Stockpiling

Stockpiling

Stockpiling - Excerpt “Idiot,” somebody in the queue behind me muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. I’m indifferent to public opinion. The feeling is so ingrained that I can’t imagine being otherwise. The woman on the till scanned my items very slowly. It...
The Cosmic Jigsaw

The Cosmic Jigsaw

The Cosmic Jigsaw - Excerpt After going through the procedure for immortality, I became very bored. I spent decades on trivialities that were only a way to pass the time: learning the succession of monarchs, presidents, and emperors around the world, counting the...
Dangerous Objects

Dangerous Objects

Dangerous Objects - Excerpt I’d examined seven thousand, six hundred, and thirty-three pigeons without finding any dangerous objects. Or any objects at all, in fact. In the initial briefing, six months ago, ‘dangerous objects’ had never been defined; to be on the...
Consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness - Excerpt I never used to daydream whilst I was working. I did not concentrate on what I was doing either, because my job is simple enough to require only dexterity and patience. If anyone had asked what I did during my sixteen hour shifts, I would...