ART of the Solar System #9
by Cody Schell
Latest
The Content of This Piece Has Been Removed
by Alistair Robinson The content of this piece has been removed and cannot be recovered. The Government’s Advanced Countermeasures system requires all forms of content, whether electronic or physical, to conform with our counter-extremism strategy—including content originally produced in areas outside of the Government’s jurisdiction. Content refers
Cajones
by Floyd Largent You'd think a superhero wouldn't have any trouble making a living, but since my Breakthrough, I've barely been getting by. My folks, who are proud of my new status, are happy to lend me money between bounties, which is how I
The Missing Variable
by Steven Mathes It may seem like an obvious detail, but nobody on our team caught it. We planned. We imagined uncertainties about pathogens, toxins, hostile predators, and historical facts of human violence. We knew it would require unspeakable amounts of energy. Therefore, I was armored in something halfway between
What Counts as a Heart in a Bicycle
by Jennifer Lesh Fleck Circus-striped streamers dazzle my handlebars. My leatherette seat wears printed roses and flourishes, like a Western saddle. I’m pretty, parked alongside my brothers and sisters. My factory paint has glitter in the pink, swirling like cosmic dust. The village outside hunkers under June gloom, the
ART of the Solar System #8
by Cody Schell
The Bacon That Isn’t There
by Justin Dill For the fourteenth day, eggs fall from the sky. Always eggs, and mine, always scrambled. Never over easy. Never over. Never easy. Mother makes omelets for breakfast, for the fourteenth time. Fourteen quiche lunches. Fourteen egg salad suppers. Meringue for dessert. I skip that first. And then
Troll Extraction
by Mark Szasz “Mm-hm, mm-hm… No doubt about it. You’ve got a troll under your dental bridge,” Dr. Gruff agreed, narrowing his gaze. The beam from his dental headlight shone on two tiny shining eyes in my mouth, each reflecting in his spectacles and glowering at me. A gigantic
Network Creep
by Corey Jae White the matter transfer room resembles a cathedral. The gate a window waiting to open onto the light of all Creation, brighter than a thousand suns. Sometimes I stand on the observation deck and watch storage containers break through the wall of blazing energy and my eyes
ART of the Solar System #7
by Cody Schell
Song of the Loom
by Janet Forbes I Sang to the loom, the day my mother died. My hands were an echo of hers. Heavy with grief, they wove eight hundred threads onto the frame, a hundred for each string of her Lyra. The weft, the framework, the heart of the weave. Each string
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects #26: Jennifer’s white string shawl in Lèvres de sang (Lips of Blood) (1975)
by Vince Stadon “You had to remember me before I could appear to you.” – Jennifer Making movies is arduous work, and sometimes filming is rough on everyone. Lèvres de sang was shot in three weeks, often guerrilla-style, as the film crew would just turn up without pre-planning or permits to,
Cody Schell
ART of the Solar System #6
by Cody Schell
J. S. Watts
They Came for Me at Dusk
by J. S. Watts Art by Arnold T. Blumberg They came for me at dusk, before the tired light had fully faded from the sky. Before I could finally sleep. Before I could wake. I wasn’t yet dead, was as weak—no, weaker—than them. There were twelve of
Vince Stadon
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects #13: Tom Savini’s blood tube in Friday the 13th (1980)
by Vince Stadon “You see, Jason was my son, and today is his birthday…” – Mrs. Voorhees Sunday the 1st. I begin watching Friday 13th for the first time in decades. Twenty minutes in it occurs to me that this film might be best experienced in daily chunks. I’d never
Aeryn Rudel
The Other Side of Empty
by Aeryn Rudel Art by Arnold T. Blumberg There’s a hole in me. I’m not speaking metaphorically. If I lift my shirt, you’ll see a black disk about the size of a softball just above my belly button. It doesn’t hurt, but it makes a strange
Vince Stadon
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects #09- Boris Karloff’s haircut in The Black Cat (1934)
by Vince Stadon “Are we not both the living dead?” – Hjalmar Poelzig It’s not Karloff’s real hair, of course; it’s a wig he is wearing for his character, the murderous Satanist Hjalmar Poelzig. But, man, what a wig! It’s a widow’s peak, but not a
Cody Schell
ART of the Solar System #5
by Cody Schell
Vince Stadon
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects #81: The Doorbell in Repulsion (1974)
by Vince Stadon “There's no need to be alone, you know. Poor little girl. All by herself. All shaking like a little frightened animal.” – Landlord When that doorbell rings, Carol curls up into a ball, retreating into her internal space. The doorbell is the sound of intrusion into
Greg Clumpner
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF YOUR SPIRITED CREDIT UNION REVERSE SOUL MORTGAGE (TM)
by Greg Clumpner Art by Arnold T. Blumberg To Mr. Joshua Harrington or current resident, You pre-qualify for our program and the Spirited Credit Union (SCU) is pleased to offer you a Reverse Soul Mortgage™. With a Reverse Soul Mortgage™, SCU will take ownership of your soul for a limited
Vince Stadon
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects # 30: Pam’s ‘American Astrology’ magazine in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
by Vince Stadon “Oh, no. Capricorn's ruled by Saturn.” – Pam I always thought ‘chainsaw’ was one word, and that all the chainsaws came from Texas. I don’t think I ever witnessed one in the wilds of England till I watched a guy from the Forestry Commission cut
Meredith Kinrys
Worlds Within, Worlds Beyond
by Meredith Kinrys Art by Arnold T. Blumberg The only blessings of drifting aimlessly through space, far from any planet to call home, are visits from mysterious spirits we call mermaids. The origin of the ominous spectres that swim past our windows is a mystery, but their long bodies of
Vince Stadon
A Personal History of Horror Films in 101 Quirky Objects #62: Reiko Asakawa’s wristwatch in リング(Ring) (1998)
by Vince Stadon “Just one more day...” - Reiko Asakawa If you watch the disturbing, unlabelled video tape, your phone will ring… and when you answer, an evil ghost woman will tell you that you are going to die. Within a week you’re dead—terrified to such a degree
Cody Schell
ART of the Solar System #4
by Cody Schell