Amazing Stories

By Clemens P. Suter

Amazing short stories by the master storyteller! Read about the young man who finds a mysterious tunnel beneath his garden; mysterious goings-on set in a French forest; a robot reporting about its visit to Earth, or the tale of the Watermonster from Hockenheim, which kidnapped numerous children: these stories will keep you on the edge of your seat. Clemens P. Suter, established author of visionary SciFi that predicted the corona pandemic in 2010, presents stories full of surprise, humor and action. Contents: Watermonster, The Exploration of Planet 17824540930, Forest, Doreen, Potassium Hydroxide, The Tunnel, The Naked Truth and the Lie Dressed up as the Truth, The Baker and the Pot of Gold.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clemens P. Suter
• Release date: Apr 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463470824

Clemens P. Suter

Books You Can't Put Down Once You Begin. WARNING: make sure you don't have anything important going on the next day because these gripping books will keep you awake all night long. Clemens P. Suter is the author of top-rated SciFi and adventure stories. His novel TWO JOURNEYS (2011) describes the adventures of the sole survivor of a corona pandemic - how visionary is that then?!. FIELDS OF FIRE (2016) and REBOUND (2022) are further installments in this series. CELETERRA (2013) is one of the few atheist crime novels ever-written. Suter's novels and short stories are suited for all ages, combining straightforward adventure, philosophic elements, and dark humor. Clemens P. Suter has a Ph.D. in biology, his scientific know-how is omnipresent in all of his works. Remember: >>> THE BEST PAGE-TURNERS ARE WORTH THE LOSS OF SLEEP

Book preview

Grandfather, grandfather! The two boys burst into the kitchen, throwing their schoolbags into the corner. Old Hans woke up with a start, his smoking pipe in his mouth and all. Guiltily, he glanced in the direction of the woodstove, where his daughter Annie, the mother of Hans Junior and little Fritz, was preparing the afternoon meal. But, as she was stirring the cabbage soup, her back was turned towards him, and she hadn’t noticed that he had been dozing off.

Yes, my children, welcome home. How was school?

Fritz was the first to have pulled off his jacket and shoes, and to put his slippers on his feet. Grandfather tell us the story! The story of the monster, as you promised this morning!

Hans smiled into his beard. For certain the two boys hadn’t picked up much in school today, too nervous to hear his tale. Now Hans Junior also snuggled up to him. Please grandfather!

Well…, said the senior, it is still some time until lunch, so I could start at least. But first, throw some more wood on the flames, the room is getting a bit chilly! And Fritzi could bring me some of the cold coffee, the pot is right next to the stove. And then come over here and sit next to me, each on one side.

Annie turned her head towards the three: Are you forgetting about me! she smiled. The boys got of their seats and ran to their mother and kissed her cheek. Soon the fire in the oven was roaring again, and grandpa also had his cup of coffee in front of him. He puffed on his pipe. Now let me see, where do I start…

The boys looked up at him eagerly, their cheeks red from the winter cold and anticipation. The candle on the table flickered. Ah yes, started the old man, It must have been, well, at least 30, 40 years ago… His face became pensive and a bit sad, as the memories slowly came back to him.

It had been a December, a few weeks before Christmas. The town of Hockenheim rested peacefully on the plain of the Rhine valley. People were going about their business; children were born and went to school, young adults fell in love, couples founded families, and old people died. The virus that had caused so much havoc all over the world was long past, the economy had somewhat recovered, and the extremist government that had followed the pandemic had been overthrown and replaced by some law and order.

Yes, all was well in Hockenheim. Up until one night: a Tuesday, old Hans could remember it well, as Tuesdays he went to play chess in the old church building. He had returned late and his wife had gone to bed. Annie, their little girl, slept peacefully in her cot. In the small hallway of the house, Hans pulled of his wet coat. November and December had been very rainy, and the Kraichbach was almost overflowing with water; almost, since many decennia before, a city council had decided on a water management project, which now proved to be quite beneficial. In reality, the Kraichbach was a small, meandering brook, which carried water from the hills in the east, passed through Hockenheim and poured into the Rhine a few miles to the northwest.

Hans decided to have a small sip of red wine before turning in and had just lighted a candle and filled his glass, when a terrible banging on the house door sounded. "Das der mi veräbble will! cursed Hans, as he hurried to the door and pulled it open. Outside stood his neighbor Roland and a policeman. Hans looked at the two in astonishment. What’s up?" he said.

Follow us. Quickly! said the policeman. Hans looked at their faces, which were pale and serious; yes, filled with fear. He realized that something of great importance had happened. Hurriedly he grabbed for his coat, which was still dripping with water, and the cold of the garment on his shoulders made him shiver. Upstairs, Annie started crying, and his wife called.

It’s OK, darling, shouted Hans. It is Roland… and a policeman. I will be back soon. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped out of the house and pulled the door close behind him. The two men were already moving. They left the Schulstrasse, turned into the Hirschstrasse, over to the Ottostrasse and from there, past the city hall, into the Marcus-Zeitlerstrasse. Several men stood in front of house number 15, torches in their hands and grim looks on their faces. The policeman pushed them out of the way and the three men went to a room at the back of the house. A woman, unknown to Hans, sat in a chair, crying. A man, probably her husband, stood next to her, holding her hand. He too had tears in his eyes. The policeman pointed at a children’s bed. He looked at Hans and said only one word, as if it was enough to explain the entire situation.

Empty!

Hans felt a shudder running along his spine. He realized why these men had collected him. The mayor was out of town, and Hans was acting vice-mayor; a role that was honorary at best, without any pay, but, in emergencies such as this, with some limited responsibilities. He looked from one to the other and inspected the bed more closely. Obviously, a child had slept here, a girl by the look of it. Hans stepped to the terrace door that led to the garden, and touched the glass; to his surprise, the door was unlocked and swung open, so that he and the others in the room could look into the dark garden. Hans didn’t say anything or ask any questions, instead he stepped out into the rain, the policeman followed him and switched on his torch. They walked through the grass until they came to a wall at the end of the garden. Instinctively, Hans decided to follow it to the right. Soon they came to a door, which was also not locked, and from there into a small passage, which they followed. After just a few paces, the policeman pulled Hans’ sleeve. Look, hissed the man, pointing at the ground in front of them. There, on the red sandstone, was a footprint. They bent down to inspect. It was the size of a man’s foot, but broader, the impressions of individual toes clearly visible, but far apart, and seemingly connected by webs. Hans immediately concluded that this footprint wasn’t of human origin. It looked like the print left by a giant frog, an amphibian. A strange smell hung in this alley, a smell of fouling river water and blood. A sense of dread came over them and they checked their surroundings for any movement, but the owner of the footprint was not to be seen. Hastily the two men scanned the rest of the ground, but no more footprints could