Assortment 6: Assortment, #6

By D. Reed Whittaker

This is the sixth collection of short stories. As with the other five, there is no theme, no shared genre, no fixed format. Most come from contest submittals.. The nice thing about these contests is it gives the writer a chance to venture out of his/her comfort zone. Sometimes, you'll be asked to write all dialogue with no descriptions. Other times, it will be only dialogue without tag lines or beats (who said what, and what were they doing when they said it).

The stories can be short (less than 300 words) or long (up to 5000 words). They can have any theme or prompt – a poem, song lyric, a picture, a comic book cover, anything. The goal is to develop as many writing skills as possible. You never know when you'll need a new approach.

I hope you like these.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Intercede LLC
• Release date: Dec 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215371411

D. Reed Whittaker

Retired engineer creating worlds I'd like to live in and people I'd like to know. It's been fun meeting/creating MarieAnne, Steve, Bill, Maggie, Sylvia, Smitty, Linda, Billy, Suzy, Ken, Molly, Dad, John Henry, Melody, Sally, and George. I think you'll like meeting them, too. 

Book preview

Fly on the Wall

February 18, 2018

Salt Lake City, Utah

I had just stretched out on my couch. I was 213 words short of my quota for today, but I have plenty of time to figure out what would happen to John and Melody. I had just closed my eyes when I heard a voice. It wasn’t coming from my computer, from the hallway, next door, or outside. It was somebody whispering in my ear.

Good morning, Dennis, mind if I talk to you for a minute? asked the voice.

The voice knew my name. I said nothing. I stuck my finger in my ear.

Please don’t do that, said the voice.

I took my finger out of my ear.

Thank you. No, you are not crazy. I am real, you just can’t see me. Well, you could if I wanted you to. I’m called fly. I’m a person using a drone to communicate with you. This is just easier. It’s difficult for people to accept I’m a man, a man from the future.

I sat up. Future?

Yes, the future. Fly stands for poly-phase historical longitudinal integrator – phli. I’m a miniaturized drone. I am a fully functional, autonomous (AI) AV platform that can project any holographic image facilitating communication and concealment with differing historical periods.

Sure you are.

Yes, I am. I’m based on topological quantum computing and interstitial modulation. As the quantum world gave up some of its secrets, we reduced the space between atoms and electrons within atoms. We can adjust shapes, capabilities, and size by changing material frequencies. We are within a step or two of fully realizing the duality of nature – matter and energy. Yes, we. I was/am part of the development team. I could give you my real name, but it is better if you just call me fly. Any questions?

You’ve got to be kidding, I said, turning on the couch to put my feet on the carpet.

No, this is quite serious.

Why me?

Good question. First, a little background. An interesting aspect of matter/energy frequency modulation is the ability to travel in time. Only backwards (historical time), and only as far as the availability of electricity - that seems to be about 1850. We must obtain power parasitically and are confined to areas with telegraph or phone lines. When wireless communication (Marconi/Tesla/radio/TV/internet) is in use, I have absolute freedom. I don’t need much energy, but I do need some. Attempts to fix a useful solar panel to the platform have not been successful. It’s only a matter of time before we can fully harness the photon, and then we can visit any place in history. We plan to do more than visit. We have done more than visit.

Done more than visit? You’ve changed history?

They said you were smart. Yes, we’ve changed history. Heard anything about the NRA lately? Mass shootings?

I rubbed my chin. I guess not. What did you do?

A little background. Just as you have the ordinate, abscissa, and applicate in three-dimensional space, there are 12 axes in four-dimensional space. The time axis is called the Longitude. This term is not universally accepted, but since it is a measure of time (time zones) we will use it for discussing travel along that dimension. This could change at any moment. Is this clear?

Of course not. What are you talking about?

I heard a sigh.

Maybe an example will help. Our first experiment was to find a way to avoid the Second American Civil War. Since so much good came out of that war, we thought we could make it less bloody, less costly and still achieve the same results – new Constitution, new 100 state Union, new political structure, and new justice system. What had been 4 million dead, and 236 cities and towns laid waste, we cut down the casualty rate to 789,000 and 53 cities destroyed just by eliminating one man.

Eliminating?

We didn’t kill him, we made sure he was never born. Wayne Lapierre’s parents never married. Wayne was never born, just by whispering a few facts into Hazel Gordon’s ear. The NRA did not metastasize into the gun-loving, hate spewing, fear mongering organization that it was, is in 2018. It stayed the hunter safety organization it was originally intended to be. Three-quarters of a million people killed, several times that number wounded, homeless, and traumatized still seemed like a high price to pay.

I’d say. What did you decide?

What if the First Civil War never took place? What if the residual anger, hatred generated by that war never materialized? What if Lincoln had let the Southern States secede? Would we still be the United States 200 years later, or would we be something else?

I’m guessing something else.

I’m talking to you to test that hypothesis. You are in February 2018; the Second Civil War won’t start until November of 2018. I want you to record what happened, happens on this date. I will leave you shortly to test our theory. Don’t worry, the process is reversible. Well, we hope it is. Our experiments suggest it is, but we always had the same technology in 2035. This time, we may not. I may not exist, so no going back. Cross your fingers.

He was gone. What had been a strange voice in my ear was gone. Why me? Is it wise? A Second Civil War? I’m fully awake, so I’m not dreaming. Am I hallucinating? Am I going crazy – an autonomous drone whispering in my ear. I am going crazy. I am crazy. I walked to the bathroom for some cold water.

Well, how did it go?

I looked around. How did what go?

Was I successful?

I walked to my door and put my ear to it. No one was talking in the hall.

Don’t you remember me?

I shook my head.

Please don’t do that.

I cupped my hand over my ear. The voice was still there.

I talked to you just a few moments ago.

I put my finger in my ear.

Don’t do that!

What?

Your finger.

I pulled it out.

Thank you. Do you remember?

About what? Where?

About changing history.

History?

Hmmm... tell me about your world.

Who are you?

I got the Fly lecture.

So, what did you do? I asked.

Was there a civil war?

Where?

Here, in the United States.

I shook my head. No. There was a succession, but it didn’t last long. There was no war.

Good, it worked. Or I think it did. What about slavery?

What worked?

Ever hear of Fort Sumpter?

I shrugged. Maybe, is it important?

He laughed. Not anymore. So, what happened after Succession? Which states succeeded?

I’d have to check, but I think it was South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Is that seven?

It’s seven. That it?

I shrugged. I think so. Is it important?

Yes, very. So, what happened?

When?

Please, help me here. Apparently, I changed history. I’m trying to determine how much.

How did you change history?

By whispering in someone’s ear.

As you’re whispering in mine, am I about to change history?

He laughed. No, not that I’ll have anything to do with. I’m surprised you’re still here and so little has changed.

Was it supposed to?

"Think about it – no Civil War. Thousands lived who might have died. Money spent on guns went to... to... to whatever – railroads, universities, towns, hospitals.

What’s there to think about?

Lincoln. Was he assassinated?

Assassinated? Why would he be assassinated?

Good. So, he served two-terms. Who followed him?

I shrugged. I’d have to look it up. Someone from the South – Virginia, I think.

Please look it up.

Can’t you do that? Don’t you have a way to access the internet?

Okay, I’ll look it up.... Hmmm... looks like it’s Waitman T. Willey. You’re right, he was from Virginia. Seems like he was a compromise candidate, his reward for keeping Virginia in the Union. I don’t recognize any of these others until we get to Theodore Roosevelt. Is that possible?

What’s possible?

History having a path?

What do you mean?

It would seem once you change a part of history, you couldn’t predict how much it might change. If I read the line of succession from Lincoln to... wait... There’s Kennedy, but no Nixon, no Reagan, no...

Who?

It doesn’t matter. It looks like history has a pattern, a path. You might meander from side to side, but certain things are supposed to happen.

What things?

There’s no Vietnam War. Kennedy wasn’t assassinated, he served two terms. George Romney followed, followed by... by... a woman – Margaret Chase Smith.

Sure, why not?

He laughed. Why not indeed? With all of that, why are things pretty much the same?

The same as what?

Tell me about your world.

Don’t you know?

I could read the headlines, but that might take too long. Tell me.

I shrugged. What to tell you. After President Chase, things changed.

How did they change?

I sighed. I was about to tell you.

Sorry.

We had our ‘Gilded Age’, only we didn’t have a Roosevelt to put things right. Power moved further to the right; wealth became concentrated in the hands of a few; elections were corrupted, useless. People lost faith in their government. We have one last shot – the elections in November. Wait, you talked about the elections, and November, and a second civil war. What’s with that?

Sigh. What should I tell you?

"Tell me how it all comes