I hope this story doesn't turn anyone off the idea of internet dating, since that really isn't my intent. It will, perhaps, serve as a warning of what can happen when hooking up with people out of the blue. I'll refrain from getting into the specifics of the site itself, since it's relatively well known if you've spent any time at all online, and I don't wan...
Poe was not a typical young man. It wasn't that he was outlandish in any obvious way. In fact, with his short dark hair and lean physique, he looked both reasonably attractive and intelligent. Attending classes at the local downtown college, his only vice, on casual observation, was a tendency towards dark clothing and social isolation. When he wasn't takin...
It is typical in these sorts of confessional stories to change names to protect the innocent, but in this case the concept of 'innocence' barely applies. That said, I will refer to my friend here as Sweet. If you're old enough to remember the singer Matthew Sweet, then hopefully it won't seem too odd to call him that. I think the gender ambiguity of that nam...
At this point in the evening, I was still pleasantly damp from my shower, a towel draped across my shoulders. Wandering back into the living room, I had my eyes fixed on the plain black box that sat within the cabinet. The glowing blue letters of Sony were emblazoned on the front, the red 'ready' light blinking away as it responded to it's connection to the...
It was partway through lunch period when Matthew heard about Sarah's problem. Until then all Matthew knew about her was that she was Sal's girlfriend for a short time two years ago, was active in the phys-ed department, and pretty much kept to herself. "I don't know, it's just really silly," Sal was saying as they walked down the hall. "From what the other...
The commission came from the highest court; no less than that of the king himself. This naturally should have and would have impressed nearly everyone, and been obeyed without question. The warlock Aghnman, however, was not an average citizen. Little known, but highly respected (and feared), it was generally agreed that the man answered to powers other than...
v.0 - Bootup The very idea was, undeniably, juvenile. It was also irresistibly compelling. Ever since the first generation of virtual entertainment, then called by the more prosaic term 'video games', there had been various kinds of code-hacking -and a definite fascination with T&A. From Lara Croft 'nude codes' to naked skins for The Sims, there were people...
The prologue of this tale is both short and fragmented, like the recollections of a terrible dream. A bargain made under cover of night, a peasant couple exchange their first-born daughter for their very survival. In those grim times, such a trade is not completely unheard of. But, the creature who had caught the husband thieving in her garden was no ordinar...
It was her fate to be recycled. She only understood that, being part of the estate of her deceased mistress, it had been decided to have her sold off for reconditioning. She didn't know exactly what that meant, but she did realize that after thirteen years of activation, and a nearly unwavering routine of service, everything was going to change. The Recycl...
It was hard to find any place of safety during the attack, but my girlfriend and I drove to the edge of the city, finding a long metallic jetty from which to observe the mayhem. The object of the assault was the Pacific Base, which could be seen in flames at this point, but just about the entire city was being shelled. Sitting on the hood of the car, we rema...