Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Did Our Limbs Evolve From Gills?
No, I have not been drinking. But I’ve run across something so wild that I had to being it to your attention. Could our limbs have evolved from the paired fins of fish? And before that, from fishes’ gills? That was originally suggested in 1878 by German anatomist Karl Gegenbaur. But there was no evidence
The Mind-Clearing Magic of Running
I run as a sport, and have been since 1980. One of the byproducts I have noticed is I always seem to get my best ideas while running. I am happy (relieved?) to read recently that it’s not just me. In fact, it may go a lot farther than that. In an article on the
Short Story — My Best Friend
This is an original short story. A version was published as “Days with Rob… and Sherri” in Bewildering Stories #591, http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue591/index.html My Best Friend “Morning, Sherri! What do you want to do today?” Sherri looked up from the skillet. “My Rob, you’re up early!” Rob grinned, walked over, and kissed her on
How to Plug in Your Brain
You’re not gonna believe this one. What if you could boost your brain by recharging it with electricity? According to the May 2016 issue of Smithsonian magazine, this could someday be a real possibility. And some of the research is being done locally at Wright-Patterson AFB. The military application should be obvious. For example, imagine
Have We Found an Alien Civilization?
Earlier this month I wrote about the best place to find alien civilizations, and how we might be able to hide from them. Well, according to EarthSky News, there is a potential candidate for a possible alien civilization. It seems the star KIC 8462852 has been exhibiting some strange behavior. Its brightness has been varying,
More We Can Learn From Dolphins
We all know dolphins are smart, right? The latest research claims they love to talk about their problems. As reported on the website New Scientist, dolphins have a special type of language they use to tackle problems together. According to the Dolphin Communication Project, a research and conservation organization in Port St. Lucie, Florida, dolphins
Original Poem — Happy Birthday, Chris
Happy Birthday, Chris Luck — The accidental way things happen without being planned. The cake said “Happy Birthday, Chris.” I said “Who is Chris?” My wife mumbled, “Someone at the office.” Opportunity — An appropriate or favorable time or occasion. Then the truth came out. She had ordered two cakes by mistake, and didn’t
Why Do We Kiss?
I imagine we all take kissing for granted in our romantic lives, but according to a recent report in the February, 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine, kissing is a fairly recent development in human history. This conclusion is based on a study from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and the University of Nevada,
Happy Birthday to the Detective Story
One of my favorite authors in Edgar Allan Poe, not because I like horror, but because he wrote my favorite poem, “The Raven”. So it caught my eye when I read that April 20, 1841, was considered the first appearance of the modern detective story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by… Edgar Allan Poe.
What is the Best Way to Tell a Story?
I’ve been traveling recently, and when I travel I catch up on reading. This has included some fiction, both classic and contemporary. It’s gotten me to thinking — when books, whether they be classic like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or contemporary like the Harry Potter series, are adapted for movies (or I suppose when