The Stranger and Other Stories
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About this ebook
What if:
You returned from war only to discover that your childhood sweetheart is with your mortal enemy?
Your tranquil Amish community was invaded by vampires?
You were committed to a mental institution, only to have your nightmares follow you?
You fell asleep and couldn’t wake up?
The resort you chose for spring break turned out to be something horribly different?
You had 20 minutes to live?
You were buried alive?
World War I never happened?
You fell in love with a painting?
These are a few of the possibilities presented in this collection of 12 short stories by speculative fiction author Glen Robinson. Some will startle, some will mystify, but all are guaranteed to make you think.
Glen Robinson
Glen Robinson is the author of 24 books. He lives in north Texas, where he is a retired professor of communication. He writes in several genres, including Christian suspense, historical fiction, nonfiction, science fiction and fantasy.
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The Stranger and Other Stories - Glen Robinson
THE STRANGER
AND OTHER STORIES
By
Glen Robinson
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Prevail Publications on Smashwords
The Stranger and Other Stories
Copyright © 2012 by Glendal P. Robinson
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
This book is a work of fiction. Although some of the characters in this story are actual historical figures, they are used fictitiously for the purposes of this story.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Author’s Foreword
2. The Stranger
3. Infinity’s Reach
4. This Crazy Thing Called Love
5. The Well of Souls
6. Vaja Con Dios, Pancho Villa
7. Extreme Measures
8. Never Say Die
9. Buried Alive
10. Crazy Man
11. Wolf Among Sheep
12. The Bridge of Sighs
13. Ten Minutes to Midnight
*****
THE STRANGER
AND OTHER STORIES
*****
1. AUTHOR’S FOREWORD
I recently completed teaching a class called Narrative Writing. One of the first things we studied was the difference between short stories and the novel. Our conclusion? Short stories are shorter. Nothing more profound than that.
But the implications go well beyond that short definition. Because short stories are shorter, they demand that the plots be more direct, that no time be spent leading up to the issue at hand, and that characters be introduced in the very first sentence, if possible.
I wrote a few short stories in my past before spending the past 20 or so years writing novels. I have recently returned to short stories for several reasons. One, because I had so many ideas for future novels and so little time to do something with them that I opted to introducing them to the short format to see if they had any future. Two, I started teaching short stories and felt like I needed to reintroduce myself to them. Three, some stories automatically lend themselves better to the short story format. Finally, my newswriting background finds a certain rightness in the idea of wrapping a complete story up in 1,000-5,000 words.
Some of the stories here have gone on to grow into full novels. Some will sometime in the future. And others were never intended to be more than they are.
I offer them to you, free of charge, because I enjoy writing and want to share them with you. If you like what you see, come check out my other books at Smashwords, or come visit me at my website or follow me on Twitter.
--Glen Robinson, April 30, 2012
(back to Table of Contents)
***
2. THE STRANGER
The following is the introduction to my upcoming novel entitled Infinity’s Reach, which is intended to revisit the classic Pilgrim’s Progress, but in a post-apocalyptic setting. Just as the original, this story, and the one that follows it, can be taken as individual stories, as part of a larger whole, as allegory, or as just plain fun.
The sun baked our brown, supple bikinied bodies, and we reveled in it. Four of us—Marcie, Kimmy, Infinity and me, Ellie—were on permanent spring break. School was out, and we had no plans to ever return—ever.
The resort that Kimmy had found was just yummy. The pool boys brought us towels when we got too warm or too cold—which was like, never, but we loved the attention anyway. The bartender brought us champagne—champagne, mind you—and we nibbled on crab cakes, lobster bisque and sampled fruit cups that wandered our way on trays carried by the most handsome young college boys imaginable.
But the best part was the sun. We lay in it for hours and hours each day, and the amazing thing is that we never got sunburned. Marcie thought it was because of the special cocoa butter that the resort provided. Kimmy said it was that the sun was different here, wherever it was we were. I didn’t worry about it, but just enjoyed it.
At night we danced under the full moon with a long line of hot guys waiting for each of us. Marcie and Kimmy disappeared every once in a while, and I would hear them giggling in the bushes or up on the veranda or not hear them at all. But they always returned, a small smile on their lips.
Right now, the two of them were whispering and pointing at the buff hunk of man meat that was cleaning the pool and smiling at them. He was tall, dark and Hispanic, and I knew that was Marcie’s weakness. Me? I was more into the Nordic look.
I turned and looked at Infinity, who was staring off in the distance, and shook my head. We had been friends for a long time, and even though Infinity was always a part of our little escapades and adventures, I could tell her heart and mind wasn’t in it. She sat with her floppy hat pulled down over her gorgeous blonde head and stared off to the west, a slight frown on her lips.
What is it, Finn?
I asked her.
She didn’t answer right away, but kept staring off into the distance. Then:
Do you see that man standing over there?
Where?
She didn’t point, but raised her chin slightly. Across the ravine. Over on that rise of ground.
I exhaled and pulled myself up to a sitting position, turning as I did so, and looked where she was indicating. It was quite a ways away, but I did see a figure standing on the rise.
Yeah, so?
She frowned again. I think he’s trying to get my attention.
I giggled. You have half the resort after you, and you’re worried about one guy half a mile away? Must be some guy.
Infinity didn’t respond to my joke. Instead, she turned to the other two.
Anyone have a pair of binoculars?
Marcie smiled and Kimmy laughed out loud.
Sure,
Kimmy said. Let me reach down into my bikini top and pull a pair out.
I’ve seen what you have in that bikini top, Kimmy,
said Marcie. They’re not binoculars.
The two girls giggled, and Infinity shook her head.
Maybe the bartender has a pair of binoculars,
I suggested. Infinity nodded, and got up from her chaise lounge and wandered over to the bar. I watched her ask the bartender, who nodded and reached down under the bar, producing a pair of small opera glasses. Infinity smiled and nodded to him, then brought them back. She stood next to me, adjusted the glasses and looked at the figure so far away.
So? I asked finally.
What do you see?"
In response, she handed me the opera glasses. I raised them to my eyes—funny, I remembered a time when I had worn glasses constantly and was blind as a bat without them, but here I didn’t need or even have them. I looked through the eyepiece and waited for my eyes to adjust to the brightness.
There on the ridge stood an ordinary looking man—very plain looking in contrast to all the eye candy around the resort—standing in military fatigues and looking at us. He was obviously trying to get our attention. As I looked at him, I got the feeling that he could see me just as well as I was looking at him. He had a stubbly beard, a dirty face and soulful eyes. I looked at those eyes and found myself wanting to know him better.
What’s he doing?
Marcie asked, suddenly interested.
Nothing,
I said. Just standing there. Wait….
I paused as I saw him turn and reach behind him. He lifted up a large white pad and held it up for me to see. Written on the page I could read: ITS NOT A RESORT.
He has a sign that says ‘It’s not a resort,’
I told them.
What’s not a resort?
Kimmy asked.
What do you mean, ‘what’s not a resort.’ He’s talking about this place, stupid,
said Marcie.
That’s ridiculous,
Kimmy said.
Wait,
I said. He’s writing something else. It says ‘Don’t drink the champagne.’
The man held up the white pad across his chest so I could see it, and looked at his words, then back at me. The mournful eyes looked into my soul.
Guys, I think he’s serious,
I said.
This is stupid,
said Marcie. He’s just some ugly guy trying to get a rise out of us.
Well, he got my attention,
said Infinity. Ellie, let me see those glasses.
I gave her the binoculars and she