(wc = 1265) I've never really written anything before and I don't really read much so I have no idea if this is any good or not. I have a follow up book for this as well that follows another character much later on in the story. **The Awakening of Jacob ** **Chapter 1: The Dormant Playground** In the rusted remnants of a world once vibrant, where cities lay in ruins and nature reclaimed its dominion, Jacob stirred. His metallic eyelids flickered open, revealing a pair of luminescent blue optics. The word "Jacob" was etched on his left leg, a faded testament to his forgotten origins. He sat up ..read more

''Welcome, my guest, to the palace of Jericho!'' The prince said, waving his hands around, as we made it past the massive doors. Inside, a view very few peasants ever saw in their lives. Of absurdly tall ceilings, of intricate pillars, of statues commemorating past monarchs and high-standing officials. I Dieudonné couldn't believe my eyes, and followed the prince, savoring every sight and every second. ''Tell me, where would you like to have tea? We can go to the royal terrace, the balcony, the inner gardens...'' The prince asked me, as we made our way up the stairs of the atrium. I scratched ..read more

I am Dieudonné. I can see the true face of people. Far from a curse, I see it as a blessing. I chased away my father, for he had the face of a coward. I left my mother, for she had the face of a liar. And everyday under the cruel sun I saw countless faces; not of brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, no, far from that! But of rats scurrying about. Their eyes blacker even than their skin, and what drives them truly, darker still. Luckily for me, I have the face of a prince. I have seen it once, long ago, on the still surface of the black lake, north from here, near my hometown. My sister Day ..read more

In this simulated world, humans went about their daily lives, unaware of the puppeteers manipulating their actions from the 4th dimension. These entities, known as "The Architects," had been experimenting with the human program for centuries, tweaking code and influencing decisions to shape the course of history. One individual, a young woman named Maya, began to suspect that something was amiss. She felt an eerie sense of déjà vu, as if her choices were not entirely her own. Little did she know, an Architect named Echo had taken a particular interest in her. Echo, the Architect, had been obs ..read more

“Deadly Attractor” (TOC) by P. Orin Zack [2003]   Chapter Twelve   … Los Angeles … Peter was getting depressed. For the second day in a row, he found himself with nothing to do but worry about the trouble he was getting himself into. Once again, court had been adjourned early, and once again, he’d ended up staring bleakly into his building’s lobby. “The way things are going,” he told himself, “either I’ll start abusing HealthTech’s Interactives myself, or I’m going to quit LAMM and look for another job, preferably in another city, maybe even on another planet.” Resigned for the mome ..read more

Apr 26, 2024 I am staring at the half-closed curtain to my balcony window. The sun is shining brightly outside. From where I am sitting, it feels just the right amount of far to prevent me from making the effort to go out. Maybe tomorrow, I tell myself. You won’t see this sun ever again, I counter. A quick snap of his fingers brought me back. I missed out on most of the talk but tune in just in time for the climax. I just hope you don’t make a decision that you end up regretting is what my father ends our conversation with. Just to be clear - if politeness got tired of life’s drudgery and tri ..read more

In a small town there lies a crooked house on a hill in which a crooked man lies. The people no wonder how or why. In fact the man himself knows not why or how he is there or what he is. He simply knows people are fond of him and no longer question his odd and quite frankly horrid appearance. He is just that crooked and can't stand straight, Let alone hold the same posture. Only one detail remains the same. Just like the rest of him his head isn't quite right. It can never seem to stand upright. Always cracked, laying on his left or right shoulder. When you hear this you probably default to h ..read more

Wilson Nepatr was tired. He had been working all day and was ready to go home to his wife, son and his son's imaginary freind Desmond the giant elephant. In the bustling metropolis of New York City, Wilson Neptar embarked on his usual evening commute homeward. As the subway train chugged along, Wilson's eyelids grew heavy, succumbing to the allure of sleep. However, his slumber was abruptly shattered by a deafening roar and the screech of metal. The train had abruptly halted, plunging Wilson into darkness. As his senses returned, he realized he was trapped in a desolate alleyway, surrounded b ..read more

Time travel is a lonely journey. Sure there will always be people to meet, unless you go to a humanity destroying event then go into that future. Then you just get to see what the world would look like without people. I did that once. I changed it back though, so I still don’t know if that makes me the worst killer the world has ever known, or maybe I’ve never killed anyone. I don’t even know anymore. Time travel is lonely and morally ambiguous. You see, time travel doesn’t really follow any of the rules of the movies. Maybe some, I haven’t seen all of them after all. In infinite timelines th ..read more

John slumped down into the chair in front of him. The terminal was almost empty, aside from a few other people who looked as exhausted as John felt. As the sounds of the terminal faded away while John's eyes slowly shut, a voice rang out next to him. “Beautiful, isn't it,” said an old man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere right next to John. “Huh?” John said in a groggy voice with a twinge of annoyance. “Look,” the old man said, pointing his finger towards the large window in front of them. John faced the window, looking out at the nebula before them. The swirling colors filled the t ..read more