Wolf at the Door

by John Parke Davis

Just the other night I heard a knock at the front door, which was odd because we don't get too many visitors. On the other side stood a lazy-looking wolf, a smile cocked awkwardly across his face. A battered old fedora looked out of place on his head, and half his fur had been lost to mange, or worse. "Can I help you?" I asked. "What say, chum," he said, "got a room I can hole up in for the night?" I knew I shouldn't, but the damn thing was just so pathetic I couldn't say no.

6S

John Parke Davis, by day, fights/defends crime/law and order (but not necessarily in that order) as an attorney. By night, he sleeps and dreams odd dreams. He and his brother give away fresh, hot stories at their website and they would love for you to visit. (They also have a blog.) John is the author of A Visitation.

A Visitation

by John Parke Davis

Christie told me she wanted a divorce on the second Sunday in December. The aliens landed the next day. They never said a word — no one knows if they could even talk — they just came and took what they needed and then they left. We stood on the roof of my building and watched the ships lifting off, flickering into the winter sky and disappearing like sparks popping out of a campfire. I put my arm around Christie and she pushed her face against my sweater and we cried. We had been alone for a long, long time, but now it was just too much to bear.

6S

John Parke Davis, by day, fights/defends crime/law and order (but not necessarily in that order) as an attorney. By night, he sleeps and dreams odd dreams. He and his brother give away fresh, hot stories at their website and they would love for you to visit. (They also have a blog.) John once showed us Another Side of the Park.

A Lapse of Reason

by John Parke Davis

No one called him Superman, but he knew he could fly. So one day, he wheeled himself out to the bridge. He attached some ropes to a harness with caribiners, attached the harness to a trestle, put his arms out before him, and leapt. The world shimmered beneath him, the greens and blues of the river, the boulders on the bank like pebbles. He laughed once, before the harness yanked him down, and he rocked to a stop beneath the iron pylons. For the rest of his life, he would wonder what would have happened if he had taken that harness off, but he never did try it.

6S

John Parke Davis cannot fly, but he does have a disturbing fascination with sad superhero stories. His work has appeared in Ideomancer, flashquake, and Shimmer Magazine, among others. He and his brother run a not-for-profit story gallery at The Story Game, and he has a blog that he would love to have you come visit. John is the author of Wolf at the Door.

Another Side of the Park

by John Parke Davis

I found another side of the park last night, a street where the TVs flickered in unison through the windows, where every house played the same show but there were no people watching. The sprinklers turned on and off casually as I walked by, showering the sidewalk with lukewarm water. Lawnmowers buzzed in the distance somewhere, and all the microwaves dinged in time. My heart beat faster. It's odd how terrifying it can be when you are completely surrounded by things. I ran back home and turned on the television.

6S

John Parke Davis, by day, fights/defends crime/law and order (but not necessarily in that order) as an attorney. By night, he sleeps and dreams odd dreams. He and his brother give away fresh, hot stories at their website/blog and they would love for you to visit.