He let out a deep, contented sigh. “That was amazing.”
“Whatever possessed you, I like it,” I murmured, a smile playing at my lips.
He stroked my naked arm, sending goose bumps on my skin. “Just my love for you.”
“Aw, you always know what to say,” I cooed. I pushed his arm upwards, to crawl underneath it. Snuggling like that always made me feel safe, secure. It was one of the things I loved most about him. I couldn’t have married a better man, I thought, not for the first time. If I were a cat, I would start purring.
Instead, it was my stomach that growled, reminding me that we had spent the entire day in bed. “You must be starving. After all, I’m not the only one who skipped lunch.”
He laughed. “True.” He cocked his head to look down at me, a frown between his eyes. “Wait, how did you know I had no lunch?” He raised his hand to his mouth and blew into his palm. “My breath doesn’t smell, does it?”
I chuckled. “No, silly! How could you have had lunch? Neither of us did.”
He pushed his fingers through my hair in long strokes, releasing the scent of lavender. “You skipped lunch, too? Why?”
Huh? It was my turn to stare at him in confusion. “What do… Because we were here? Doing… you know…” I could feel my cheeks blush once again.
His hand stopped, caught in my hair. “Alcmene, I’ve only just arrived. I missed lunch to return as soon as I could, but it’s been raining, and the roads were all muddy. The slaves told me you were sleeping, so I took a bath, then came upstairs.”
The raindrops falling on the clay roof tiles suddenly filled the room like the beating of a drum. My mouth twitched. “But I saw your sandals. There was no mud on them. How…”
He touched my brow with the back his hand. “Are you all right? You seem flustered.”
I pulled away, annoyed. What’s going on here? “I… You…” My voice trailed off. I shook my head, as if to clear it from cobwebs inside. “You’re saying you just got here?”
“Yes.” His eyes were filled with worry, then his taut face relaxed. “You must have had a dream. The slaves said you haven’t left the room all day. Were you sleeping?”
A dream? I nodded, forcing a smile on my lips. “Yes, that must be it. A dream.”
“You did what?” the science officer shouted, barely hiding her irritation. She lifted up a hand. “Europa. Io. Semele. Callisto. Dione.” With each name, she pointed at a finger. Realizing she had run out of them, she started from the thumb again. “Persephone. Nemesis. Thaleia. Danae. And now Alcmene?” She threw the captain an exasperated look. “Seriously, you need help. We didn’t spend centuries developing time travel just so you can get your kicks.”
“Aw, come on—what’s the worst that can happen?” The captain swiveled himself on the couch in order to plant his feet up the armrest.
“Damn it, Captain. I’m a doctor, not a pimp.”
The captain fixed her with sparkling blue eyes. “You’re not a doctor, you’re a science officer.”
“With a doctorate,” she barked.
The captain smirked. “Doesn’t matter, really, does it? The timeline fixes itself. It always does.”
She grabbed a tablet from the messy desk sitting at the corner of the captain’s quarters. “We’ll see about that.” She stabbed the screen with an angry finger. It came to life, spewing data. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “Great. Now there’s another one.”
His eyes widened. He swiveled his feet back on the shining floor. “I have another kid?”
“Sure.” She showed him the tablet. “A son. Alcides.”
He snatched the tablet from her outstretched arm and read. His face lit up. “Alcides. Nice.”
“No, not nice!” The officer pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed. “You’re sick. As soon as we’re back, I have to report this. You know that, don’t you?”
“No one cares,” he said with a shrug. “As long as the timeline’s intact, what difference does it make? Just leave out the details.”
“Oh, believe me, no one wants to know any details after Danaes’ golden shower—”
“Golden rain.”
“Whatever.” She paced the room in furious steps. “As for no one caring, what about your wife?”
“Let me worry about her.” The captain threw the tablet across the room. It landed on the desk and slid on it until it bumped against a monitor.
She walked over and picked it up again. “Honestly, I don’t see what she sees in you. I suppose you used that ridiculous moniker again?”
“Actually, I never introduced myself. She thought I was her husband.”
“Her…” She spun around to face the captain. “You used a cloaking amulet on the poor woman? Glamour is for emergencies only!”
“This was an emergency,” the captain said with a sigh. “You should have seen her. Largest—”
The officer raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t want to know.”
“Eyes I’ve ever seen. Anyway. All that matters is that I gave her something her husband never could.”
She stared at the screen. “Is that right? Because it says right here that she’s expecting twins. Apparently, hubby came home right after you.” She pointed at the tablet. “See? Right here. ‘Heteropaternal superfecundation’.”
The captain arched an eyebrow. “I saw that. Thought it was a typo.”
“A t…” The officer glared at the captain. “That’s when a woman carries twins sired by different fathers. You both had sex with her on the same night. She’s carrying two sons. One by you. One by her husband.”
“Oh, right,” the captain said with a shrug. “My bad.”
Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “You’re the most irresponsible, reckless, immature—”
The captain stifled a yawn. “You start sounding like my wife, and I’m exhausted. Alcmene really was something else.”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten, drawing deep breaths. Then, she whirled around and stomped towards the door. It swished open. Before stepping through, she turned around once again. “What do you want to do with the boy? Any special gifts?”
“Oh, right.” The captain rubbed his chin. “What did we do last time?”
“Prophecy. A simple enough gift to bestow, if you’re a time-traveler.”
“Hmm…” The captain stared blankly for a few moments, then snapped his fingers. “I know. Let’s go for brawns this time. How strong can you make him?”
“With the latest advances in bionics? Very strong. But what about your wife?”
“Tell you what. Let’s have them rename Alcides. We’ll call him Heracles, after her. Maybe that will placate her.”
“I’m sure it will make all the difference in the world,” she said drily, as she stepped through the door and into the spotless, narrow corridor. “Father of the gods, my cockadoodle,” she murmured under her breath.
Infinite Waters
The woman jerked backwards, a stunned look on her face. “What was that?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “Inspiration.”
Our gazes locked, a newfound fire burning in her eyes. “Can you show me more?”
I purse my lips. Their edges twitch upwards, then I nod.
James’ Life
James was not a happy man. He had lost much in his life, and then some. Lost his parents as a child, then ran into troubles with the law. His personal life was even worse; one bad, ephemeral relationship after another. Trouble seemed to follow him everywhere, like a stray dog you once fed that won’t go away no matter how many stones you throw at it. Despite his best efforts, his friends and mentors had died in his hands. His wife, the only woman he had really cared about, had died a horribly premature death, as had so many of the women he had loved. A string of mistresses, each more crass than the last one, made sure his end found him penniless near a dumpster, prematurely aged; a broken, friendless man.
In short, James had led a hard life. A life
consisting of broken promises, death and countless tragedies, like pages from a madman’s manuscript. That is why, as he drew his last breath, a thin smile of relief played on his chafed lips. He let go, and his spirit floated out of his body and into the cold night air. Finally free, he let himself forget his hardships and travails; to allow himself a glimmer of hope that things might finally change for the best.
His sight dimmed, as if a cloud of darkness had descended upon him, broken only by dancing flickers of light. Just before oblivion swallowed him, a thunderous applause filled his ears. Someone’s voice boomed over the ovation, amplified by an invisible microphone:
“Thank you for watching James’ Life with us tonight. And what a great life it was!”
The invisible crowd hooted and hollered in anticipation.
“This new 3D technology is great, isn’t it, folks? How about we watch it again?” the voice thundered.
A sense of despair washed over everyone’s favorite British spy as the projector’s light shone on his life once again.
Infinite Waters
She moaned in frustration. “That was too brief.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Was it?”
“Yes!”
With a theatrical flourish, I directed her gaze back to the pulsing, whirling light inside the ball.
Two’s a Crowd
“Can you believe that idiot?” I spat the words as soon as I slammed the car door shut.
“Honey, that idiot is your older brother.” My wife looked at the mirror and patted her lips with her index finger. She opened her purse, oblivious to my rage.
“Older brother? He’s, like, ten minutes older than me!”
Susan pressed her lipstick to her lips and ran it across them. Why was she bothering, anyway? We were alone in the car. Whom was she trying to impress? “Can we just go?” I said with a sigh. “My head hurts.”
“Why did you have the red wine, then? You know it gives you a headache.” She turned on the radio, obviously anticipating silence during the trip back home. After all, I never had much to say after our monthly dinners at my brother’s. A recurrent affair that I had come to dread and hate with equal passion.
“What choice did I have? That’s all they offered us.”
“I’m sure they didn’t do it on purpose.” She wiggled her fingers and smiled at the couple waving at us from their door.
When she blew my brother a kiss, I leaned down and pretended not to notice them, absorbed by something on my shoe. I probably just stepped on my turd of a brother. The thought made me chuckle, then a thought killed my mirth. “You always support him.” I did not care to hide my bitterness.
She checked the mirror and backed out of the gate. “That’s not true.”
“Sure it is. Sometimes I could swear that you like him better.”
She threw me an annoyed glance. “Not this again.”
Why not? He always stole whatever I had my eye on. Ever since we were children. My precious red ball. My silver bike. My first girlfriend. The bastard even took her to Lover’s Hill in my car. The car he stole from me. Why not you, too? Yet, I knew better than to voice my angry thoughts.
As soon as we arrived home, I brushed my teeth and went straight to bed without a word. Susan took her sweet time getting ready, and I had nearly fallen asleep when she finally landed on the bed with all the grace of a drunken hippopotamus. “You wkmup,” I mumbled.
“Sorry, dear.” She applied some night cream to her face and rubbed her fingers vigorously as she gave me a quick peck on my cheek, then switched off the light on her nightstand.
I pretended to fall asleep right away, although in truth my mind was racing with murderous thoughts. I saw in my head his smirk when he announced he had renovated the beach house, and ground my teeth. The house—this was the last straw. The house that our parents had promised to me. The one that he had gotten through that joke of a will, magically produced out of our dead mother’s drawer. The one I would have contested, but for the advice of my darling wife. We already have a beach house, she had argued. Just think of all the extra cost. Not to mention the taxes! I moaned and turned my back at her, furious at them both. Why does everyone always support him?
It is, perhaps, no surprise that I dreamed of my brother that night. I was standing in the middle of a lush field, a light wind ruffling my hair. The sun bathed my body in its soothing rays. Colorful flowers released their sweet aroma, filling the air with pleasant fragrances. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to take it all in, when a dark cloud cut off the sunshine. I opened my eyes again and shot an annoyed look to the sky. My gaze caught on a sudden movement in the distance. A lone figure stood far away, hands on his hips. I squinted to see better. In a split second, the figure stood next to me. A spasm ran through my face.
“Hey, bro.” My brother’s lips twisted into a wide grin. Behind him, the beach house shimmered into existence, the white-washed walls flickering as if made of smoke.
My hands tightened into fists. Then a thought crossed my mind. I deliberately unclenched them and flashed him my sweetest smile. “Why don’t you show me around?”
His brows knitted for a second, then we found ourselves in the living room. I was surprised by the changes to the house. He had spent half the evening describing the renovation, of course, but I had responded by drinking, in effect blocking him out. And yet here was the brand new staircase, with the polished silver maple banisters. The elegant furniture. The white oak floors. Had he mentioned all this last night? Everything was the same, yet different. The place even smelled different to what I remembered. I traced the fragrance to a discreet device plugged into a wall socket and scrunched my nose.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a smirk on his face. “Like what I did with my place?”
Blood thumped on my temples, but I managed to hide my feelings behind a clenched grin. “Looks great.” I had to get out of there before I punched him. Or worse. “Say, how ‘bout I make us some coffee?” I slipped into the kitchen while my brother stood in the middle of the room, still smirking at the unnerving effect the renovation had on me.
The kitchen, too, was all different from the last time I had been to the old house. I leaned on the spotless counter until I cooled down enough to rummage through the cabinets. Inside one, I found a glass bowl filled with espresso capsules. I fished out two and made sure the machine had enough water before I switched it on.
A minute later, the machine groaned and the coffee’s strong aroma filled my nostrils. I absent-mindedly opened a cabinet while waiting for the first cup to fill. My gaze fell on an orange plastic bottle, a black skull clearly visible on it. I picked it up, removed the lid and took a whiff. The pungent smell burned my nose and I recoiled. Then, on a whim, I dropped a few drops into the steaming cup.
I placed the bottle back into the cabinet before pouring the second cup, making sure I remembered which was which. Once I had both cups in my hand, I walked back out into the living room. My brother was sitting on a new, white leather couch, browsing on his tablet. I sat down beside him and handed him the first cup I had made.
“Watch it!” He took the cup with careful fingers and nodded towards the sofa. “You wouldn’t believe how much this cost. Italian leather and all that.”
I rolled my eyes and watched him take a sip, his gaze still fixed on the screen in his hands. His brow furrowed and he coughed.
“Strong,” he said in a throaty voice. His gaze shot up from the tablet to meet mine. “Can you believe this?” He shoved the device into my hands. I pretended to read the news; something about an old friend of ours, who had lost his fortune in the dotcom bust. I couldn’t care less, really. I waited for him to empty his cup.
A few minutes later, he made a pained grimace. “I’m not feeling well.” He clutched his stomach. “Help me!”
I chortled, enjoying the sight of him emptying its contents onto his precious sofa, and shook my head as he collapsed onto the well-polished floor. Serves you right. I took a sip from m
y own cup and watched a funny cat video on the tablet. Meanwhile, his body quivered and spasmed, until he finally lay still.
A couple of videos later, a faraway sound invaded my serenity. It sounded like a phone, but I could not see one anywhere around. Then, the earth shook. Earthquake! I jumped to my feet.
“Yes?”
It took me a moment to figure out I had been dreaming. The earth was not shaking; that had been my wife, who had swiveled her feet off the bed in order to reach the phone on her nightstand. The mattress groaned under her shifting weight.
“What time is it?” I mumbled. Not really expecting an answer, I glanced through heavy lids at the clock on the nightstand. Oh for goodness’ sake, it’s the middle of the night! Who the hell would call us at this hour?
“Shh!” My wife waved at me with her left hand, her right one pressing the phone to her ear. “We’ll be right there.”
She hung up and turned to me, an agitated expression on her face. “It’s your brother. He got sick after we left. They have him at the hospital.”
“What?” I stopped rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Somehow, he got poisoned. We have to go.” She did not even look at me as she dived into her closet. “And don’t you dare start any of your—”
She stopped mid-sentence as I bolted out of bed and tore a fresh shirt from the hanger. Did I cause this?
Minutes later, I was already in the car, buttoning my shirt. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. How is it possible? When I could not take the waiting for Susan any longer, I honked. A moment later, she jumped into the car. “I’m coming, already! Stop honking—you’ll wake everyone up!”
I stepped on the gas even as she was shutting her door. The car screeched in the night and sped down the empty roads.
The Ultimate Collection of Science & Speculative Fiction Short Stories (Short SSF Stories Book 5) Page 7