Early Short Stories

By Matti Charlton

"Early Short Stories" is a collection of dark and haunting short stories by Madison Matti Charlton, a talented transgender author who wrote these stories at the age of 16. These stories captivate readers with their exploration of themes like horror, identity, and the human condition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Telephasic Workshop
• Release date: Jan 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9781778901683

Matti Charlton

Matti Charlton is writer, designer and recording artist. They live in Toronto, Canada with their service dog, Quentin.Matti is autistic, queer and transgender and writes passionately about social issues and modern technology; most recently, with their book "Homelessness broke ChatGPT" casting a critical eye on the bias of the popular AI software. Matti has also written several children's books and young adult novels.Matti is an advocate for trans issues, mental health and poverty, especially homelessness and addiction.Matti's career has spanned a wide range of disciplines, from software development and art direction to fashion design, music production and writing. In 2023, they published their 12th album of electronic pop music, "Almost", and their first fiction novel "Dendrome".Matti created the first transgender-owned underwear company in the world, Retromatti Athletics, in 2014, manufacturing the entire line from their apartment in downtown Toronto. The company expanded to provide digital artwork to craft makers during COVID-19.Matti's website: https://matticharlton.com/On Facebook: https://facebook.com/matticharltonOn Instagram: https://instagram.com/retromattiMatti's books: https://books.matticharlton.com/Matti's music: https://spotify.matticharlton.com/Matti's online business: https://retromatti.com/

Book preview

Contents

A Late Supper 2

Rachael 6

The Age of Winter 9

The General 14

The Sultan 22

Solomon’s Wake 26

fireflies 28

Interrogation Sun 39

elevator men 41

A Late Supper

The nameless child continued screaming even after Alec had sewn his mouth shut. Alec, after adjusting the boy’s steel arm shackles again and spreading the anesthesia on his shoulders, lifted the surgical saw and aimed it’s placement on the boy’s right shoulderblade. Placing his weight on the handle, he pushed the blade into the child’s shoulder and let it cut through with a back-and-forth motion. The boy struggled frantically but Alec held him firmly to the operating table. When the cutting was complete, he sealed the wound on the boy’s gaping shoulder; he then took the blood-dripping arm and, folding it in half gently, placed it gingerly on the dinner plate on the table beside the operating bed.

Alec casually wiped his left hand against his white labcoat, and carried the white dinner dish in his right as he walked up the basement stairs to the kitchen. He swung the old wooden door open, and noticed the stove was ready. Peering in as he opened the door, Alec dropped the arm lightly on the tray. He shut the oven door, walked to his kitchen table and set a single placemat and silverware set at one end.

Alec was sitting in his study room later that night reading when he heard a thumping noise coming from downstairs. It was a deep, wooden sound that bounced across the walls. At first, he didn’t hear it. But the sound was getting louder.

Funny, Alec said to himself, cocking his head. I didn’t leave anything near the stairs that could have fallen...

There was a sudden banging at the room’s door. The books on the walls shook with