The Technicals, Part 4: Conclusion

The Technicals were done returning all the absorbed beings to the Gathering.
“Give back. Give back.”
Their chant went on as they began to pull random components from their bodies. Gadgets and their associated odds and ends grew in two piles.
To everyone’s astonishment, one pile—consisting of plastic, glass, metal, and wood—turned to streams of mist. The streams [...]

The Technicals, Part 3

It was difficult, but Mouse and Wisdom waited. The Technicals drew in the rest of the Gathering until the meadow was silent, empty. If they had it right, they would be safe. No place existed for Wisdom within the Technicals’ grasping indulgence.
“Are they finished?” Mouse peeped from a fold in Wisdom’s cloak.
“Quite nearly. The area [...]

The Technicals, Part 2

There were two of them. They stood as tall as a two-story building, and each bore a humanoid resemblance, if only in shape.
The first Technical crashed into the meadow, dropping components and dragging wires in its wake. Its body was composed of computer innards, televisions, cell phones, countless other electronics, and even a car or [...]

The Technicals, Part 1

It was the Elementals who called the emergency meeting. As the eldest beings, they were minimally in charge of the process.
The Elementals were joined in a quiet meadow by representatives of the Animals, the Florals, and the youngest of the beings, the Conceptuals. Members of each group settled in to their places around a [...]

Shirley, You’ll Bake No More

Baking… baking… baking…
Shirley stared at the temperature gauge, willing it to drop. Ninety-seven degrees outside. One hundred eleven inside. Dry heat wouldn’t be so bad, but the air was so humid in the condo that its metallic taste was overwhelming.
The power company adds an hour on to its promised restoration every time she calls. They [...]