Author: Todd
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Survivors
Survivors of the last war were gathered in a small circle to discuss their luck. Each argued his or her case. Each claimed to be innocent victims of an inevitable systemic breakdown, but bargained for their share of guilt. Each told their side of the story and was accused of lying to the others. Regretting…
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Conception
At the time of her conception she was floating on a ship in the arctic waters. Her parents had consumed far too much champagne the night of their fiftieth anniversary party and they let this tidbit of information slip out about their amorous meeting on a cruise to Alaska. It happened so unexpectedly, innocently, they…
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Transition
Once, actually several times, I was stranded in a place where people came and went. They never stayed for long. They had schedules. They had arriving and departing flights. They traveled with changes of clothing and currency to exchange. They often appeared lost and tired and in need of direction. They passed the time listening…
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Wings
She was a child not a pet, and a girl not a toy, but his tormenting bordered on cruelty only man knew how to inflict on another. They first met as children. He pulled her ponytails. He made her laugh until she cried. He called her brain dead, vegetable head, along with all the other…
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Listening
The soothing spirit speaks. Mystical in its silence. In the whispering water. The rustling of leaves. Layers of brightness wash across the dawn. An unfolding flower, the mind begins to yawn. The inside venturing out. Like a seed bulging beyond itself. Becoming the dream of whatever being. Tiny wings pulsing. Fluttering. Lighter than love. Free.
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Pandora
Excerpt from the novel Exploits of the Satyr “What about Pandora?” said Slater. Cy roared drunkenly, “What about the pretty damsel? I would have liked to have made her! Ha—I did! She was a gift from Zeus! To punish man for stealing his fire! He—” CyBorg9 hiccuped, then sputtered into silence. Slater expressed concern. “Cy,…
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Prophecy
The poet had gone insane. Ingesting a chemical substance believed by pundits of religious esoterica to be the forbidden route to God. Discovered near a dead sea were scrolls of his work written under the influence with his senses heightened and deranged, was how they came to be. Found in a vision – picture this…
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Prayer
At the edge of a cliff lived a man who sang praises to the wind. What kept him alive was the desire to reach the ultimate dream of perfection which he hoped he might someday achieve. In a house built of stone and wood he prayed for answers while awaiting guidance in the colors of…
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Omniscience
On route to experience the paranormal, I walked for days through a downpour of incessant wind and rain, climbing out of the storm by traversing the face of a cliff to its uppermost ridge. I found myself standing at the rim of a dormant volcano, an island high above an ocean of clouds. I was…