Quantum Muse - Alternative Stories Archives

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Alternative Stories Archive

The last six months of stories are posted for your reading pleasure.
| July 2006 | August 2006 | September 2006 | November 2006 | January 2007 |

What A Rubbard Does by Jan Frode M. Lunde, July 2006

You ever had that feeling something's breathing down your neck? I get that a lot. Goes with the business.

The business of Jittery Detectives, Inc.

You're probably wondering about the name.

SF's Fabled New Wave Considered as a Barnstorming Basketball Team by Robert Friedman, July 2006

-Well, the excitement level is high here tonight in San Francisco, folks.

-Yes, it sure is. Leave it to those wild, wild visitors from the black reaches of space to create an event like this one.

-Can't argue with you there, buddy. Let's explain to the vast intergalactic audience what we're talking about, though.

-That's right. Here's the deal: this is a special night. An exciting night. Tonight the greats of SF's New Wave will be going head-to-head with some of basketball's toughest competitors.

Immortality and Crackers by P. David Benjamin, August 2006

Aside from can openers, memories have been regarded as the singular most useful thing in the universe- and the cruelest (can openers also have a cruel side, but only when it comes to other small household appliances). The particular set of memories that rushed across the crevassed surface of Harold Brook’s brain where of the latter.

Morning Star View by Daniel B. Young, August 2006

I am the Very Reverend Henry James. At one time that was just a title. Now it is a statement of fact.

I was suffering a major crisis of faith last year. My beloved Ellen had passed on after a long, painful bout with cancer. Our son John, reacting in grief, had fallen in with bad companions. He had been arrested with them and was facing prosecution for narcotics possession. I was struggling with the grief and anger we are all prey to. I had seen so many good people struggle and suffer, while those infested with evil seemed to prosper without any effort. Now that it had come to my own home, I too was overwhelmed and had begun to doubt my faith. Had I deluded myself in my choice of avocation? Was there really a God who cared about us? I was seriously considering leaving the church.

Scavengers by Leigh Adamkiewicz, September 2006

Alicia wasn’t the best friend I had, but she knew how to talk to people.

I had seen her get out of parking tickets, jury duty… things you were supposed to accept and give it up. Not Alicia, though. Alicia always knew how to get her way.

Bureau of Second Chances by Pat L. Sherrod, September 2006

"How may I help you?" asked the receptionist.

I looked into the dull eyes of a middle-aged woman who wore glasses suspended from a chain hanging on her neck. A cigarette dangled from her lips, which were smeared with bright red lipstick. When I didn't answer immediately, she repeated the question in a strident tone.

"Do you have an appointment sir?"

"Yes. Yes." I stammered. I have an appointment with the Restoration Counselor."

Lights and Legs by John Neal, November 2006

"I can't feel my legs."

The doctor scribbled on his clipboard and checked his watch and the various monitors.

"You're a lucky man, Mr. McLeod."

The Wandering Muse by Michael A. Kay, November 2006

“I am having the most terrible of troubles with my writings, you know, doctor.”

Dr. Leopold Fieklegrubber peered across his desk, his close-set eyes blinking rapidly as his short, plump fingers formed themselves into a steeple, as if of their own accord. His visitor, the well renowned gentleman author Siegfried Aftagut, looked back, calmly, and adjusted his spectacles with a nonchalant forefinger.

“Can you help me, doctor?”

Manny and Herb Save the World by Kori Henning, January 2007

The bastard was late.

“Fuck it.” Manny removed a silver flask from the inside pocket of his duster. He unscrewed the cap and poured a healthy dollop of Kentucky’s finest into a cup half filled with cold coffee. No one could be expected to drink the shit straight. It smelled like cat piss.

Behind him, Manny heard a little girl titter. “Mommy, that man said a bad word.”

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