There’s a thin line between science-fiction and simply fiction, and that line moves every time we develop new technologies. Technologies that seemed futuristic fifty years ago — or sometimes ten years ago — are commonplace today. The inclusion of a super-powerful, pocket computer with GPS and video communication no longer means a story is science-fiction; it just means the character has a phone. Continue reading “The Thin, Moving Line of Technology”
Month: January 2016
A Second Enchanted Evening
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in M-BRANE SF #30, February 2012
“You won’t regret this,” repeated in Bomani’s head over and over again as he made the distance from parked car to back alley door. The bulk of the bass speaker bounced with his pace, and he shifted its weight as he neared the coffee bar’s back entrance. Cradling the speaker between his chest and left arm, Bomani used his right arm to grab the door. He pulled hard, and the heavy gray-metal door swung far enough that he got his back to it before it slammed shut again. The door hit hard, square on his back, but this was his last trip, so Bomani didn’t mind. Continue reading “A Second Enchanted Evening”
The Most Complicated Avatar
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Daily Science Fiction, July 2012
It feels strange to me, deep in my stomach, that I can’t find my ten-year-old girl in real life — but that, maybe, I can find her here.
My hand shakes on the computer mouse as I log in to Second World, using one of the default avatars — a woman with straight blonde hair like a plastic shell and the expressionless face of a crash-test-dummy. I try messaging my daughter through the in-game chat window right away, but my message bounces back. I check for her name, “fluttercat,” on the online user list, but it’s not where it should be between “flutter14” and “flutterkid.” My throat constricts with a swallowed sob, but I refuse to believe this tenuous connection to my missing daughter won’t pan out. Maybe she’s set her status to hidden. Continue reading “The Most Complicated Avatar”
Happy New Year!
The start of a new year is often a time for reflecting on the past, thinking over everything that happened in the previous year.
The first story in our next anthology — The Opposite of Memory — asks whether it’s really necessary to reflect on the past. Why not simply forge ahead? Leave the past behind. Maybe even forget it entirely… Forget Me Not was Mary E. Lowd’s first published story, and we’re proud to be able to present it for you here. Continue reading “Happy New Year!”
The Screen Savior
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Bards & Sages Quarterly, Vol. 2, Issue 3, July 2010
Twenty-four bit, RGB color swirled, paisley-like on the sleeping monitor. The psychedelic mass of colors did not sleep like the electronic cradle holding them. The colors bulged. They ballooned out from the center of the monitor. The screensaver pattern pulled away from the physical surface forming a new surface, visible but ethereal. Continue reading “The Screen Savior”
Forget Me Not
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Northwest Passages: A Cascadian Anthology, September 2005
His confidence drew her to him. The gleam in his eye said “I can take on the world,” and she believed it. Here was a man who could not fail. She was fascinated, and her fascination endeared her to him.
Michael introduced them, but neither Joan nor Leland bestowed a second glance on Michael all night. Their eyes and conversation were reserved for each other. Continue reading “Forget Me Not”