Fatal Distractions – anthology

“Borrowed Time,” by Virginia Wallace

It is a strange feeling, Elinor once thought, to be in the bathroom when one is supposed to be in the movie theater. It leaves one feeling rather out of place, and ill at ease. This is how she’s felt her entire life, and it all started with a visit from a specter named Dave—and a jar of moonshine.

“The Budsem Affair,” by Virginia Wallace

Bubba Waugh just wanted to use the phone, in a building deceptively labeled ‘Mistress Mary’s School for Girls .’ Little does naïve, country-born Bubba know that a certain ‘Mistress Holly’ is waiting for him …

“Thirst,” by Catalyst Jost

Maxwell is trapped in a world of hallucinations, and vivid dreams. It all started with a blood-red drink, poured into an ornate goblet. Can Max fight his way through the nightmare? Will he ever reconnect with the love of his life, or is he simply too far gone?

“The Protocols,” by Virginia Wallace

For thousands of years, the Plutonians have been watching our planet from afar. Now, they wish to examine it more closely. But even these refined, technologically-advanced aliens might not be prepared for Earth’s hilariously appalling quirks …

“Five Candles,” by Virginia Wallace

Jake DeCarlo leads a shameless existence, living in a world of booze, drugs, and cheap sex. Even his devoutly Catholic mother can’t get through to him. But when the eternal bill for his debauchery comes due, a mysterious man named Uncle Yenaldo is more than willing to chat with him …

“A Time to Die,” by Loren A. Douglas

Adam is watching his wife waste away from cancer. What’s killing him is also watching his neighbor’s beautiful, abused, young-adult daughter inch ever closer to suicide. While one woman is fighting for her life, another is moving towards throwing it all away. This begs the question: is it really such a sin, to put the soul of a suicide candidate into the body of a desperate, dying person? One woman wants to live. The other does not. Wherein lies the right or the wrong of the matter …?

“Find Me in the Mirror,” by Virginia Wallace

Amanda’s adult life is a spectacular success. Her childhood, on the other hand, was a train wreck. The Repeating Universe Theory claims that there are endless universes, with infinite variations upon reality. Search the repeating universes long enough, and you might eventually find another you. And it is in this maze of cosmic variables, that Amanda is able to offer a word of encouragement to her younger self.

“Rime of a Fairy,” by Chris Taylor

Music has always been near and dear to the heart of man. The Celts believed that such enraptured melodies were the work of the Fae, and perhaps this is true …

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