Though he doesn’t know it, this is the last night of Billy O’Daly’s life. He sits alone at the bar, as always, nursing a warm whiskey and frowning at his creased newspaper. “Four letter word,” he says to nobody in particular. “Crossed by Charon.” Time passes. Soon, losing focus, he looks up and sees...
Short Stories
After the Rising
“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen,” the Navy Lieutenant said as we sat on the ferry’s open deck. “I need to check everybody. You know that as well as I do.” He wrapped his fingers tight around the safety rail as the ferry rocked beneath him and looked at our pathetic group of survivors. “No...
The Diplomat’s Affair
The Ambassador stared out his cabin’s portal window as the yellow planet he had come to love receded from view. After fifteen years, he hadn’t expected it to end like this. Was it still exile if the destination was home? Right now, it certainly felt like it. He leaned forward, resting his head against...