Lee slid off the examining table and began buttoning his shirt. He had had a medical examination every six months of his adult life, and it always seemed strange to him that, despite the banks of machines the doctor had which could practically map a man from a single cell outward, each examination always entailed the cold end of a stethoscope against his chest. He tucked his shirt into his pants and turned to the examining doctor who was writing on a chart. "Well?" Lee asked him. "Sound as a dollar," replied the doctor. "Of course Dr. Flotman or Dr. Roberts might turn up something on their electronic monsters, but I see no reason why we can't go ahead on schedule."

Life within the dome is comfortable, secure and predictable.What lies on the outside is the unknown; the work of the other creator.Lara, a young woman on the verge of a bright future in her world is suddenly confronted by the very thing she fears, but is more than curious about. Two worlds collide in this sci-fi short where significant choices are made and long forgotten promises are fulfilled.Sixfold is an all-writer-voted journal. All writers who upload their manuscripts vote to select the highest-voted $1000 prize-winning manuscripts and all the short stories and poetry published in each issue.In Sixfold Poetry Winter 2014: Debbra Palmer | Bake Sale & other poemsAnn V. DeVilbiss | Far Away | Like a Mirror & other poemsMichael Fleming | On the Bus & other poemsHarold Schumacher | Dying To Say It & other poemsHeather Erin Herbert | Georgia’s Advent & other poemsSharron Singleton | Sonnet for Small Rip-Rap & other poemsBryce Emley | College Beer & other poemsHarry Bauld | On a Napkin & other poemsGeorge Mathon | Do You See Me Waving? & other poemsMariana Weisler | Soft Soap and Wishful Thinking & other poemsMichael Kramer | Nighthawks | Kaua’i & other poemsJill Murphy | Migration & other poemsCassandra Sanborn | Remnants & other poemsKendall Grant | Winter Love Note & other poemsDonna French McArdle | White Blossoms at Night & other poemsTom Freeman | On Foot | Joliet | Illinois & other poemsGeorge Longenecker | Nest & other poemsKimberly Sailor | The Bitter Daughter & other poemsRebecca Irene | Woodpecker & other poemsSavannah Grant | And Not As Shame & other poemsMichael Hugh Lythgoe | Titian Left No Paper Trail & other poemsMartin Conte | We’re Not There & other poemsA. Sgroi | Sore Soles & other poemsMiguel Coronado | Body-Poem & other poemsFranklin Zawacki | Experience Before Memory & other poemsTracy Pitts | Stroke & other poemsRachel A. Girty | Collapse & other poemsRyan Flores | Language Without Lies & other poemsMargie Curcio | Gravity & other poemsStephanie L. Harper | Painted Chickens & other poemsNicholas Petrone | Running Out of Space & other poemsDanielle C. Robinson | A Taste of Family Business & other poemsMeghan Kemp-Gee | A Rhyme Scheme & other poemsTania Brown | On Weeknights & other poemsJames Ph. Kotsybar | Unmeasured & other poemsMatthew Scampoli | Paddle Ball & other poemsJamie Ross | Not Exactly & other poemsContributor Notes

Does a clone have a soul? Darling, an astronavigational control unit and personal companion, achieves sentience and wants to know. Now, 200 years and an artificial body later, he is off in search of a dead artist, a living artwork, and the forces behind a mystery that spans the universe. Accompanied by a female assassin, he'll confront the Maker and get the answer.

Alex's job is to search derelicts for anything that may be valuable. The problem is, 'valuable' is relative, but danger is not...A collection fifteen poems (sixteen if you count the dedication)covering love, loss, and humor. These poems are based on actual persons and events in my life. These words were written between May 1992 and August 2011. I've included photos of those who inspired me the most. I have made 1 "hard copy" for myself, and wanted to share my words with others.

The orks are a savage race who live short, hard lives. From the moment they are born to the day they die, life is a struggle for survival and honor.Tooth & Claw is about the coming of age ritual of a young ork boy who wants to become a brun. But to join the ranks of the adults, he must first prove his worth by taming the most dangerous creature in their world.For thousands of years the Dúranaki have lived in relative obscurity, sheltered within their Twilight Forest on the far side of nearly impassible mountains. Ejected from his homeland, T'vance assumes a western name and explores a world few Dúranaki ever see. He soon finds himself in the middle of a conflict that threatens not only the strange land he visits, but casts a spectre of doom even on his own homeland.Five short stories chronicle his journeys.

Rick Raphael (1919-1994) was a US writer and journalist who began publishing sci-fi with "A Filbert is a Nut" for Astounding in November 1959 and established a considerable reputation in the field with a comparatively small output of about ten stories, most of them assembled in The Thirst Quenchers (coll 1965) and Code Three (fixup 1966).

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Bartender Rick Shumann at his Siberian tavern catering to aliens, narrates 26 tales include: "The Subject Is Closed" - Could AI stop working on life after death because subject solved? "Table Manners" - Is Rick hunter or hunted by five Folk aliens? "Losing Mars" - Unpublished. Aliens on Mars angry humans forget their planet.

A creepy science fiction tale involving a bit of horror, a bit of romance, and a whole lot of revenge.A charm hidden in a shipping box brings Tredan’s disgraceful past to his door.Retired Enchanter Tredan and his wife Lanith, magical curio merchants in the seaside town of Isor, have been model citizens for years. But Tredan has harbored a terrible secret. As the victim of a Church-induced spell, he created a journal with spells to enslave the Enchanters’ magical essence to the Church.Enchanters generate the essence powering everything in Tredan’s world. The Church has long resented the Enchanters’ exclusive control over essence. The head Church magician, His Divine, is determined to acquire Tredan’s journal and take the Enchanters’ power for his own.With Lanith out on an errand for the morning, Tredan opens the box containing an Enforcer’s compulsion charm. This Church magician will stop at nothing to collect Tredan’s journal for His Divine. The ensnared Tredan must battle the Enforcer’s superior magic and keep the journal safe. Tredan must also find a way, even if he must enlist the help of the dead, to warn an unsuspecting Lanith before she returns home and falls prey to His Divine’s wrath.Wrath, Prequel to Tredan's Bane -- Honorable Mention Winner, Fiction-Short Story Category, 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest

My name is Kelsey and I'm the last person in Kentsburg to know what happened before The Shock. They say everyone in this town has their own reasons for not wanting to leave. Mostly, it's just too scary to think about.Even if we could get back to civilization, none of us imagine it to be pretty. As for me, I don't have to imagine. I was in the city when it happened. I know we're going to die...My name is Kelsey and I'm the last person in Kentsburg to know anything about what happened before The Shock. On April 23rd, my cousin Janelle had picked me up for a weekend in Jackson, begging me to get out of that stupid hick town. I can't say I complained. We had gotten high up to our eyeballs that night. Everything was going as planned up until it happened...the thing we vowed never to talk about.No one anticipated how the world was going to change. I can't remember all the events leading up to it and in some ways, that's not important. But the fact remains. I know far more than I should, and I can't tell anyone. Either way, it wouldn't matter. Fire or ice? It seems the only one who can save us has chosen fire. I just don't have the heart to tell my friends, but I know the truth. I know we're all going to die out here, and there's no stopping it...

Avar-Tek #3: For Alexander Sevik, providing for his family is hard enough without losing grip on reality. His dreams are real. When he wakes, he sometimes forgets who he is. His hands tingle for no reason, and the strange man who is following him talks about aliens. When he discovers the key to his dreams, he uncovers a national threat. And he has to choose between his own sanity or saving lives.Avar-Tek #3: For Alexander Sevik, providing for his family is hard enough without losing grip on reality. His dreams are real. One night, he lives the entire life of a deckhand on a Spanish galleon. The next night, it’s life as an ancient Roman senator. Next, he is a cyborg on a space cruiser. When he wakes, he sometimes forgets who he is. His hands tingle for no reason, and the strange man who is following him talks about aliens. When he discovers the key to his dreams, he uncovers a national threat. And he has to choose between his own sanity or saving lives.Cohesion Lost is a is a long short story at 14,000 words. It is the third short story in the Avar-Tek Series.

The Third Novel in the Epic ChroMagic Fantasy Series At last Havoc and Gale are married, having discovered the source of the changelings, but the King and Queen have yet to enjoy a peaceful reign. The knowledge they've gained, as well as their new Glamor status, opens doors to new questions-and new missions for Havoc's loyal friends. While Ennui, Aspect, and Nonce are discovering the source of the enigmatic loom, Aura, Augur, and Ini are sent in search of more altars. And in the midst, the royal family quickly blossoms. With the adoption of three remarkable babies, and the news that Gale will soon add a fourth, the King and Queen find themselves very busy! When the loom points the way to Counter-Charm the whole assemblage makes ready to visit and explore the mysterious sister planet. With the help of the peculiar cloud-like ifrits, the Glamors must find the location indicated by the tapestry and permeate powerful illusion fields to find whatever lies at the center. In the process they just might discover that the key to their destiny may be the smallest among them.

by Jessica Arman: Imagine being stuck in school forever. Living there, working there, and eating every meal there. That’s what Taryn and every other kid from her town has to do. What they don’t know is that this so-called slave school is run by Taryn’s father. This secret will lead to heartbreak and despair. Freedom will be had, but not without a heavy cost.Imagine being stuck in school forever. Living there, working there, and eating every meal there. That’s what Taryn and every other kid from her town has to do. What they don’t know is that this so-called slave school is run by Taryn’s father. This secret will lead to heartbreak and despair. Freedom will be had, but not without a heavy cost.

Someone said "life is but a dream." But can the ability to control your dreams be bred into you? Find out how far one man would go to achieve his dream in this sci-fi short.Four PlayA film director has problems with actors who aren’t happy having their lines cut, a writer is under pressure to add new scenes for a female lead, and filming is delayed when two people are found murdered. How will it be resolved? It’s just a series of nuisances the director has to labor through. The Art HeistCarl Vesti’s life has gone sideways from his earlier dreams of one day opening his own upscale art gallery, working instead selling those cheap furniture store paintings imported by the car load from China. But he sees a way out – the valuable Max Beckmann self portrait that resides in the serious art collection of his wife’s employer. Can he lose a wife and gain a Beckmann? Well, that is the challenge. Do You Have An App For That? The news anchor for Seattle’s Channel 6 is fascinated with this planet, amused by its emotions, passion and vulgarity, and has become so concerned that his origins may be discovered he is contemplating doing away with a woman who is probing into his background. But she is killed in a mysterious attack, and her attackers soon come after him. Since he comes from a planet whose chief activity is technical expertise, he is well equipped to face those who have traveled from afar to kill him.

'Revelations' is a collection of futuristic and thought-provoking science fiction stories by Pam Crane.'Revelations' is a collection of futuristic and thought-provoking science fiction stories by Pam Crane. Two of them - 'Clouds on the Horizon' and 'Never' are written out of her decades of experience as one of today's most adventurous astrologers. 'Desert Island Disks' came out of her love of the long-running BBC radio programme - but there's a real castaway with a surprise in store! 'Pioneers' and 'Celebration' take us off-planet into other worlds; one is Mars, where there has been a catastrophe, and the second is a mysterious world that challenges its human visitors' tenacity and entire belief-system. Back on earth for the other four stories and four end-time scenarios, 'The Happiest Day of my Life' takes us into a post-Solar-Flare world - in stark contrast to 'Silver' where everything has frozen, 'The Greening of Terra' and the restoration of oxygen to a largely deforested landscape, and 'The Future of Fish' in which one tiny baby proves to be the future of humanity as the oceans rise and drown the continents. 'Intervention' could be set in any time - its superhero saves the world by terrifying the terrorists.