A science fiction short story about time travel by David Tombale: The only girl

The only girl

 

 

Jeremy realized that his father had been right to banish him from their spaceship though it pissed him off that he’d had to come all the way to this gods’ forsaken century.

 

 He couldn’t believe that this is what passed for entertainment in this era. This strange gold painted idiot in a top hat had been making odd poses all day as Jeremy sat on a park bench watching him.

 

 He’d just made up his mind to drag the fool into an alley and shoot him when she showed up. Jeremy couldn’t believe his eyes. She looked like his Emily. The same fair skin, the same ash brown hair and that way Emily had about her that drew everyone’s attention without demanding it.

 

 He knew he’d be breaking the rules but Jeremy got to his feet almost in a trance and walked right up to her while she continued watching the ridiculous robot performer. He stepped up right next to her shoulder and she turned to look at him.

 

 Jeremy had had his doubts about this next part. He’d thought all Cassandra’s talk of reincarnation and fate was absolute rubbish but then their eyes met. The girl’s eyes widened in an instant of recognition then clouded over with confusion.

 

“Hi,” Jeremy said.

 

“Hi,” the girl replied smiling uncertainly.

 

“Come here often?” he asked her.

 

 The girl laughed breaking the tension between them. “Oh come on, is that really the best line you could come up with?”

 

Jeremy smiled, his gray eyes lighting up with amusement. “No but then you laughed right? That means my plan was a success.”

 

 “So your plan was to make me laugh?” she asked pulling a strand of hair back behind her ear.

 

“Absolutely,” Jeremy offered her his hand, “I’m Jeremy, Jeremy Tanner.”

 

 “How formal,” she said shaking hands with him, “Rachel, Rachel Crisp.”

 

 “So Rachel Crisp, would you like to get a cup of coffee? I know this great place just around the corner,” he said.

 

“I don’t know,” she said, getting a little nervous. She’d just met the guy and while he was cute and funny she didn’t know anything about him. Still there was something so familiar about Jeremy.

 

“Rachel I would really like to buy you a cup of coffee. If it helps I promise you can skip out the minute you get an odd vibe from me. Deal?”

 

She searched his eyes for a long moment but found only attraction and humor staring back at her. “Okay, but just one.”

 

 “Fair enough.”

 

They started walking away from the street performer but Jeremy spared him one last glance. He was glad they didn’t have any of these morons back home and if things went well within the next few days he would finally be able to leave.

 

 Jeremy fell in on Rachel’s left and while making small talk with her he wondered how he’d convince her to come with him. How would he be able to convince her that his Emily would die without her bone marrow?

 

 Jeremy Tanner bumped shoulders with his wife’s ancestor and saw the need he knew he could exploit in the way she looked at him.

A fantasy short story about choices by David Tombale: 3 Wishes

3 Wishes

 

 

Stanley had begun to hate the little coin that he’d come to believe controlled him.

 

 He just stared at in his palm and tried to convince himself to finally get rid of it but then there was the problem of his heart. It beat frantically at the thought of facing an uncertain future without the vast advantage the coin offered.

 

“Stan?”

 

He took his eyes off the coin.

 

“Yes?”

 

 “I didn’t get an answer about that coffee. Would you like a refill?” Claire asked him.

 

 He looked down at his cup and saw that it was empty.

 

“Yes. Yes, I’d like that. Thank you.”

 

Claire poured his coffee from the mug and the rich aroma of the hot caffeine filled his nose.  She gave him a sweet smile and then left him alone.

 

 His eyes followed her and he remembered that she’d been an art student. She had that about her; a sort of refinement that didn’t fit in at their grimy diner. He had to say her smile was the highlight of his day what little there was of it. If he wasn’t here he’d end up at the park watching the birds and ignoring calls from his agent.

 

 Claire handed the coffee mug to a waitress behind the counter and picked up a tray laden with eggs, toast and a cup of the same stuff they seemed to be serving by the gallon to everyone. Yeah, well Mike’s coffee was probably the best in town.

 

 He started to wonder about Claire. The vacation he’d taken from his life had been forcing his brain in all kinds of directions but Claire was a nice one. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, he’d already fixated on her smile but there was also that nagging voice that told him that something bad must have happened for someone like her to end up here.

 

“She lost her scholarship.”

 

Stanley nearly jumped out off his skin. It was Lester, of course. He sat across from him smiling smugly at startling him. Lester lived in the coin but it had been months since he’d consented to speak to Stanley.

 

“What do you mean she lost her scholarship?”

 

Lester reached across and took a piece of toast off his plate. “I mean she lost her scholarship,” he said in between bites. “Some professor of hers got handsy and when she knocked him on his rear end he failed her. Her scholarship’s pretty strict so that’s all it took.”

 

 “How do you know?” Stanley asked him.

 

 Lester raised an eyebrow, “Are you seriously asking me that?”

 

 “No, I guess not,” Stanley said. Stanley found it hard to believe but he didn’t think Lester was lying. It made perfect sense. Poor Claire.

 

“So what do you intend to do about it?” Lester asked him picking up his fork and spearing his last sausage.

 

“Me? What can I do about it?” Stanley asked.

 

“You got the coin stupid. You can give her one of your wishes. You do have two left after all.” Lester munched loudly and with much enthusiasm. “You know this Mike guy makes a mean breakfast.”

 

Stanley ignored Lester and stared at Claire. He did want to help her but he had no way of predicting the turn in which the wish might take. He might be damning her to same hell that plagued him.

 

 He looked at Lester who was sitting back, his ancient black eyes sparkling with laughter.

 

“What would I wish for?” he asked his tormentor.

 

“That’s easy. You wish for the girl to get her dream back. To get back into the Art program, her talent will take care of the rest.”

 

Stanley took a deep breath and thinking of Claire closed his eyes and made his wish. He opened them to see her still standing two tables away serving a family. He glared at Lester.

 

 Lester laughed at him. “Relax big guy. She’ll get a call later today from the school telling her they’ve decided to review her case. Her professor will get fired and she’ll get her scholarship back. Problem solved.”

 

 “And what about me?”

 

 “You? You go back to writing your books like you promised you would and I’ll consider these past few months of rebellion as forgotten.”

 

 “I knew it. I knew it would come back to that. You just want me to keep writing about your kind. Do you really think it will be enough to keep you alive?” Stanley asked him.

 

“Mr. Nicholls you worry about you and I’ll worry about me. You should ask Claire out so you can celebrate. Get her number and call her. Live your life, what little of it you still own.” Lester vanished leaving Stanley alone in his booth.

 

 Stanley raised his coffee cup and took a sip grimacing at how cold it’d gotten. He wondered if he’d made the right choice but then he had a vision of Claire standing in front of snapping cameras with a huge smile on her face. He knew Lester was giving him a preview of her future and it didn’t look that bad.