Twisted Tales from the Universe

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Author’s note

The first two anthologies I published were through a different company. Next Chapter has made it so easy that Twisted Tales From The Universe is also published, and I’m working on another one. There are still short stories in my folder that have not been read by others and I’m working on several more.

Twisted Tales From The Universe includes stories from Earth. Earth is still a part of our universe or at least it was the last time I read the news. Like the other two anthologies, it includes humor, murder, love, and tales that never end quite the way one would expect.

Some of these stories were written for the Writers Guild in Twentynine Palms, but many are set in areas that are not a desert. The time travel one includes humor and a love story, but takes place in a Southern state. The one involving Flame Mouth the dragon was a challenge, but one that I really enjoyed writing. If anyone reads it and wants the recipe for Dragon Stew, they will have to message me.

One tale is set in my home state of Iowa and, of course, the people in the tale resemble those I knew so well and admired. That witches and warlocks weren’t there doesn’t matter. It is how they would have reacted.

There is one story that does not have a twisted ending and I plead guilty. It is based on a true story from my mother-in-law. I just didn’t include the part about the white lightning being brewed in the woods. That was in case her brother and nephews ever read it. I don’t believe they knew that part about their father and grandfather.

Short stories are for those that have limited time or don’t really want to invest in a novel. So pull up a chair and enjoy a “short” read.

Book excerpt

One Flesh

The only viable industry left on Atlantis is a glorified auction block and I’m one of those up for bid.

Oh, there are still wealthy individuals here that can flit to the high places and afford the imported foods and clothes, but their servants are mostly robots. A lucky few real humans are employed as servants.  There is nothing left on Atlantis but empty collapsing buildings, dust blowing in from destroyed land and foul tasting water from the few sources left.

“Next to stand is Nadja Dilum, a sturdy young female that should be able to bear your children without artificial procedures.”

Someone behind me prodded my buttocks to make sure I walked briskly to the podium. The beautiful women had all been bid for and purchased, the action had been rapid. Most expected the pace of the bidding to slow and some men and women had left the hall. I am not one of the beautiful ones. I’m too tall, my eyes are too small, my shoulders too broad, my breasts are my own, and I have a straight up and down body with thick legs. It comes from growing up on the planet of Atlantis, the first one settled by pioneers from Earth. Earth beings in top physical condition had been a requisite for the colonists. My one good feature is a mane of thick, glossy black hair.

At one time Atlantis had been the richest planet in the galaxy. Ambitious males and females fled the planet as it waned. Anyone with half a credit or a degree still does. One of the resources Atlantis has left is an imbalance of females. To feed their extended families poorer women like me voluntarily offer themselves to an interplanetary bonding house. The bonding contract will pay a lump sum to the family on Atlantis and provide security in one’s own old age. The bondage can be beneficial or lead to a shortened life full of misery. A few are extremely fortunate. They are showered with luxuries undreamed of by Atlantis’s standards. Everyone one of us harbored a “what if it’s me?” thought.

The bidding for me was not brisk, but two different males opened. After the fifth raise, the auctioneer banged the bell and announced, “Sold to Bitten VonMerg from Delmorph.

My brain had difficulty realizing that he was possibly as wealthy as the early bidders. He would be able to provide for my Mum and security for me. Delmorph is the financial powerhouse among the stars. My buyer was of medium male height which meant we saw eye to eye. His hair was dark as were his eyes, but his shoulder were round and it seemed his bodysuit revealed strange lumps patterned on his torso and thighs. Probably from sitting while arranging all those money deals, I thought. Well, so much for any chance of sexual satisfaction. The man would be more interested in financial accumulation.

Once he paid the auctioneer, he took my hand in his and said, “Welcome into my life.” Hand in hand we walked to the outer chamber.

There the attendant handed me a soft green robe with a satin like sash and a pair of metallic green stretch shoes.

“I decided on a free flowing cover until we purchase your new clothes. It’s rather inadequate, but it is serviceable. If you feel you wish to wear what you once owned, I’ll understand.” His voice was a decent tenor.

The feel of the material was incredible; soft, rich, supple beyond belief. Compared to the clothing I wore this morning, it was light years beyond in quality.

“Thank you, these are lovely.” I quickly belted the robe around me, not that I’m overly modest you understand, but it was a tad cool in here. The shoes slipped onto my feet as though melded there and they were soft, oh so wondrously soft. I floated into the Bonding Chamber.

“Welcome Mr. VonMerg.” The dark suited man at the desk looked like he was choking from the tightly rolled collar around his neck. He eyed my height with disdain. “I’m surprised. Your deposit entitled you to one of the first sold.

“This one suits my idea of a perfect body structure.”

That took my breath away. My shoulders were as broad as his.

Signing the contracts took about one-half hour and rolled collar performed the brief allegiance ceremony. I learned Delmorphs tend to be old fashion. Bitt selected the wording from an ancient Earth wedding ceremony.

“The words ‘until death do us part’ need to be changed.” Bitt insisted.

Instead of until death do us part, I found myself intoning, “We shall be one flesh.”

Then we signed more papers. The amount to be paid to my mother was less than my purchase price, but I had the satisfaction of seeing my mother’s worn face appear with tears streaming down her cheeks when she was informed of the amount deposited in her name.

“Will you regret leaving her, my dear?

“Yes and no, Mr. VonMerg.”

“Please, address me as Bitt.”

He did not wait for an answer, but took my hand and led me out to the waiting area. There he gave a triangular piece of metal or plastic to the attendant. Within minutes a fliver was at the station and we were whisked to his rooms high above the grey cloaked, broken city streets. The landing area was part of his suite.

“Here we are, my dear. What do you think of your new quarters?” He voice was full of anticipation.

I had to grab his arm for support. How do I describe carpets that are soft and glowing with colors? Would anyone believe me if I told them of four huge chairs, a long couch with a back, soft, glossy cushions, and rows of softly humming machines? There was a rich, deep brown table by the window with four maroon comfort chairs set around it. A beautiful center piece of flowers in a vase that looked like real glass, artwork from other planets emblazoned the walls with colors, and there were more rooms beyond this one.

“I believe I should order you some new clothes before we begin our celebration. What size do you wear?”

The question left me blank. I never knew clothes came in sizes. We always wore whatever we could find. If it was too large, belt it up, roll up the legs and waist, or cut them off if too long.

“I—I don’t know.”

“Hmm, very well.” He brought a screen to life. “Coordinator, would you send up some female attire for someone, oh let’s say about six feet tall, slender, unknown size. Is that possible?”

“For you, Mr. Von Merg, anything. Do you have any color preference?”

Bitt regarded me. “Oh, I should think any color but yellow will suffice. Tomorrow I’ll expect a fashion courtier with a mini boutique, but not this evening. Also send up the dinner I ordered earlier, but for two.” He blanked out the screen.

“See how easy that is, my dear. Let’s do a tour of these rooms, and then you may freshen up and I’ll contact a few places before dinner arrives. After that the evening is ours.”

I had to be in a fantasy world. Unlike my former life, everything was plush. The bathroom is larger than my mother’s allotted space, and everything is so clean.

Bitt showed me how to operate the buttons for the water and soap, where the lotions were, and left me alone. I took a very deep breath and cautiously stuck a foot into the sunken bath. The water was warm.  Step by step I entered the water and lowered myself. Once there I closed my eyes and snapped them open. Everything was still there. This was not a fantasy. My body was wet, the sides of the tub real, the soap smelled heavenly, and everything was at my disposal.

When I finally walked back into the room, the dinner was there and Bitt was still at the screen, his face intent while his fingers touched the circles so rapidly they were blurring. He must have seen my reflection for he turned his head slightly, nodded, and spoke in a low tone.

“Clinch that price, Jarnel, and sell the instruments to the Decas.”

He turned to me, “Lovely, my dear, you no longer smell of disinfectant. I didn’t want to distress you, but it does have an odor.”

Dinner was a revelation. One bite and I knew this was real meat, not the protein paste that was distributed twice a month at the feeding stations. There were real vegetables, the desert was real passion fruit with some type of syrup, and the wine must have been real too. There was no vinegary taste and I drank three glasses.

“That was wonderful,” I said and giggled. What was wrong with me?

Bitt smiled. “The busser will be here to clear this away. Come.” And he led me by the hand into the bedroom and closed the door. “We won’t need to worry about interruptions.”

Later I learned you call the servants by pressing a circle on the dinner tray. Well trained ones know exactly why and what to do.

He left the light on. “It adds to the pleasure, you know.”

Well, no, I didn’t, but why argue with someone that owns you?

He began by disrobing me, running his hands down my arms and sides. Then he began shedding his clothes. Delmorph clothing tends toward full sleeves, tight tubes around the body, and trousers that balloon below the knee. Bitt’s clothes were a deep teal color. I didn’t know whether to stand, sit, go full spread on the bed, or assume some other position. He’d been strangely silent on that point.

Bitt solved the problem by sitting on the bed and motioning me beside him. Then the lesson in Delmorph sexual practices began. It seemed all those strange bumps on his torso and thighs were to be stimulated. I must say he took his time to stimulate certain zones of my body. When it was over some two hours later darkness had dispelled grey sunlight, and I had experienced sheer ecstasy for the first time in my twenty-five or so years. I tingled in places I didn’t know I had.

The next day courtiers, salon specialists, and tutors arrived. I was transformed into a classy, refined Delmorph. Everywhere I turned luxury abounded. Before we relocated to Delmorph, we spent two weeks touring places on my planet that I didn’t know existed.

On Delmorph it was tutor after tutor. At last a different type of tutor appeared. “Now you learn about finances and whatever area it takes to make you a contributor to the VonMerg holdings.” Bitt would disappear during the day as he caught up on financial work and changes. During the evening, he insisted we be together every moment.

“Why?”

“It is necessary for proper bonding.”

Silly me, I thought we had. It was more than evenings that we spent together. Any free time we would visit other businesses, study together, shop together, and we always, always slept together whether we had sex or not. After five years of this regime, I felt it would be heaven to go shopping alone or find someone else to join me for lunch. I missed the intimate talk with friends of my own sex. I tried to take advantage of his mood after one particularly satisfying bout of sex. We had risen from the bed, but I was still tingling and we were both coated with a light film of sweat.

“Bitt, why don’t we find divergent interests for an hour or so every day? It might enliven our other experiences.”

“No, that cannot be.”

“Aren’t you tired of seeing me almost every waking hour of the day?”

“That doesn’t enter into it, my dear. We must become one and all to each other.”

“Is that why you haven’t introduced me to your family?” I’d seen a man he called his brother on the vision screen, but never in person. He, like Bitt, only discussed finances. Neither did they look alike, except for the lumpy body.

“Didn’t you notice that the ancient Earthen ceremony said it best?  Leave your parents and cleave to one another. Man and woman shall become one flesh. My other mates appreciated this in the end.”

“You’ve been bonded before?” How had I not known?

“Of course.”

“You’re separated?”

 “Oh, no, my dear. Delmorphs live an incredible number of years by rejuvenating ourselves with contracts of allegiance. The extra time allows us as a family to grow and amass fortunes.” This was puzzling as I had seen very few children.

“How many partners have you had?”

“Ten or twelve, I would need to recapitulate all their names.”

“Were there any children?”

“No, there won’t be unless I marry a Delmorph, but that is not likely. You may have noticed the Delmorph couples tend to age normally.”

“Did all of your other bonders die of old age?” My contract strictly lined out my remuneration should separation occur or abandonment in old age.

“Not really, my dear, we became one flesh. They are all alive in me. Someday we will be one flesh. That is why you must learn every aspect of my business.”

“How long does this take?” This conversation was beginning to make me uneasy.

“It varies, but anywhere from five to fifteen years.” He smiled.

“Are you saying that when we merge into one flesh, we will truly be one as we vowed?”

He swept me into his arms. “You are so clever, my dear.”

For the first time since we pledged allegiance, I fought to free myself. Merging didn’t sound pleasant.

Bitt was stronger than I anticipated. He caught my arms and held them against my back and locked his mouth on mine. I tried twisting my body, but he put his thighs against the outside of my thighs and started squeezing. Those strange bumps that had been part of our sexual encounters latched onto my flesh like suckers, drawing me into his body mass and darkness descended. I wanted to scream, but my mouth wouldn’t open and air wasn’t coming into my lungs; yet I lived. I had sensations and they were wrong. I need air! I need to see! I need to live!

A voice seemed to speak in my mind. ‘Don’t fight me. We will be one:  one Delmorph.

Another silent voice broke into his, ‘envision bringing your arms across your chest and turn.

It took every ounce of my remaining strength and mind, but I managed to feel the sensation of my arms moving against flesh and vein while I twisted my body in a slow revolution.

Two voices in my senses were shouting, ‘No.’ One voice was mine and one was Bitt’s.

That shadowy whisper seemed to grow in desperation. ‘Now, thrust your arms outward.

I tried to achieve what was commanded. For a moment there was no sensation. Blackness and pain were blotting out my core—my sense of self. It felt like my scalp was being torn from my head.

No, my own being was screaming. I am alive. I need to see. I want to flex my fingers. I want texture. I want life!

My fingers tingled and moved. My eyes blinked and the room was a blurry mass. The other voice yelling ‘No!’ was retreating. My breath was ragged and I heard my voice, deeper as if I had a cold, but my voice saying, “I am alive. I am Nadja. I am I!”

I blinked again and there was the room. It looked the same. I looked downward at my body. My boobs had shrunk and those strange lumps were on me. Something was tickling my chest and I staggered into the bathroom feeling the need to vomit and that faint voice whispering, ‘Cut it off., cut it off.

One look in the mirror stopped my stumbling steps. The tickling came from the mass hanging from my protruding lips and jaw line. It was my hair, gloriously glossy black, cascading down to my chest. It was mine. That Delmorph had not swallowed me whole. I was here physically.

The faint voice was chanting, ‘Cut it off, shave it, be a true Delmorph.

Fat chance. That was me. Bitt couldn’t have me. Not my core.

#

The beard remained. It does not matter how long I live or do not live. The balance in Bitt’s account is enough to sustain me in luxury for nine Atlantis life spans. My black beard is truly luxuriant.