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The cheque said “AMOUNT: two dollars and forty cents BEING FOR: classified ad”, rounded block letters in green ink amid the printed prompts. My mother never wrote cursive. “Thanks Mum“ I said, “I’ll pay you back from my paper round money on Saturday”
“No need” she said, “I’m going out; if you have the ad ready I’ll post it for you.”
I folded the cheque and the form I’d clipped from the newspaper. It had been tricky writing on the newsprint with a pen “HOME COMPUTER Amstrad CPC6128 with monitor, printer and external 5.25 inch drive. Original software plus over 30 games. $425. Ph 551806”.
“No need” she said, “I’m going out; if you have the ad ready I’ll post it for you.”
I folded the cheque and the form I’d clipped from the newspaper. It had been tricky writing on the newsprint with a pen “HOME COMPUTER Amstrad CPC6128 with monitor, printer and external 5.25 inch drive. Original software plus over 30 games. $425. Ph 551806”.
You might think working a phone repair kiosk is a waste of my skills. Yeah nah.
Today, this kid came in with an iPhone that was more than cracked, it was banana-fied.
“What happened?” I asked, turning the wreckage over in my hands. I don’t think there was a single salvageable part. “And have you considered just upgrading?”
“My novel’s on there”, the kid said, wringing his hands anxiously. “It got ran over by a hauler bot.”
“Got a backup?”. The tears in the kid’s eyes were all the answer he needed to give. “Okay, event rebasing is the only way to fix this”, I gestured at the price board, “can you afford that?”
He gulped. “Uh, just.”
Today, this kid came in with an iPhone that was more than cracked, it was banana-fied.
“What happened?” I asked, turning the wreckage over in my hands. I don’t think there was a single salvageable part. “And have you considered just upgrading?”
“My novel’s on there”, the kid said, wringing his hands anxiously. “It got ran over by a hauler bot.”
“Got a backup?”. The tears in the kid’s eyes were all the answer he needed to give. “Okay, event rebasing is the only way to fix this”, I gestured at the price board, “can you afford that?”
He gulped. “Uh, just.”
When the signal came, there was nothing subtle about it: every radio telescope on the planet redlined. First primes, then simple arithmetic, then basic vocabulary, each burst richer than the one before.
Whisperbox
Found in the crypt of a Belgian family with no heirs, this mysterious object introduces a previously unknown form of divination technique, and perhaps something more.
The crypt belonged to a secluded family sect known as the Deferots. Among the local countryside youth, the urban myth tells that the place is exceptionally haunted on an already possessed cemetery. They often dare each other to enter during the night. So it happened that a group of teenagers descended and found the box among the coffins and allegedly saved it from enormous rats chewing on it. They took the box as evidence of their bravery and word got out, eventually into the ears of our investigators. We bargained for the box, which wasn't difficult as its new owners were quite fearful of it.
Found in the crypt of a Belgian family with no heirs, this mysterious object introduces a previously unknown form of divination technique, and perhaps something more.
The crypt belonged to a secluded family sect known as the Deferots. Among the local countryside youth, the urban myth tells that the place is exceptionally haunted on an already possessed cemetery. They often dare each other to enter during the night. So it happened that a group of teenagers descended and found the box among the coffins and allegedly saved it from enormous rats chewing on it. They took the box as evidence of their bravery and word got out, eventually into the ears of our investigators. We bargained for the box, which wasn't difficult as its new owners were quite fearful of it.
She was a repair technician, ...
Drucilla's Horrid Hobby
Drucilla Alexandra Fenworth-Covington was a disappointment, a source of great frustration to her parents and siblings alike, and a delicious monster. The family couldn't understand or relate to Drucilla, and lived in a constant state of trepidation regarding family gatherings and public functions. When dainty footwear and tailored outfits of linen were required, Drucilla might arrive in black shiny knee-high punk goth boots, torn fishnet stockings, and a dress perhaps best described as an industrial explosion of black lace, taffeta, and faux-patent leather. Where her twin sisters wore understated pearl necklaces, light lipstick and imperceptible blush, Drucilla was likely to wear a wide stainless-steel choker with a ring, black shiny lipstick, and a piecing in her nose. It was very unsettling at best, and nobody in her family knew what to do about her.
Drucilla Alexandra Fenworth-Covington was a disappointment, a source of great frustration to her parents and siblings alike, and a delicious monster. The family couldn't understand or relate to Drucilla, and lived in a constant state of trepidation regarding family gatherings and public functions. When dainty footwear and tailored outfits of linen were required, Drucilla might arrive in black shiny knee-high punk goth boots, torn fishnet stockings, and a dress perhaps best described as an industrial explosion of black lace, taffeta, and faux-patent leather. Where her twin sisters wore understated pearl necklaces, light lipstick and imperceptible blush, Drucilla was likely to wear a wide stainless-steel choker with a ring, black shiny lipstick, and a piecing in her nose. It was very unsettling at best, and nobody in her family knew what to do about her.
By entering the galactic scene by beating an Ikk'ii invasion, humans became known as fearsome warriors.
My 6 word horror story.
I'm sorry cancer ...
The adventure party all stared at the cute half-orc magical girl, with blue hair in twin tails.
"Well, aren't you just adorable?" Anika said.
"I'm sorry we got you transformed into a girl," said Kaylitha.
"Well, aren't you just adorable?" Anika said.
"I'm sorry we got you transformed into a girl," said Kaylitha.
The patron
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The alien came to the library again, shortly before closing time, and quickly found a book.
"May this entity borrow The Complete History of Knitting?"
They always return the book they borrow after five minutes, but the ritual of checking it out seems important to them.
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The alien came to the library again, shortly before closing time, and quickly found a book.
"May this entity borrow The Complete History of Knitting?"
They always return the book they borrow after five minutes, but the ritual of checking it out seems important to them.
The knight's lance was broken, his armour split, his blood pooling under him.
"You failed," the dragon sneered. "There'll be no tales teaching children dragons can be slain."
"You failed," the dragon sneered. "There'll be no tales teaching children dragons can be slain."
Folklore read live!
The Working Class hero of magic Pumphut returns!
He will best those that swindle him.
The Working Class hero of magic Pumphut returns!
He will best those that swindle him.
2BR02B is a science fiction short story by Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in the pulp digest magazine Worlds of If Science Fiction, January 1962. The title is pronounced "2 B R naught 2 B" and refers to the telephone number one dials to schedule an assisted suicide with the Federal Bureau of Termination. The
"We got pants last year," Vera whined, "And shoes!"
"You're about to grow out of them," her parent reminded, "We still need to get you new books, pens, replace your backpack..."
Vera slumped, a little guilty about the backpack; it was meant to last her through to college, "Can I still get a new pendant?"
"You're about to grow out of them," her parent reminded, "We still need to get you new books, pens, replace your backpack..."
Vera slumped, a little guilty about the backpack; it was meant to last her through to college, "Can I still get a new pendant?"
Change of Life
by K. Tempest Bradford
It all started because I wanted a pet. All of us younger kids did. But Mom always said that there wasn’t room for any pets cuz there were so many kids. She had a point, I guess. There were nine of us. But then David, my oldest brother, left home when he was only seventeen and a half to join the Peace Corps. Mom cried for three days straight. Dad said it was only because she was going through the Change of Life.
The day after she stopped crying there was a bunny in the living room. No cage, just a bunny. I guess Dad bought him hoping it would cheer Mom up–and it did. She sat on the couch holding the bunny for hours and told us all that we had a new family member: David the bunny. Katherine, my oldest sister, said that Mom named it David out of a sense of displacement or some other big word she liked to use just because she wanted to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist or some kind of person who messes with your head.
I wasn’t impressed. I wanted a dog.
by K. Tempest Bradford
It all started because I wanted a pet. All of us younger kids did. But Mom always said that there wasn’t room for any pets cuz there were so many kids. She had a point, I guess. There were nine of us. But then David, my oldest brother, left home when he was only seventeen and a half to join the Peace Corps. Mom cried for three days straight. Dad said it was only because she was going through the Change of Life.
The day after she stopped crying there was a bunny in the living room. No cage, just a bunny. I guess Dad bought him hoping it would cheer Mom up–and it did. She sat on the couch holding the bunny for hours and told us all that we had a new family member: David the bunny. Katherine, my oldest sister, said that Mom named it David out of a sense of displacement or some other big word she liked to use just because she wanted to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist or some kind of person who messes with your head.
I wasn’t impressed. I wanted a dog.
‘What do you wish?’ whispered the well.
The girl hesitated. A hundred wishes sprang to her lips: food, shelter, friends. Friends! But there was something sad about the well. She didn’t want it to be sad.
‘Who are you?’
The girl hesitated. A hundred wishes sprang to her lips: food, shelter, friends. Friends! But there was something sad about the well. She didn’t want it to be sad.
‘Who are you?’
Three-Lobed Burning Eye (3LBE) is an online magazine of speculative fiction, bringing you stories of horror, wonder, and the weird. 3LBE launched in 1999, and has published authors Laird Barron, Gemma Files, Kelly Barnhill, Mari Ness, Kristi DeMeester, Gwendolyn Kiste, Cody Goodfellow, Nadia Bulkin, and Kealan Patrick Burke, among others. Each issue features four short stories. Beginning with issue 20, we offer audio readings, ebook formats, and online (responsive) format for mobile devices.
Our publishing schedule is thrice yearly, with a print anthology every other year.
All issues of the magazine are free online. Please consider different ways to support our publication and its authors, by donating and spreading the word. We also offer advertising opportunities.
3LBE Editor-in-Chief: Andrew S. Fuller.
Our publishing schedule is thrice yearly, with a print anthology every other year.
All issues of the magazine are free online. Please consider different ways to support our publication and its authors, by donating and spreading the word. We also offer advertising opportunities.
3LBE Editor-in-Chief: Andrew S. Fuller.
Story magic is power magic.
The unreal becomes real.
Words and images give form to all that can be imagined.
The unreal becomes real.
Words and images give form to all that can be imagined.
My phone rang and I snapped. I had just got the class’s attention! I finally got them to look up from their screens, ready to explain how many kids had died to get the cobalt for their damned precious phones.