The Resident (part nineteen)

      Chapter Three Tithonians           (part nineteen)     I simplify. I don’t want to create an odd picture, of someone’s knocking at a kitchen door, offering treats… The first time machine was a tunnel, small and short, between functional ends. These were globe-shaped, one each in adjacent rooms. […]

The Resident (part eighteen)

      Chapter Three Tithonians           (part eighteen)     The example always used is a vinyl record. You know what that is. [Nods.] Students of some eras need props. [Wissary, to this possible laugh line, issued a modest hur uh. Then linked his hands and looked at them.] Right. […]

The Resident (part seventeen)

      Chapter Three Tithonians           (part seventeen)     They sat, faces blue in the faintness of a battery lantern, Gemma’s. “Why, again, is this a good spot for our talk?” Debra said. “I don’t doubt you. You’re a lister and a PhD, and I’m only…” “I know Aura […]

The Resident (part sixteen)

      Chapter Three Tithonians           (part sixteen)     Into their silence stole cautious movements. A pair of eyes, and another, crossed the road…by the billboard’s glow becoming deer. Debra and Wissary sighed half-oh’s, cut short by the lead deer’s bark. The animals sprang; headlights flared, and through a […]

The Resident (part fifteen)

      Chapter Three Tithonians           (part fifteen)     “Here. I’ve got plenty. I can go full body if I have to…” Debra unfurled mosquito netting. “Snug up, Wiss. I know you’re gay.” “Am I?” Des would know, keeping track as he did. The thought was saddening. But Wissary […]

The Resident (part fourteen)

      Chapter Two An Anniversary Party (cont’d)         (part fourteen)     “Is that you, squirming again?” Wissary patted a shoulder. “Sleep, Des.” Desander sat up. “How many of those drinks did you have?” “I suppose you mean to ask, since I bought exactly two, did I drink them both? […]

The Resident (part thirteen)

      Chapter Two An Anniversary Party (cont’d)         (part thirteen)     Wissary pulled to Aura’s rear bumper. He pushed the engine button— The car chimed in discontent. He took a foot off the brake, peering for a dashboard clue; the car at last mentioned that it preferred the brake […]

The Resident (part twelve)

      Chapter Two An Anniversary Party         (part twelve)     A door swung open to the passage, the sliver of wet-looking concrete between garage and house. A man stepped out, flung into a stride, noticed himself watched, skidded on a paver, wobbled upright. “Oh, hello… Claudie!” “John, that’s Debra, […]

The Resident (part eleven)

Posted by ractrose on 7 Oct 2022 in Fiction, Novellas

      Chapter Two An Anniversary Party         (part eleven)     “So a hangar, a fueling station, mechanic’s shop. And some kind of lounge, case of thunderstorms, guests have to wait for a car. But no tower. Still, with the idea of mapping out space for one…” Debra squatted. She […]

The Resident (part ten)

      Chapter Two An Anniversary Party (part ten)     Wissary’s tenterhooks helped obscure Desander’s own. A hundred things seemed to need organizing, for a party with four guests. “No, we’ve got to have Jennifer. Would Gemma come?” “Call Aura, Wiss, and find out if she can bring her friend. No, Gemma won’t.” […]