CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Last week we had a very short piece of military science fiction. This week, it's a piece of science fiction much closer to the oceans of our home world, and it forms the February 8th entry in 365 Days of Flash Fiction . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Del Marina Betrayal In the laboratories of Santos del Marina we saw many things: sea cows that gave milk humans could drink, leafy dragons that breathed a storm of sharp, poisonous shards, puffer fish able to propel spiral shell-boats, and sea jellies the colour of rainbows, which tasted like strawberries and peaches. We didn’t see what Santos was doing to the whales, and we really shoulda seen through his quiet smile and calm façade. Twenty-eight days after he’d started, the first whale dared approach us for help—the only one who didn’t think we already knew of Santos’s mischief and condoned it. At first we recoiled, and then we struck. We visited the del Marina laborato

This week’s verse moves from fantasy to something maybe a bit more suited to a futuristic Valentine's Day Eve. It is taken from Another 365 Days of Poetry , a collection of mixed-genre poetry to be released later in the year, once both collection and cover are complete. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Will You? Didja wanna go out wiv me? Didja? Didja? Do ya wanna come see a movie? Do ya? Will ya walk wiv me awhile? Just a little way. Maybe just a little mile? And will ya smile? Well, will you? I’ve come a very long way since then, since when we ran in bare feet, from shadow to shadow down the burning summer street. I’ve been to university, seen the stars, served my planet, helped stop wars, and all that time, my mind turned back to those times when I’d wait to walk with you all the way to school, and back again, to spend a little time with you, where you wouldn’t be hassled by paren

This week’s short story takes us from a colonial world where the colonists are coming to grip with the wildlife to a camp set on a planet far, far away. Welcome to Banquet at Magic Mountain. I hate camp. Every year yada yada yada. The only bright point is Luka, the Wild Man of Camp Mellinjo, an orphan and a stray grown up. When he bolts out of camp with the cook on his tail, I take off to see if I can save him, yet again—and that’s when I discover Camp Mellinjo isn’t what it seems, and neither is Luka. But seriously, guys, would my parents really sell me out? Banquet at Magic Mountain is available as a stand-alone short story at the following links: books2read.com/u/mV7Xqr .

LAST WEEK, Simone decided to open her package. This week shows what happened when she did. Chapter 5 Excerpt – The Package From: Boarder 9652—Simone Michaels Date: Sunday, 25 August 3049 Dear Tiger You have to know by now that I haven’t had time to either post your letter, or look inside the package. Someone set me an extra assignment to make up for the excursion I didn’t go on. Nice of them—NOT! I only dropped your letter in the mail center this morning, when I went down to breakfast. Hope it gets to you safely. I’m still grounded, but the others are off to town for the day. It’s a semi-supervised day out. Marrietta was beside herself when she worked out I couldn’t come. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The complete series is available as short, individual ebooks, and will become available as an omnibus, later this year. In the meantime, you can find them on this blog, until one week after the last chapter in t