Tag: death

Iter, 1/x

This will be the 11th and last addition to my 19th book, another short story collexion. It, unfortunately, again deals with death. And how the spouse of that person deals with their death. I again apologize for all these depressing stories, and will try to do something much more fun and entertaining, next.

All demi-humans have longer lifespans. Those who have lived in close physical proximity (which Laszlo has not) to Henge Hartmann even more so. But they still die and are smart enough to not deny that and thus can make plans for it. As an android, Minerva (please be polite when reading and pronounce it in your head correctly: mee-nur-wa) is effectively immortal. As a Model 12, she has living skin, which she feeds via something like a TPN every three days, which was replaced about fifty years ago.

Iter will be wall-to-wall grief and politics. If that’s not your thing, I’ll be back, later. Otherwise, here we go…

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Starry Sky, 4/end

As I mentioned in the lead in to segment 3, we get into the weeds of some Catholic theology here. However, all of my stories are just about the relationships between people, especially families. So, here, we have a kind of reconciliation between Caillie Pratt (Hartmann) and Clive Barrett, with a call-out to his work in Crosses & Doublecrosses.

A kind-of beta reader thought the last bit was a little too joyous. I overruled her; what is more joyous that knowing you made it? Or, for the long-dead head of both branches of your family to know you made it? Anyway, it is what it is.

Oddly, the next short I’ve in mind is also a kind of purgatorial story. Not sure why I have that rattling about my head these days. I hope to start rolling it out by Wednesday. Thanks for reading.

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Starry Sky, 3/x

This took a turn I was not expecting. I wrote all the way to a conclusion, which shall be out in a day or two, and in the process edited out what would have been the opening of this segment. Fed up, Caillie decides to crawl back to her SUV; in the desert, in the dark. Barrett produces a flashlight and shines it down the path she climbed up. The reflective eyes of a mountain lion looked back at them. “The only reason he has not eaten you is he can just make out that I’m here. That has him spooked enough to keep a distance. “Did you – you – really just say ‘spooked’?”

So, instead, things will take a turn for the religious; I mean, the woman is dead, after all. The Four Last Things are “Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell.” We start down that path now. If that’s not your bag, check back later in the week.

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Starry Sky, 2/x

Wow. This is very, very hard. There’s a reveal at the end of this segment, making it hurt even more, to watch, helplessly, a grandchild die. I do not understand why I am told to tell this story. And we’re only a few hours into the night.

As I mentioned last time, this is something of an emotional trainwreck. Bypass at your choice.

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“The Fallen” 5/11

Another busy day for our hero, getting a bit more and more unsettled by the culture shock of Old Home, as she calls it. Politics continue to play a role and Aurie hints as something of a trial ahead for Allie. I was surprised that slightly chonky Annie from Part Three of Obligations of Rank has put Reina (and yes, that’s her on the cover) into her place; and more than once. Makes me wonder how many kids she and Pavel have now (recall we met part of her first son, Ivan, back in Part 3 of this MS, Tay being their adopted daughter).

I love road stories; it really makes writing so much simpler. The only thing easier are dinner scenes.

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“The Fallen” 5/2

Another reflective segment. No politics as yet. Given that Fussy now knows literally everything Allie recalls from her little adventure, I’d imagine she thinking very hard about what comes next while talking to her husband and this little hero.

I only found out how sad Fussy was, the regrets, on my drive home from DayJob today. As we know from Regent, Aurie possesses a certain bloodlust. It was always just a job for Fussy. And from what they now know from her brother Gary, she realizes that she will outlive her second husband and at least three of her children: humans Callie, Robert, and Julian. Honestly, she might outlive some of her grandchildren. That has to hurt.

With no stemma attached, to be clear, Johnston, as Fussy’s second husband, is step-great-grandfather to Allie. Blood only matters when thinking about the Demi allele.

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“The Fallen” 4/13

May or may not be an update tomorrow, Friday. This was a little hard to get down. Unfortunately for Alicia, it’s about to get harder. I see another Interlude after that, but I don’t think, per my first, they’ll be all the funny anymore.

Burial customs are a cornerstone of all civilizations.

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“The Fallen” 4/12

So much for Zhukov’s walk-on. We’re finding out that it seems Allen has been very lucky for the three years he’s been stuck in this cavern. “There are fouler things than Crabbies in the deep places of the world.”

For a kid, Alicia keeps her wits about her. But then, she’s from a hard family on a hard world.

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“No better friend; no worse enemy”

This is a freebee to all my readers. It is from my short story collection entitled “Empire’s Agent.” The reason I’m tossing it out there is that a fellow Gabber, and a good man, is dying and expressed concern what to tell his grandkids. Thought I could lend a hand.

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