short stories, programming, adventures abroad and more. enjoy!

article image

evolving actaeon
16 july 2014 | short story
Wanted to quickly turn an idea that came up during a conversation into a short story. Touches on ideas of genetic engineering and cockfight[...]ing.

an exhaustive search for the truth
18 april 2014 | short story
The project had started out with a simple question: would it be faster to assemble complete knowledge about all truths past, present, and f[...]uture through scientific inquiry or via brute force computation?

excess humanity
26 october 2013 | short story
The point was nearing when humanity needed to optimize the population. And so the question arose: how many humans do we need?[...]

the human abstraction
06 october 2013 | short story
How much effort would you expend to abstract man?[...]

gantis: toward the edge
28 june 2013 | short story
The first in a series of short stories exploring a universe in which our negative space (i.e. space) is turned into their positive space (i[...].e. matter) and vice-versa. Thus, it is like the entire universe is a series of caves that they must excavate. This story introduces a few key characters, explore a bit of the lore, and is an attempt by me to write a story in which a clearer light is shone on a relationship between two characters. More to come, enjoy!

¿qué es la calle?
24 may 2013 | short story | spanish
Había terminado y salé para mi cocina. Tenía hambre pero este día no había comida dentro de mi despensa. Me fui y caminé hacienda[...] la Tport—una máquina que puede transportar una persona a otro lugar sin energía y tiempo. Cuando entré la máquina, toqué algunos botónes y esperé. Pero nada ocurrió y lo hice las mismas acciones otra vez—y nada ocurrió.

How would the disappearance of streets affect the social fabric? This short story briefly (in castellano!) explores a world in which instantaneous, free transport is possible. Meant mainly to practice my spanish, i plan to follow-up with a more detail story in the future.

sharing minds
26 march 2013 | short story
We had just met and she knew everything about me: where I'd come from, job, favorite books, hideaway where I went to think, special Sun[...]day bike routes, time of day I woke and slept, first time abroad, family members' names, secret hobbies, wants, desires, people I abhorred, my first love...everything.

What if you could access all of another's memory? What would you do?

freedom in a dying world
01 december 2012 | short story
Flash, crackle, bang. Pit-pat, pit-pat, pit-pat. The flare skidded down the long, narrow tunnel that appeared to stretch downward forev[...]er. Another corridor, if you want to call the passages in this labyrinth of a make-shift cave that, ran to our right. Behind us, a sliver of light, flickering on and off, spilling in from the opening from whence we came. We all gave each other the look-n-nod, donned our breathing masks then proceeded to attach the hooks and ropes. Minutes later, one by one, we rappelled down into the abyss below...

when darkness falls
18 september 2012 | short story
"You can't prove other stars exist!" We lived in fear. Those in the past cannot understand this fear. Swirling un[...]der the sea of anxiety is hatred, a deep abhorrence for the past and all it held. I skittered along the barren floor, my features obscure and hidden by the dearth of light. A hundred, thousand, countless years ago there was light, said the old text. But none was to be found. They warned of a time when no 'stars' would twinkle in the sky, but they were wrong. There were never stars.

What happens when the universe changes, forever hiding information about its past.

who needs oxygen?
31 august 2012 | short story
We have entered into unknown territory, the nebula around us swirls with shades of pink, purple and orange and the light of stars long[...] dead. It is a breathtaking sight. There are several young stars drifting through the ether that flare and burn the sky. It has been two years since our last encounter with a solid planet and some of the crew was starting to lose it. Luckily for us, we'd been given some ridiculous suits.

A tale that examines that pressing question of all explorers: How far would you go, and what would you sacrifice, for knowledge?

flesh and blood
22 august 2012 | short story
Like many people, I was programmed to like my job, least I grow bored or suicidal. But this was the future! The biologist were supposed[...] to engineer out man's desires and policy makers slowly outlaw this barbaric practice. But it is hardly surprising that didn't happen.

A story about the future of prostitution.

killing time
27 july 2012 | short story
I killed Time. And now I stand trial for my crimes. A short story about laziness and the pitfalls of language.[...]

weatherman's god
10 july 2012 | short story
"You know Harry, I don't understand this God." "What about him Bob?" "He went through all the trouble of creating lif[...]e, only to make it mortal."
"Yes, and...?"
"Well, why did he go through all the trouble of making us, if only to let us die. Seems like a waste."
"There's a lot of waste in the world Bob, this ain't no different."
"No, but think about it. He's omnipresent, no? He sees and knows all. Past, present and future. The whole shebang. But he can't make us immortal?"
"Maybe he can't. Or doesn't want to. That ever cross ya mind?"

A short story about God.

short story collection
24 june 2012 | short story
The short stories that I have written will now include a link to a pdf containing all the short stories on this website and a couple others[...]. The link will stay the same, I'll just update the file from time-to-time.

countdown to equality
10 june 2012 | short story
It was December 31st, 2089 and I was feeling a bit hungry. The neighbors down the street were throwing a New Year’s p[...]arty; they were a superstitious bunch and assumed all their savings would disappear on New Year’s Day due to a computer glitch. I decided to pitch in, though I’m not the superstitious type, just to show my appreciation. The parties from past years, after all, were quite a hoot.

A look at an extreme take on conservation and were it could take us.

putting the customer first
09 june 2012 | short story
“So, Mr. Paterson, I have heard great things about your business. The earnings reports you gave me look stellar. But there arenâ[...]€™t any real details about what your business does. I couldn’t find specific information on your considerable series A funding. As a series B investor, I would like to know a little more before investing.”

We listen in on a business meeting between the founder of a company and a potential investor. What is the business? Well, that fact may surprise you.

setting the record straight
02 june 2012 | short story
The sun beat down and I raised my hand to cover my eyes. It had been days, weeks, maybe even years. Who knew? I surely didn’t. T[...]he dry sands whipped our faces, blurring our vision and making us believe we saw things. Water, chief among them. Haha, it’s funny how that most abundant always seems to be the end of us. You either drown in it or die from not having it. No one wins. Someone told me that they’d managed to survive a month without water. I don’t believe it, but guess I’m about to find out. We’d seen other things. Silver buildings that rose into the sky, it blinded us and as we got close, a sandstorm would appear and when it was gone, so was the house. It is incredible what you imagine when under stress…

A return to writing short stories, this one focuses on the surreal memories of two hapless 'heroes'...

killer's army
21 december 2009 | short story
The trees flew past us, the wind almost drowning out the roars, hisses, and howls that permeated the area. The gun felt cold in my han[...]d; it weighed me down and got in the way of my agile attempts to slip through the undergrowth. To my left was Marsha, like a sly fox she twisted and turned to avoid everything Nature did to obstruct her path. To my right was Judy, her movements labored owing to the gash running down the side of her leg. It oozed green and yellow puss—we may have to kill her before she turns. The twigs and branches continued to rip through my clothes and skin, yet it was nothing compared to the terror that drove us forward. The howls grew louder and the falling of trees could be heard behind us.

Perhaps the pinnacle of my horror stories, it is a relentless, fast-paced tale of zombies, an accident in the making and a mysterious man. There are two independent stories being told, but drawing the link makes everything much more satisfying.

humanity's gold
20 november 2009 | short story
Captain’s Log 1.25.2838 My eyes watered at the sight. We had finally discovered what we had spent all these years wandering[...] aimlessly for. Shifting and moving, the silvery substance coated the land, its beauty enticing and dicing. There were several who ventured over its smooth surface, dying one by one. Out in the distance could be seen the splendorous pinnacle, atop its peak a mountain of gold. Men still strove for that most holy of materials, still killed and maimed for a chance to hold and possess it; some said that gold had become more than a sign of wealth and power.

Another story that ended up inspiring my book-in-progress Filugori, it is a focus on humanity's lust for something, anything, that will bring him fame and glory. It uses a character more obsessed with the adventure as a counter-backdrop to the drama unfolding around him.

broken
11 november 2009 | short story
“Haha, my brother, how have you been?” “Great. Times are good, money is flowing, bitches crawl all over me—wh[...]at more could a man desire?”
I sat in the corner through blurred vision, watching them hug and chat. Grrrrrrr. There were many things I hated about this house, least of which was the rats. I went to work every day, but that can wait. I got up and was immediately dragged back down. The chains, how could I forget?

Inspired by a series of articles on sexual slavery in Eastern Europe, this is a surreal, sad tale of a girl and her abusers. This took my experimentation with more suspenseful, fear-driven stories to another level. Unfortunately, not all stories have a fairy-tale ending...

filugori
27 december 2008 | short story
The pair looked out across the gorgeous vista, the golden plans below waiting to be harvested, the mountains in the distance yearning [...]to be explored, the hidden structures and stories aching to be discovered. The sky was auburn green; owing to the transition between ecosystems as the planet was terraformed. The suits were itchy, their bright white exterior blinding those foolish enough to stare at them. They reminded him of the astronaut suits they used to see from the late 20th century photos.

Possibly the best short, it focuses on the attack by an unknown entity on an alien city. The fear, anticipation and rapidly switching perspective were an experiment in a new style for me. I think it paid off.

up next!
16 september 2007 | short story
Click I walked down the streets of New York, my skin reflective and my shirt discoloured near the armpits. The subway ticket stil[...]l in my hand almost slipped out and I shoved it into my pocket. My vision blurred for a bit, but my tired body and my sticky hands prevented me from relieving my eyes of the salt and water. My sister walked slightly ahead of me, the clunk of her luggage a soothing melody compared to the rancor the rest of the city seemed to have for my ears.

A slightly fictional look at several events in my life with a story style reminiscent of watching TV.

death takes no bribes
27 august 2007 | short story
The ball whizzed past the net and bounced on the very edge of the service box. I reached out with Herculean effort to hit the ball as [...]it tried to curve away from me. Relief! My return sped towards the middle of the court, only to see him already at the net, Apollo at his back. He sliced the ball to my forehand, I rushed and managed to get to the ball, and turned, waiting for the succeeding surge of energy to do battle with against this unstoppable foe.

A mythical take on a tennis match that I had during high school. Part of a "Kernal Writing" assignment in my high school writing class.

55 fiction
02 march 2006 | short story
Collection of three short pieces of fiction that contain only fifty-five words. They are all play on words.[...]
©2006-2024 | Site created & coded by Biafra Ahanonu | Updated 17 April 2024
biafra ahanonu