SPEC*U*LA*TIVE 66

66 words. Endless possibilities.

Issue 9
 Table of Contents
I Am Blue Stephen Oram3
Then Fall, Caesar S.S. Sanderson4
Gnashing of Teeth / Sunset for the Lords of Venus
Anonymous Anonymous.5
Winter's Warning Ian Steadman6
From The Twilit World Len Saculla7
Partners in Time Guy S. Ricketts 8
Of Ash and Dust Karen Heslop.9
The Secret Festival Richard O'Brien10
The Campfire Danny Beusch..11
The Hangover Mark Bilsborough12
Mirror, Mirror J. R. Nichols.13
Unintended Consequences Nate Ealy14
Impending Doom Kerry E.B. Black.15
Community Garden in 2091 Renee Christopher16
A Long Cold Wait Herb Kauderer..17
Security Tagged Allen Ashley.18
Maris Pen Connie B19
On the Block Asher Littlefield.20
Cybermuse A.R. Bender21
By the Light of the Moon Joshua Scully22
The Grin of a Senator Abdul-Qaadir Tariq Bakari-
Muhammad.23
Unclassified M. Irene Hill24
Contributor Bios25-29
Speculative 66 Staff.30
Photo Credits31
 I Am Blue

Stephen Oram

Arriving long ago from a distant place, I

joined your rainbow, watched and waited.

Slipping out from the beautiful arc, I painted

your sky and brushed your sea. I brought
colour to your lives. Did you notice?

No.

An alien in your midst hoping for contact, yet

you ignore me, mix me with others and dilute
my soul.

My sadness permeates; you call it the Blues.

3
 Then Fall,
Caesar

S.S. Sanderson

The conspirators stood stupefied as Julius

Caesar coolly regained his footing and wrung
his own blood from his toga. Although stabbed
twenty-three times, not a single one of wounds
was inflicted by a wooden stake.

Over three dozen senators cowered before this

obviously inhuman creature.

"I'll grant you each an early start," Caesar

offered, hardly concealing his fangs. "And you,
Brutus - you had better run fastest."

4
 Gnashing of Teeth /
Sunset for the Lords of Venus

Anonymous Anonymous

There will be great weeping and gnashing

of teeth, wailing, for Earths cultures,
spores, core, crust, and mantle drifting
apart, giant rings expanding, spinning
our carbon quarks far and farther,
darkening skies, making hazy sunsets on
Venus, Saturn and Titan, Pluto's moons
and places beyond our comprehending
(thank god), to cover baby stars in our
eyes, to touch tiny galaxies with our
fingers
what a blessing.

5
 Winter's Warning

Ian Steadman

I know it's him from the soles of his boots.

Black rubber, thick tread, caked with mud and
leaves. I see hers too: small, dainty, shot
with silver stars. As he draws closer to her,
I lift my frozen face and start to yell. I
won't let him do to her what he did to me.
But they cannot hear me shouting from beneath
the ice.

6
 From The Twilit World

Len Saculla

Ours has been a life of constraint. But

not for much longer.

We have learned much about our mostly

twilit world. For generations, we have studied
the sudden bursts of illumination, confusing
images and bright projections from beyond.

We have learnt that the strange creatures

call our world a glass, a reflection, a
mirror

We have the technology. Soon we will burst

free from all constraints. 7
 Partners in Time

Guy S. Ricketts

The villainous Chronoman had his nefarious

plans thwarted repeatedly by local hero
Cardinal, aka Ned Freeman. Fed up, he sends
Cardinal away, back into the past. Luckily, our
hero winds up in his own past; his teen years.

Cardinal finds himself unable to ever return

home. Accepting his situation, he decides to
continue his war on crime. He recruits himself
as his own youthful ward, Bluejay.

8
 Of Ash and Dust

Karen Heslop

Fire blazes in the square again tonight. I

think I feel its heat as the thick black smoke
rises but its only the sickness blossoming
beneath my skin. Ash tumbles into my
outstretched palm and I imagine the rusty
smell of my fathers sweat and the mouth-
watering aroma of my mothers apple pies. I
walk towards the flames, anxious to be one
with my family again.

9
The Secret Festival

Richard O'Brien

Far away from the carnival

clamor, the habitual drone of

tired barkers, and wilted cotton

candy; past the half-sphere of electric

light and clang of raucous bells, out

there in the dark, conducted in deep

shadow among the old hawthorn

trees, a different festival beckons.

The drum's thunder and ancestors' barrow

dreams; dandelion wine and ethereal

song await; all of this and more

10
free admission included.
 The Campfire

Danny Beusch

I was born beneath a full moon: to light, to

warm, to toast.

I can seduce. Or reduce your secrets to ash and

cinder.

Like a vampire I will be gone by sunrise, my

blackened remains doused and buried.

I have but one request, if I may: no more

Kumbaya My Lord. Stoke me with Black Sabbath
instead; the end is near, I want to roar.

11
 The Hangover

Mark Bilsborough

Aaron ached all over.

Heey, he said. Too much wine last night.

Last night? said Lena. That was four

thousand years ago.

What?

That wine? Drugged. We needed you for the

future.

Me? Why?

Lets just say we needed some pre-crash DNA.

A med-bot floated close by. Aaron thought

about screaming, but then he caught Lenas
wicked grin.

So you want me for my body?

Always.

12
Mirror, Mirror

J. R. Nichols

I do not like to look in the mirror. Not

because I dont like how I look, but because of
the way my reflection smirks at me. If I stare
long enough, her eyes narrow. The longer I
look, the more her hatred for me is almost
palpable, as if radiating from the glass.

I fear what she will do if I stare for too

long.

13
 Unintended Consequences

Nate Ealy

Tom never knew there was a draft in the

house. It didnt surprise him, though, that he
could feel the cold air on his toes. Swinging
from his own noose, Tom learned a lot of
things. Most important was that he was
immortal. Who knew? Secondly, he was still
depressed. Maybe he should've tried to kill
himself first, and spared Michelle, because now
he's alone too.

14
 Impending Doom

Kerry E.B. Black

Worry settled on Lynnette like an unwelcomed and
oversized coat. She struggled against it, pushed
with straining muscles until she collapsed,
exhausted beneath its burden. It pressed,
prevented breathing, and without oxygen,
thoughts jumbled into terrors.

She texted with trembling fingers. Be safe.

Dont know what Id do without you.

His phone jingled from the passengers seat.

Lynnettes text. He read instead of avoiding
oncoming death.

15
 Community Garden in 2091

Renee Christopher

Disaster had never been a stranger to Alda.

This time, she was sick, and had to leave the
garden to Alfred, her younger brother. When
the strangers came, the ones sicker than
Alda, Alfred gave them what they needed--took
whatever they offered. He couldn't do Alda's
spells. He gave some amaranth here, sage
there, lavender in special cases. Alda was
proud; he'd been listening after all.

16
 A Long Cold Wait

Herb Kauderer

The ancient machine hidden among asteroids waits

for tholin-eating bacteria to finish evolving
into space-goers. It cannot know impatience, yet
circuits seek that moment when children grown
from long ago seeds return bearing fruits of
energy and metals to feed the machine, helping
it create more of its kind.

It anticipates pleasure in companionship with

more machines to help teach the self-replicating
biomechs their purpose. Service.
17
 Security Tagged

Allen Ashley

Midnight. Alarm disabled; were in Windsors

nicking high-fashion items. Its creepy in the
torchlight.

Hey, Terry, that mannequin seemed to move.

You watch too many B-movies, Joe. Now get

those Lulu Guinness handbags into the van.

I busy myself grabbing haute couture clothes

and perfumes. When I get back, though:

Very funny, Tel, posing with the dummys hands

round your neck. Come on, lets split Terry!

18
 Maris Pen

Connie B

Just one.
You can do just one.
Anybody can do just one.
Just begin.

The imperative rattled Maris head.

Anybody.
Mari is anybody.
You.
You is Mari, too.

Rattle. Just one. Rattle.

Maris hands squeezed her skull, but couldnt

crush the insistent badgering words.

Just begin.

Mari deliberately straightened, terrified of

that white blank leaf. With dismal dread, she
began to move her pen.

19
 On the Block

Asher Littlefield

What are you cooking? he asked.

A book, I said.

Like a mobster? he asked.

No. I laughed. Like a writer, but I

can taste the words and the story.

Weird, mom. Does it taste good?

No, I sighed. It tastes like nothing

Ive ever tasted before. It tastes like
the loss of your father.

But dads not dead.

I know. Thank god for writer's block.

20
 Cybermuse

A.R. Bender

O Cybermuse!

While searching for a paramour

within a sea of words and art
I came upon Your ghostly image
shimmering
like the Lady of the Lake
inside my laptop screen,
thus reawakening
those buried and near forgotten desires
to worship and to serve,
even though
Im far more deeply drawn
to the darker harsher
Queen Mab types.

Perhaps
there are elements of both
21
in You.
 By the Light of the Moon

Joshua Scully

A steady band of clouds had obscured

the moon for several hours. The
skies were finally clearing,
allowing the faintest moonshine to
be discerned.

The detective stood in the middle of

an alphapla field. His prisoner
struggled amongst the spindly
stalks, bound in chains.

The lawman slipped a silver bullet

into his revolver.

"Full moon tonight," he said.

"Clouds are breaking up. We'll see
what's what."

22
 The Grin of a Senator

Abdul-Qaadir Tariq Bakari-Muhammad

The smoke of dead bodies crawled beneath the

skyline.
On my world was there an evil like this? I
can't remember a time.
Below streaks of plasma fire rushed to their
mark.
Gallant voices repelled them until they went
dark.
Loyal clones marched over their remains
declaring martial law.
The beginning of peace in our galaxy is what
I saw.
Padawans and Masters
Destroyed by blasters.
23
 Unclassified

M. Irene Hill
The being defied supernatural classification,
yet encompassed traits of elven, spectral,
demon, monster, human, undead, wildlife and
foreign classifications. Imagine what a
conundrum that was for scientific investigators
at the Institute of Anomalous Phenomenon.
Even with the most high tech equipment like
accelerometers, magnetometers, UV scanners,
thermal and infrared video cameras, and spectrum
analyzers, weve been dumbfounded.
Until it spoke: We need to build a wall

24
 Con*trib*u*tors
Anonymous Anonymous

From the ancient Sumerian Debate between Fish and Bird to the modern-
day hacktivist group, anonymous authorship has had a long history in
societies throughout the world.

Allen Ashley

Allen Ashley featured in Speculative 66 issue 8 with Winning Smile.

He works as a creative writing tutor with five groups running across
north London, UK. He is a committee member for the British Fantasy
Society. His most recent book is an updated, revised version of his
novel The Planet Suite (Eibonvale Press, UK, 2016). He is the sole
judge for the British Fantasy Society Short Story Competition open
until 30 June 2017. www.allenashley.com

Abdul-Qaadir Taariq Bakari-Muhammad

Abdul-Qaadir Taariq Bakari-Muhammad was born, raised and currently

resides in southeastern Virginia. To the locals, the area is better
known as Hampton Roads, Virginia. He is a writer and college graduate
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Norfolk State
University. His passion for writing began in high school where he was
always into doing research for various subjects and reporting what he
found. Mr. Bakari-Muhammad writes erotica, poetry, speculative, and
historical fiction. His work has appeared in Zane Chocolate Flava 3 Z-
Rated, Corset Magazine (Man vs Machine: The Sex Toy Issue), The Horror
Zine, Fiction Terrifica, JWK Publications (Terror Train Anthology
2014), Jack of No Trades Productions (Nothings Sacred Volume 2),
Poetry & Prose Magazine: National Poetry Month (April 2015), Poetry &
Prose Magazine: Fairy Tales and Fantasies! (May 2015), and J Parle
Literary Magazine 4th Quarter: 2015 Edition, J Parle Literary Magazine
Issue 1 2016, and Jaded Books Publishing: Black Candy: A Halloween
Anthology of Horror (2016), Floppy Shoes Apocalypse 3 Cream Pie freaks
(March 2017), Schreyer Ink Publishing (June 2017), Infernal Ink
Magazine: Devilishly Erotic Horror (July 2017), and Weirdbook
Magazine Issue #37 (November 2017). He and his wife have three
beautiful children. Please feel free to visit his websites.
https://bakarimuhammad.com/ He can be reached at bakari1992@gmail.com
or on twitter @Taariq757 and
https://www.facebook.com/abdulqaadir.bakarimuhammad.
25
 Connie B

Connie B is not a writer and has not published any work anywhere.
She does not have a literary education, background or future.
Connie believes in words, yours and hers. She offers this piece to
say thank you to all the wonderful writers who toil and fret and
anguish because they cant not say what they must say.

A.R. Bender

A.R is a peripatetic writer now living in Tacoma, Washington. He's

completed two short story collections, a few of which have been
published individually, multiple flash fiction pieces, and a
smattering of poetry. He's also seeking representation for his
completed historical novel.

Danny Beusch

Danny (@OhDannyBoyShhh) reads a lot of Margaret Atwood and Joanne

Harris. He lives in Birmingham, England, and has recently
discovered the joys of writing flash fiction.

Mark Bilsborough

Mark Bilsborough writes way too much Science Fiction from a secret
location somewhere in England. His ambition is to write the
definitive detectives in space novel and hes warming up with short
stories, scattered around the internet.

Kerry E.B. Black

Kerry E.B. Black lives in a swamp in Pennsylvania, though neither

Shrek nor Fionna visit. More about the author can be found
at www.facebook.com/authorKerryE.B.Black and Twitter
@BlackKerryblick

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 Renee Christopher

Renee Christopher is an MFA candidate at Iowa State where she serves

as poetry editor for Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment. She
is a recipient of ISU's 2017 Dark Horse Award and has been accepted
to the 2017 Tin House Summer Conference. Her poetry has been
published in Crab Fat and Alyss Lit's 2017 Inauguration Edition.
Find her @reneesunok.

Nate Ealy

Nate Ealy is a recent graduate of Grove City College where he

obtained a degree in history. In his free time Nate likes to write
short stories and watch football. Some of his stories have been
published in Flash Fiction Magazine, Siren's Call eZine, and Massacre
Magazine. He blogs semi-frequently
at: swallowedbymonsters.wordpress.com.

Karen Heslop

Karen Heslop writes from Kingston, Jamaica. Her stories have been
published or are upcoming in Black Girl Magic Lit Mag, Worlds Unknown
Anthology, Theme of Absence, Bards and Sages Quarterly, Big Echo
Critical Science Fiction, The Fifth Di, Dark Fire Fiction,
Broadswords and Blasters and Grievous Angel among others. She tweets
@kheslopwrites.

M. Irene Hill

M. Irene Hill lives on the Canadian Prairies. She dabbles in poetry

and flash fiction, and rescues cats. Ok, just one cat with multiple
personalities. Her writing has been published in print anthologies
and online at Poetry Soup, 365 Tomorrows, Flash Fiction Magazine,
and Speculative 66. You can find her on Twitter @m_IRENE_hill

Herb Kauderer

Herb Kauderer is an associate professor of English at Hilbert

College and the author of well over a thousand poems, stories,
articles, and more. Flying Solo: The Lana Invasion, his eleventh
book of poetry, is due out around May 20, 2017 from Poet's Haven
Press. More about him and his writing can be found at
HerbKauderer.com.
27
 Asher Littlefield

Asher Littlefield is a lover of exploration, remembering, and

learning the way a place works. He reads stories, history, theology,
science, and politics, and likes to talk about all of that on
Twitter: @AsherTheWriter. He lives with his wife and their dog in New
Hampshire.

J. R. Nichols

J. R. Nichols writes flash fiction and short stories. Her work has
won several online contests, has appeared in the 2014 Indies
Unlimited flash anthology, and has been featured on The No Extra
Words podcast. Her first Novelette, "Second Chance," is available
for preorder now on Amazon.com.

Richard OBrien

Richard OBriens stories and poems have appeared in such

magazines as The Hollins Critic, Encounters Magazine, Stoneboat,
Duende Literary coming June 2017), and others.

Stephen Oram

Stephen Oram writes near-future fiction intended to provoke debate.

In his time hes been a hippie-punk, religious-squatter and a
bureaucrat with a gentle attraction to anarchism; he thrives on
contradictions. As 2016 Author in Residence at Virtual Futures he
was one of the masterminds behind the new Near-Future Fiction
series and continues to be a lead curator. He has two published
novels, Quantum Confessions and Fluence, and a collection of shorter
pieces of work - Eating Robots and Other Stories.
www.stephenoram.net

28
 Len Saculla

Len Saculla lives in London, UK. He has been a Pushcart Nominee. He

has previously been published in British publications such as
"Theaker's Quarterly", "BFS Journal", "Unspoken Water" and
"Wordland"; as well as several American anthologies form Kind of a
Hurricane Press. His story Quiet Neighborhood was in issue 8 of
Speculative 66.

S.S. Sanderson

S.S. Sanderson (@SSSanderson2) writes flash fiction and lives a life

that looks better on paper. He resides in rural Somerset County,
Pennsylvania.

Joshua Scully

Joshua Scully is an American History teacher from Uniontown,

Pennsylvania. His fiction can be found
at www.jjscully.wordpress.com or @jojascully.

Ian Steadman

Ian Steadman is a writer from the south of England. His fiction

has most recently been published by Black Static and Unsung
Stories. Find out more at www.iansteadman.com.

Guy S. Ricketts

Guy S. Ricketts is an avid reader and writer who enjoys nearly every
genre of story. He sees every day as potential to write an epic
story, and life provides limitless sources of inspiration. His
Twitter handle is @GuyRicketts.

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SPEC*U*LA*TIVE 66 Staff

Cat-in-Chief Ila

Editor-in-Chief L.L. Madrid

Photo Editor - Jason Palmieri

30
 *Photo Credits*
Cover Photo Bisbee Graffiti by L.L. Madrid
Photo on 3 Vifram - DeviantArt
Photo on 4 Pixabay
Photo on 5 Darkrai696 - DeviantArt
Photo on 6 Pixabay
Photo on 7 The Oblivion Scepter - Pixabay
Photo on 8 Pixabay
Photo on 9 Pixabay
Photo on 10 Pixabay
Photo on 11 Tomtebobarnen - Flickr
Photo on 12 NRK P3 - Flickr
Photo on 13 Pixabay
Photo on 14 Martha macha highlike.org
Photo on 15 Pixabay
Photo on 16 Magickal Garden Pixabay
Photo on 17 Shutterstock
Photo on 18 Pixabay
Photo on 19 Pixabay
Photo on 20 Pixabay
Photo on 21 Pixabay
Photo on 22 Werewold - Pixabay
Photo on 23 Like a Boss - Rasuto Kun
Photo on 24 Daniel Arrhakis - Flickr

*** Unless otherwise stated, all photos in

this issue are CCO Public Domain, Free for
commercial use with no attribution required.

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VI.VI.MMXVII

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