Mr. Prosser’s Appointment written by GX Barnett Instagram: @thegodsendfromgravesend This would be Mr. Prosser’s 981st doctor’s visit since the accident which, in a normal lifetime, would have seemed like far too many. Luckily for the now 388-year-old Arnold Prosser, these visits are now more akin to “tune-ups” than they are matters of life and death. As the first human to receive the combination of an artificial heart, cybernetic eye, pneumatic jaw, and prosthetic lung from one 43-hour surgery, he was world renown as a modern marvel. All the subsequent experimental upgrades since then have anointed him a savior to millions. It has been the only positive that came from the accident that had killed his beloved wife. “A pleasure to see you again,...
A Bunch of People written by J. T. M. Sharp Instagram: @jtmsharp To say "this world is alive" is true in at least three different senses. First, I am alive and I am part of this world. Thus, at least some subset of the world is alive. That's the trivial sense that is always true by definition. Second, qualities pervade the world, and with them a kind of primitive consciousness, down to the smallest particle. If you want to call that alive, call it alive. I do, though some people have a problem with it. It's fun to think about--but still, this sense is not the one to which I refer. My keister is currently parked on a small planet in the constellation...
The Hoarfrost Eater of Ygrling-3written by J. T. M. Sharp Instagram: @jtmsharp The hoarfrost-eater of Ygrling-3 is well-known to scientists as unique among living species, but a casual observer would be forgiven for overlooking the tiny, inconspicuous insectoid. On cold mornings in the high latitudes, the hoarfrost-eater feasts upon solidified condensation, which adorns every blade of grass and leaf of low-huddled bush on this soggy world. Hence its name, given to it by the first adventurers to explore the lightweight Ygrling-3, an oasis of liquid water, sufficient warmth, and life in a sector otherwise held to be trackless waste. Little did they know how important it would later become to galactic commerce in those heady frontier days! The metabolism...
Robot Legswritten by Bobby Alverson instagram: @jetpack_bob “Look Tommy, I already said NO, and no means no mister.” Mrs. Johnson shook her finger at him with a frustrated look on her face. “Why don’t you go play in that fancy video game room we bought you for Christmas, you know, with the virtual reality thingy, or whatever?” She flicked her hand in the air a few times as if she were shooing away a fly. “It’s called a Simulation Cube mom,” said Tommy. “And without the new expansion pack it’s boring. I’ve already played every possible scenario imaginable.” Tommy’s shoulders shrugged as he slumped down on his bed. “I want robotic legs…” his voice trailed off and his face pouted....
Mount Dark written by Leon De La Garza. instagram: @leon945 A path unwinds in the midst of an endless pine forest. It is yet unknown how tall the trees can get, with their tip swaying beyond where eyes can see. Men hollow out the largest trunks and make their homes within them. The path leads to a mountain top, hidden now to the children and the men who walk it. Around them, the bark of the pine trees seems a labyrinth with no exit, and the black insects that feed on the leaves emit an acrid, acid smell. It stings their eyes and noses and the children weep without crying. The elderly are blind and the younger men guide them. The women...
