A story with an assassin in it that ends during a business meeting

“First Day”

Having just turned twenty-nine, Sam was going to be the youngest person ever on the board of Salience.

At age twenty-three, straight out of his undergrad, he’d started working in the call centre. ”Right down there with the rest of them,” his dad used to say. He’d never gotten any special treatment.

After less than a year, he was promoted to junior underwriter, and a year and a half following that, senior. Soon after he became department manager. He had employees reporting to him that had been at the company for years. Most were older than him. Some by decades. They never showed any outward resentment – he always feared the day that would start, that he might overhear a snide comment behind a cubicle. He thought he did once, and he froze in terror, unable to think, He didn’t know how to handle disrespect from his employees, his team. How would he be able to confront them? But it turned out they were talking about one of the other managers, thank god. He remembered laughing out loud about it. But the truth was, he deserved to be in the position he was. He earned his way here. He never got any special treatment, never any handouts. This was all his. They knew this.

A story with an assassin in it that ends during a business meeting

"Corporate Martyr"

Greg double-checked the device strapped to his waist one last time before buttoning his blazer and stepping out of the car. Doubts regarding the amount of explosive rushed through Greg's mind but he pushed them away and marched inside.

The Mill-Industries corporate headquarters was as busy as it was any other day. The front desk personnel each gave him a quick nod and a tight-lipped smile before returning to the endless ringing of the phones. The asocial environment of Mill-Ins had pressed Greg into a profound depression, today he was rather happy for the lack of attention.

He pressed on through the lobby toward the elevators. A few nameless office drones stepped aside as he approached, allowing him to step right to the front of the line. He felt the same guilt now that he had been feeling for years as he stepped in front of each of them.

"M-Mister Chairman." One young worker smile nervously and bowed her head as Greg stepped past. He didn't even know her name. He didn't know any of their names. They treated him with so much respect, like a king even, yet he had never done a single thing for them.

A storm destroys your uncle's shed and kills his six-year-old son

"Forecast"

"He was always such a good kid, you know? Quiet and sweet. Spent so much time out in that old shed, just reading I think." Uncle Derek's words collapsed into sobs. We sat together for a few minutes beneath the blue sky, the only sound across the entire farm was the gentle echo of my uncle's sniffling.

Finally Derek was quiet again, wiping his red nose on the back of his sleeve. I put an arm around the old man's waist and we continued our march across the field. At the far corner of his land I could just make out the dilapidated form of the shed where my young cousin Ellis had died.

Our footsteps left obvious imprints across the tilled field. It had been nearly 3 weeks since the storm and Derek still hadn't gotten around to planting. He was nearly 50, strong and grizzled after a lifetime of working the fields. Six years ago he and his wife, my aunt Laura, had finally conceived. Many had said it was too late for them, that the child would likely have serious problems, but against the odds they had a healthy young boy. Ellis was quiet but already showing some smarts for his age, and he seemed to enjoy the family business. Derek would finally have someone to take over the farm.

A storm destroys your uncle's shed and kills his six-year-old son

"Where I Learned About Mortality"

I had only met Stanley once, when I was in first grade – Christmas of 1991. It was at Aunt Karey’s house in Gravenhurst. We had all came the afternoon of Christmas Day, after having first Christmas with our respective parents – which, let’s be honest, was the main attraction. But this was second Christmas, and sometimes our grandparents got us stuff our parents wouldn't. I always looked forward to second Christmas.

Stanley lived in Port Elliot – I had no idea where that was at the time, of course, but I knew it was far. I just wanted more people to play water guns with. There ended up being all five of us kids there (including Stanley and his brother, Shane, who were the only cousins I hadn’t met before that day), and I remember that being the most fun second Christmas ever. Aunt Karey had a crawl space and we dragged pillows and blankets in it to make a fort, then we brought our toys in. Stanley got a Lite-Brite (the ones with the plastic pegs, back then) and I remember us being so into that, for some reason. Some of the other boys played Game Boy but I was a little sad I never got one so I tried not to get too into that. I remembered we high-fived when we were leaving, and we thought we’d at least get to hang out again next Christmas, because look how much fun it was! But that was the last Christmas he was alive for.
 

Sacred

"Wooden Gods"

Long ago a seed was planted. The land was barren and the water sterile, but the seed managed to root none-the-less. Its roots dug deep, spreading beneath the ocean and slowly twisting all across the world. And where the roots spread the world changed. The sterile oceans teamed with life and as the Great Tree pushed up through the surface, the land was soon alive as well.

All over its surface, the world was no longer barren. As the Great Tree's roots dug deeper and spread further, new life sprang into existence on the surface. Strange new creatures crawled, slithered, and flew over the land. Many made their home upon the Great Tree itself. Sheltered in its branches and fed by its fruits.

Finally, after the creatures had changed and mixed and spread countless times over the world, one creature fell from the Great Tree and stumbled awkwardly across the land. No longer content in the Great Tree's protection, the creature cut branches from the tree and made its own shelter, lighting fires with the leftover branches to keep away the night.

Sacred

“The Most Sacred Bond”

She gave birth to her first on a wooden floor. There were people all around, so she knew something was wrong. She was terrified, and the pain was excruciating. The doctor put his hand firmly on her shoulder, but that was it in terms of support. That’s not what everyone else was there for.

Samuel Joseph Hendrick came into the world fully formed, but clumsy, like a lot of children. When he looked around, he didn’t understand what he was seeing; he didn’t know where he was. All he felt was one magical, religious bond toward the being next to him, who he somehow already knew, despite only having been alive for seconds. All he knew was that – safety. The sense of complete safety she gave him. His every instinct was telling him to get closer to her.

But Samuel was special, and that was why all the people were gathered around them. Before he could move, rough hands brought him up, rubbed him off, and branded the number “999” in his ear. He screamed, never having known pain until then. Everyone applauded. He was terrified, obviously, but confused, because all of his instincts told me his mother should keep him safe. He had been Samuel Joseph Hendrick for mere seconds of life, but now he was just 999.

A scene where the only spoken dialogue is "uh-huh," "umm," "err," and "mm-hmm"

"Tacit Bond"

It had been a two-week trek from Grendos but Edron was looking forward to finally diving into the tomes at the Great Archives. And, thanks to Bellis' militaristic time keeping, it looked like they might just make it by dusk. As much as he loved seeing the corners of the world, Edron missed the comforts of city life. And his feet were killing him.

Edron did his best to conceal that from Bellis'. They had been traveling together for nearly 5 years now and he was still amazed at Bellis' drive. Even weighed down by her heavy armor she trudged forward without a hint of discomfort or low spirits. He was grateful to have her at his side.

Edron caught a fleeting smile shoot over Bellis' shoulder.

"Uh-huh?" He had seen that smile before.

A scene where the only spoken dialogue is "uh-huh," "umm," "err," and "mm-hmm"

"The Longest Summer"

“Uh-huh.”

The call had already clocked almost half an hour by the time she let go of his hand and got up out of her chair. He barely reacted, staring with intent at his phone, his conversation partner. She walked, first aimlessly, then toward the kitchen. The lights were on; she reflected in the sliding glass doors leading outward to the summer evening. She stood at their counter, eyes lowered, hands clasped on the granite, and felt her heart beat through her blouse and in her stomach. She felt all her years of yoga and meditation fall at her feet, ineffective. The beautiful kitchen they’d had contracted that had once been so important to her now felt like a mausoleum. All that wasted effort. She didn’t even care about the money.