Orotund
Collected Short Stories Volume II
The two of them companionably walked the sidewalk together, past the splatters of vomit that never seemed to wash away, past the panhandlers squatting in it - no point busting them for a permit; they couldn't afford the fee anyhow, unless a torrent of foul mouthed abuse could be considered currency. As though sensing Sam's darkening thoughts the little girl walked closer. When her frail hand crept tentatively into his, he felt his worn spirit begin to soar ...
A paroled monster, a prostitute and a policeman all see a little girl lost, but this isn't the start of a joke. An isolated, frail old man trapped in his apartment; what possible threat could he pose to the sociopaths next door?
Take a stroll down humanity's eerie back alleys and enjoy BP Gregory's newest short science fiction, urban fantasy and horror stories neatly packaged together in Orotund: Collected Short Stories Volume Two.
Orotund includes ...
Stow
A young girl gazes down at a body shattered on the quiet suburban pavement. What desperation would drive anyone to risk such a horrible death? Who would stow away?
Economy
Wracked with jealousy Babette speeds down the road in a parasitic vehicle, determined to disrupt her lover's wedding. But how much of herself will she have to surrender to make it?
Mould
My best friend was in Pompeii. And like everybody else on that fateful day she never left, leaving me orbiting helplessly within horror, reincarnation and the persistence of memory.
Terry
Might artificial intelligence finally be real this time? Prodigy or processor, Terry’s mad keen to prove himself. He's going to paint us a picture.
Strangers
A paroled monster, a prostitute and a policeman all see a little girl lost, but this isn't the start of a joke. What can such a morsel do, when all that's left to rely on is the kindness of strangers?
Glory
Students were discouraged from venturing into the park's public toilet. Of course they all knew, in whispers and titters, it was because of the hole.
The Self Made Man
People are only supposed to get one bite at the pie; that single chance, do or die. But not Timers, who can grimly restart again and again, as many times as it takes.
Submerged
An isolated, frail old man trapped in his apartment. What possible threat could he pose to the sociopaths next door? Except Brendan has his wife's foolish bravery to live up to ...
... and now includes special bonus short story Lunchbox
Lunchbox
Do ghosts exist? Surely the city would be crawling with them by now ... Out on a drunken pub crawl, John and Charles are about to find out what happens when ghosts reach out from the icy walls and touch somebody.