In a future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future where all decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. Despite such a restrictive environment, Equality 7-2521 dares to stand apart from the herd--to think and choose for himself, to discover electricity, and to love the woman of his choice.
A most stereotypical story - farm boy encounters a wild dragon. It just may be not the stereotype you'd think. This is another workshop short story, hope you enjoy it.
The story is set in 2158 A.D., after the invention of a medicine called Anti-Gerasone, which is made from mud and dandelions and is thus inexpensive and widely available. Anti-Gerasone halts the aging process and prevents people from dying of old age as long as they keep taking it; as a result, America now suffers from severe overpopulation and shortages of food and resources.
Born on a long lost outpost of humanity, that only recently was reconnected to the wider galaxy, Leonora is at the end the rope. Her body is slowly succumbing to an incurable disease when she is given a chance at... something. A mysterious Traveler is offering her a future but warns that it comes at a risk. Welcome to Circe, an aboriginal world at outskirts of the known galaxy, where strange mists hide something with the power to upend the fragile balance that preserves the civilization.
Whitney and Tommy Leighton are more than they appear to be. The twins were born in our dimension, but it wasn't just a birth. It was a rebirth. They originated in a another dimension that runs along the same parallel as ours. In the other world, Whitney is a Baran-Dok-Toi Prim warrior, and Tommy is a Prectock, but they know nothing about that. Other than the strange dreams that Tommy is beginning to have.
It is hard to make living as an adventurer in a backwater town. It does not take long for all the bandits to be driven away, all goblins to be killed and looted, and all rat infestations to be eradicated but expenses just keep on going and going 'cause your healer simply does not compromise on her wine or on her comforts... Dedicated to all the kids that played D&D in my living room.
Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream. It was more real than any dream he had ever had in his life. He could still hear and feel the sharp, ripping-metal explosion, the violent heave that had tossed him furiously out of bed, the searing wave of heat. He sat up convulsively and stared, not believing what he saw, at the quiet room and the bright sunlight coming in the window. He croaked, "Mary?" Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.