Farscapes and Dreamscapes: Four Short Stories

By Mario Silva

In a collection of four stories, author Mario Silva offers an exploration of the furthest reaches of what it means to be human. These tales consider the things we doand the things we are sometimes forced to do.

In Galahad, Sir Galahad suddenly finds himself in a place that he finds difficult to understand. There he meets a young girl who teaches him not only the ways of the place but pushes his code of chivalry to the limit. In The Letter, Jennifer Ashton is on her morning run when she finds a letter from her deceased husband; as she reads it, it gradually turns into regular garbage. She then begins receiving messages that seem to come from nowhere, pushing her to the edge of sanity. Cigarette tells the story of a man trapped in the zombie apocalypse who only wants to find his next smokeno matter what. In First Thought, a man traveling the world after humanitys end meets a young boy, and together they encounter unearthly creatures and spiritsone of whom challenges them to an unexpected game.

These four short stories examine the factors and habits that lead humanity both away from and toward redemption and forgiveness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781480840324

Mario Silva

Mario Silva has degrees in multidisciplinary studies based on English literature and in psychology. He enjoys science fiction and superhero tales, and his comic book collection has reached the one-thousand mark. He lives with his family and cat, Luna, in El Paso, Texas.

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Copyright © 2016, 2017 Mario Silva.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4031-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4032-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016919722

Archway Publishing rev. date: 1/3/2017

Contents

Galahad

The Letter

Cigarette

First Thought

About the Author

Galahad

To Ms. Regalbuto: You were the first person to believe I could fly.

Sir Galahad was riding on his white horse across the pavement of the new city that he had just come across. He had been riding across the desert for a long time and wondered how he even arrived here in the first place. It was like a daze as if entering a mirage and happened so gradually that when he reached the plaza he had not realized he had done so. This was nothing like the Camelot where he had come from; this was some place that was completely new and wondrous that he had never seen. There were towers taller than any that he had seen in any city. There were no walls around it. There were strange and vivid works of art in slim towers that seem so vividly painted he could almost swear they were real. The strange part is that he could see islands in the sky all connected by a translucent almost crystal strands. The sky was a tan color and he could not see the sun, yet he could still feel the heat. His armor burned his skin under the sun that he was in. Chain mail is heavy and particularly itchy after some time. Galahad was twenty years of age, had nice features with a square jaw and fine cheekbones, he had blue eyes and blazing red hair which you could not see because of his iron helmet. His armor consisted of chain mail with a red metal plate across his chest with a lion coat of arms. There is a similar plate on his back with heavy metal gloves and iron armor legs. He has a broadsword on a hilt hanging from his left side with easy access with his right hand. He was very muscular, and could move a lot faster than you would expect someone wearing so much armor could.

His horse neighed as he always did when he wanted water. It was a faithful horse, he had never steered the good knight wrong once even in the crusades where everything was about honor and defending the faith and fighting alongside Arthur and the other Knights of the Round Table. Where had King Arthur and the other knights gone?

He went across a Plaza with strange dragon like creatures that were made of color. He wondered if they were creatures that may have been sealed away by the likes of Merlin or another wizard of his kind, living out the rest of eternity as statues in this public place. He could only wonder of what great battles these creatures may have caused. He searched for a place for his horse to drink and while he was doing this he came across a small girl with blonde hair that was passing by the street.

She was wearing a small creature on her head that appeared to be chewing on it. It was green with blank eyes and strange square ears. The girl also had green eyes and wore thick blue pants and strange white shoes and was wearing a shirt that only said OMFG. Sir Galahad was intrigued by this sight and went up to her.

Young miss is that creature bothering thee? he said. The girl looked at him blankly.

That creature, he said. That creature that sits on thy head. At that moment the girl realized what the good knight was talking about and laughed.

This is just my hat silly, she said. It’s not alive. She giggled at the thought.

Oh, well can thou please guide me to a place where I can get some water for mine horse? asked the good knight. The girl gave him a sad look but smiled and then said Sure I have nothing better to do… Sir Galahad offered his hand to her and pulled her up to the horse.

So tell me child. Said the good knight, What is thou named? the girl did not answer for a moment. Galahad was about to talk once more and then she just said.

My name does not matter… if you wish to call me something just call me the Headbanging Cheese. Sir Galahad just considered this for a moment and thought it odd, but nonetheless he accepted the answer and decided not to pursue it further for the time being.

So Miss Cheese what is the name of this place? he asked.

The name of this place is not important either you are here and there and sometimes over there but you usually are here. That was all she said.

She guided him to a spot where a gigantic creature was sitting getting water it was full of fur and had strange eyes it was drinking out of a tank and there was a rider on top of its big black fur while the creature just drank water and the owner just sat while wearing a strange sash that was coming out of the creature’s back.

What manner of creature is this? said the good knight.

You’ve never seen an esuvee before? she said. They live here near the web.

I am in a web? asked the good knight thinking of a spider’s web. What manner of web is this?

Just a web she said.

Sir Galahad was more confused than ever. Yet, thinking of the strange islands in the sky and imagining it as if they had been prey for a giant spider it made a little more sense to him. As his dear horse drank alongside the esuvee, he went inside to talk to the owner of the establishment to see if he knew how to get back to the desert and back to where the crusades are going on. When he returned after the owner had laughed at him and kicked him out. He then saw that the Cheese now had a knife and she was cutting into her arm.

Child what is thou doing?! he said as he came and snatched her knife from her. He saw that there was blood coming down her arm as the girl did not even shed a single tear from the pain.

What manner of ritual are you doing child? said Sir Galahad, aghast as to seeing her blood run down her arm.

What does it matter? it numbs the pain… she said as she gave a long distant look.

I do not understand! said the good knight as he threw the knife away. The esuvee did not even look nor did the rider. Why would causing pain numb it?

I know you don’t. she said. I am not even worth the time that I spend here.

What manner of nonsense does thou speak child? said the knight. Of course you matter!

It’s not nonsense, it’s the truth. She just said as she scratched and picked at the newly formed cut in her arm.

I must get thee to a healer to cleanse and heal your wounds. Said the good knight with obvious concern. Camelot would have to wait.

Don’t worry about it I don’t mind.

Well I dost. Said Galahad as he grabbed a cloth from his pouch and cleaned the wound.

After he cleaned her wound, and bandaged it up as best as any knight could, and his horse was satiated they rode off from the drinking station. They wandered for a while and eventually ended up in the plaza once more. Galahad began to talk to the Headbanging Cheese.

Why dost thou call thyself the Headbanging Cheese? he asked.

That is what I do. Replied the Cheese. I headbang to the greatest music that I find.

Please show me. Asked the good knight.

She took out a silver disk that she put in a strange box that she pulled out of her sack and then turned it on. Suddenly there was music that came from the box and she began to headbang to the sounds of a song she said was called When Worlds Collide.

This be a most unusual ritual. Said Sir Galahad.

Try it, you might like it. She said.

Sir Galahad began to bounce his head up and down as she did which made his chain mail begin to clink which made an unusual sound. His helmet fell off, which revealed his red hair and it flailed so much that the good knight didn’t even realize it had fallen off. The Headbanging Cheese began to laugh at this which made Galahad laugh, and then he got dizzy from the headbanging which also made him laugh. The more they laughed the more they headbanged and now they were rocking out to more of her music to which she described as Rock.

For several days, the good night and the Headbanging Cheese rode together around this strange town. Aside from the strange rituals that he had never seen, Galahad grew to like this Cheese girl a lot. He wished he could help her, as any good knight would. The strangeness of the place amazed him more as he was taken to a strange place where there were boxes of light that had sticks and buttons that would control the images made of light, they played games and talked about their towns. The Cheese was very cheerful when she wanted to be, yet, he felt a sadness coming from her.

Each night he would take the cheese back to her home where the enchantress she lived with would yell at her for being with a grown man who was clearly insane for riding such a small and frail esuvee, he sometimes heard her hit her and call her names and say that she was worthless. This angered Sir Galahad very much. Each night he would bring her home and almost each night he would hear the enchantress punish the Cheese for no reason that was valid. Galahad was nearing the end of his rope.

The next day, Galahad was sitting with the Cheese.

They have traveled all over the Web together. they explored many of the shops in the web discovering many strange clothing articles and tools that Galahad could not even describe, let alone know what he could do with. They went to many displays of art that marveled the Good Knight, as well as going to many fairs that the good knight could not even begin to describe in this strange place

I wish to ask thee to come away with me and be my squire. He said. It shall be most unusual for me to have a female squire but I believe it would do thee good.

I can’t go with you good knight. Said the Cheese. For I do not deserve love.

Everyone deserves love dear Cheese.

I do not. She said. I am just a worthless Cheese that will be thrown away once I have been made full of mold.

Then I shall take thy moldy Cheeses and put them in my sack. Said Sir Galahad. In my country Cheeses such as that are considered a delicacy.

You cannot. You do not understand. Said