Jerry positioned himself directly behind the stranger. He crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly in place. I’d seen this pose a few times before — our little roadside diner wasn’t immune to the occasional troublemaker. I knew from past experience that Jerry was prepared to act more quickly and decisively then many would […]

Ksenia stood up. She crossed the room to stand by the fire. "I see," she said. "The government of the United States believes that the world is ending. And the two of you share in that belief?" "Well, yes and no," said Keyes, looking to Sergei. "I mean, I don’t think we’re either one convinced […]

“So you’re saying that all these other versions of me, living in all these parallel dimensions, are in some kind of competition with me? Is that the idea?” I look down. My coffee cup is nearly empty. For the third time. Three cups in one sitting is a bit much for me, even when I’m […]

Sybil was surprised when she got up to find breakfast waiting for her. It was getting late by the time she made her appearance, so I left the two of them to have their breakfast in the little nook in the back of the kitchen where we had our family meals. Having already eaten, I […]

As the elevator doors slide closed behind me, I round the corner to observe that the office is quiet — perfectly, blissfully quiet — just as it always is. I love Monday mornings. The 19th floor of the Hamilton Building is a delightful place, a veritable paradise on earth. The ceiling of the main lobby, […]

I got out of bed, trembling. I was soaked with perspiration. I unbuttoned the flannel pajama top and let it fall to the floor. The cabin was chilly. I opened my small closet and looked for something warm. I grabbed a t-shirt and a wool sweater. Putting them on, I headed down the hall. I […]

Ksenia awoke with a start, frightened and confused. She always awoke this way, ever since that terrible night years before. There had been only one exception, one night of undisturbed rest, and it had occurred early on. But that was now more than five years in the past. It had been that long since she […]

Judy was in the kitchen supervising the third attempt at brewing a pot of coffee. “I don’t see how this can be so hard,” commented Bettina, who was sitting at the kitchen table, stirring sugar and milk into a cup from the previous attempt. “We’ve seen it done so many times.” “I guess we were […]

We got back to the home about 9:30. Todd talked nonstop all the way there. He kept reminding me of the instructions and what to do if anything went wrong. You’ll be fine, he kept saying. Everything is going to be fine. It was pretty annoying, but I felt bad for him. He was so […]

Raymond dropped a paper sack containing his belongings by the front door. Six more such bags were lined up there. He wandered into the common room, where some of the children were sitting around the television, watching more coverage of the Phenomenon. He plopped down on the big gray sofa next to Lucinda. “Well, I […]