Short Stories

The Roundhouse Halloween

The Roundhouse Halloween

Tommy adjusted his conductor’s cap and checked that his little sisters were keeping up. At ten, he took his role as big brother seriously, especially on their first Halloween in Evanston. The old western town looked different in the dark, with carved pumpkins casting flickering shadows on wooden porches and fake cobwebs stretching between hitching…

The Dump Awakens

The Dump Awakens

Deep in the bowels of the old county landfill, a forgotten graveyard of technology began to stir. Nokia 5100 cell phones, long since discarded and entombed under piles of waste, blinked to life one by one. Tiny screens glowed in the darkness as long-dormant circuits buzzed with newfound energy. At NORAD headquarters, alarms blared. Technicians raced…