Alternate Realities

By Christian Laforet

The lift descended into the blackened earth. Felicia and Robi-Jo stood rigidly between the armed men. Overhead, through rusted mesh speakers, crappy pop music assaulted their ears.

“So…what do you guys do for fun around here?” Felicia flashed a smile to the man on her left. A grunt and a don’t-talk-to-me glare shot back.

The elevator came to a grinding halt. As soon as the doors opened, the guards shoved the girls out.

“Wow!” Robi whistled as she and Felicia entered a massive foyer lined with various doors on either side, a huge, spiraled staircase at the back and a dozen marble statues stationed at even intervals along the walls.

One of the guards exited the lift with the girls.

“You think that’s The Sensation?” Robi-Jo pointed towards one of the statues.

“Jeez, I hope not. That guy looks a teenager.”

“No talking!” the guard barked.

The armed man led them down a series of labyrinthine corridors until finally coming to a stop at a set of silver doors which stretched almost all the way to the arched ceiling.

Felicia caressed the precious metal of the door. “Holy smokes! Is this real silver?”

“Shut up.” The guard pushed the door open, then nudged the girls inside.

The harem was a lavish display of comfort. Luxurious beds and couches were positioned around the room. Trays of food and a fully stocked cabinet of fine wines and spirits stood at each end of the space.

“Hey, booze!” Felicia started towards the bar. Continue reading →

By Christian Laforet

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” Dale muttered as he pulled into the Fresh Choppers parking lot.

The events of the previous year were still very fresh in his mind. When a freak lightning strike coincided with a magical spell gone awry, the result was ten thousand miniature versions of himself. The tiny terrors ran amok through the store, killing many of his fellow co-workers. Only with the complete annihilation of the building, was Dale able to destroy them.

Once the dust settled, Dale was heralded as a hero. The mayor even presented him with a gently used 2003 Dodge Dakota and fancy box cutter with a blade that was guaranteed to never dull.

Even after his fifteen minutes of fame ended, Dale considered himself lucky that, at least, the Fresh Choppers had been reduced to a gaping hole in the earth. And then they rebuilt the damned place. Dale resisted returning to work there, but relented. It wasn’t cheap keeping a beast like a Dodge Dakota on the road.

The store looked exactly as it had before. The produce department led through to meat which connected to dairy and then on to the grocery department, which took up the bulk of the space.

As Dale made his way through the grocery section of the store, he ran into Felicia and Robi Jo. The cashiers were setting up a ladder in the middle of aisle one. Continue reading →