Chance also plays a role in “The Numbers Game” by Michael Aaron. This starts off like stereotypical sword-and-sorcery, but there’s an unusual reason that everything seems to fall into place just so. Even our Classic Flash starts off with a bet, and although that’s not the point of the story, the ending left me saying, […]
“Fell Sorcerer, your evil reign is at an end!” Sathrus said. He flicked his long blonde hair to one side and raised the Sword of Khandalon above his head, rippling muscles ready to strike the fatal blow. “As sole heir to the ancient line of Khandar, I shall take my rightful place as King, and […]
Bruce has a related column about prose poems in our April 2010 issue. You can also read Bruce’s previous column here, or visit his author page to see them all. Any time I begin a discussion of fixed forms, the first such form that I mention is the sonnet. Even if many readers can’t name […]
“Bet you fifty!” “Aw, make it worth while.” “Two hundred!” “You’re on. Let Jack hold the stakes.” “Suits me.” Four hundred dollars was placed in the hands of Jack Strong by the disputatious sports, and he carefully put it away with the lone five-dollar bill of which he was possessed. Jack, although sportily inclined, lacked […]
This story collection is an exemplar for Short-short Sighted #24, “By The Numbers: The Prose Sonnet”. When the guy with the junked-out cars moved into the house two doors down, I said to Glenna, “I don’t understand why someone like that would move into a neighborhood like ours.” But Glenna bought a ham, cut some […]
This story collection is an exemplar for Short-short Sighted #24, “By The Numbers: The Prose Sonnet”. Snow. Ice. Heavy skies. All flights delayed. Morris wished he could smoke. He wished that he could go stand outside. This is what life becomes, he thought, watching ice collect on grounded wings. The career he’d expected to take […]