One of the presentations I had to give during my stay in Barcelona. Detailed some of the progress made in characterizing the response of di[...]fferent Drosophila species to a set of odors.

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.

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.

“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...

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.

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.

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.

Collection of three short pieces of fiction that contain only fifty-five words. They are all play on words.[...]