ritual
In 3123, teenagers on Mars have a ritual. Bilhee is at the airlock. Her friends are inside, cheering in safety. 30 seconds with no helmet, that’s the challenge. Her glove touches the button & she wonders if she’ll make it.
Jul 15, 2021
Quetzalcoatl
A god called Quetzalcoatl – The Feathered Serpent – was worshipped by the fierce Aztec. The supernatural serpent, plumed in cosmic colours, didn’t seek the blood of sacrifice, like so many others – preferring instead just some nicely cut flowers.
Jul 14, 2021
Gargoyle
Ancient people invented the gargoyle to frighten bad spirits away – terrifying monsters made real to address the ongoing problem of non-physical, formless, soundless, invisible, ineffectual, intangible, imperceptible, unaccounted, vague, scary things.
Jul 13, 2021
The Alliance of Carnival Providers
Bob was eaten by a bear. Suzy fell off the high-wire. The Human Cannonball proposed a union – The Alliance of Carnival Providers. Fire-eaters roared like dragons, the Bearded Lady sang, “Stand Brothers & Sisters!” & angry clowns asked for better conditions.
Jul 12, 2021
Population
The population was out of control. Billions and billions, forming an inescapable stench. The news was crushing – all those lives, all that work – but we had to start again. The yogurt scientist flushed the bacterial sample down the drain.
Jul 11, 2021
Click the Light
Heard bumps in the night
Open my eyes, click the light
That damn ghost again!
Jul 10, 2021
Prey
The beast we seek killed two men and gored a sheep. We hunt this prey by bow, though I would greatly prefer a musket. Ezekiel pulled back a tree branch and the devilish, one-horned horse-creature was there, waiting for us.
Jul 9, 2021
Abandoned
I chase Martians. Made an accidental discovery when I found one by moonlight in an abandoned station wagon. It had tried to find safety, time to heal – but I lasered it, burning it there and then.
Jul 9, 2021
Beach
There’s a beach on Titan. Hydrocarbon waves wash over granulated cryogenic condensates. The sky is orange & hides all the other moons, stars, and Saturn. I’d like to build a cabin there, with bricks of primordial ice – a place I can stay and do what I like.
Jul 8, 2021
Therapy
The men in white come closer. “I don’t need therapy!” shouts the sculptor. “Just give me my chisel, and a decent block of marble.”
Jul 7, 2021
