"Tourist" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

The first time Julie noticed the man was during a short hike she took after work. He   was touching a Douglas Fir tree, like it was the first time he had ever seen one.

Julie rarely approached strange men, but she felt compelled to make an exception this time. The man  was so intently staring at the tree that he didn't notice her. "Nice tree" Julie said sarcastically.

For the first time, he looked at her and then went back to the tree. Julie shook her head "weird" she mumbled to herself. Later as she was heading back to her home, the man was still at the tree although he wasn't staring at it any longer.

When the man saw her approaching, he smiled. Weird or not, the man was incredibly handsome, Julie noticed. He had dark hair, sensitive brown eyes and was probably six feet tall with broad shoulders.

"Hello again" Julie said to him. "You were here earlier" the man said absently. Julie nodded and held out her hand "Julie Swenson"
 The man stared at her hand for a moment and then gently grasped it. "Michael Foster." he said in a deep baritone.

"Are you a tourist Michael?" Julie asked since she had never seen him before. Michael smiled again "you might say that." 

Just as if they were old friends, Julie and Michael began walking down the steep trail to Greenwater. "I rented a cabin near Crystal Mountain a couple of days ago and I have just been exploring since then" Michael said. "Are you from this area? Julie asked. Michael hesitated for a few seconds "Yes, I live in north Seattle." he answered.

Julie nodded, already calculating how far that was from Greenwater. Julie loved the beauty of the Cascade Mountains, but sometimes it was so lonely. She longed to have someone to share it with. When they reached the end of the trail Julie felt empty. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?" she asked. The question sounded like something a schoolgirl would say, but Julie didn't care. "I will be up at the tree" Michael said.

The next day, Julie hurriedly removed her work clothes and put on a flannel shirt blue jeans and hiking boots. Michael was at the tree as he said he would be.

Together they hiked to the top of the ridge where you could see for miles.  "You are so lucky to be able to live here." Michael said. "Maybe you could move to the area" Julie said hopefully. Michael frowned and shook his head sadly. "Is it your job?" Julie asked. Michael said nothing at first, but then began to speak.

"I'm not from north Seattle. at least not in this time period." Michael said. Julie was confused "What are you saying Michael?" " "I am from the future." He said.

Julie laughed. "You're kidding right?' "No, I am not kidding" Michael said grimly. "Wars and pollution took away all life on the surface of the earth. In my time, there are no trees or animals left. The remaining humans live underground. Every year there is a lottery and the winner gets to go back in time to see what it was like before."

"If you are from the future, prove it." Julie challenged. Michael thought for a moment and then pushed a spot on his arm. His  right hand  suddenly detached from his wrist. "When I was a child, there was an accident and I lost my hand. At the hospital, they gave me a new one. In my time, replacing diseased or damaged body parts is routine." Julie stared at the detached hand. It looked absolutely normal. While she watched, Michael re-attached the hand to his wrist. The artificial hand blended seamlessly with the rest of his arm.

" I believe you now." Julie said. Michael smiled "I'm glad." "How long are you able to stay in the past?" Julie asked.  "Only a week and then I am automatically transported back to my time." Michael answered.


Julie stood up and brushed herself off. "It's getting late.We better get back." she said. Michael walked silently beside her down the trail. When they approached Greenwater, he pointed to the neon sign of the Naches Tavern. "What is that place?" Michael asked. Julie smiled, "That's a bar. They serve drinks." she answered. Michael looked puzzled "Drinks? you mean alcohol?" he asked Julie nodded. "Don't they have alcohol in the future?" Michael shook head. "All of our resources are geared towards the production of food."

On impulse, Julie grabbed his arm. "Let's go in." The bar was lightly crowded so Julie chose a booth not far from the fireplace and ordered a pitcher of beer.Michael looked at the old mementos on the wall. "It is so strange being here, it doesn't seem real" he commented. The waitress brought their beer and poured two glasses full. Julie touched his left hand. "What is life like where you come from?" she asked. Michael frowned. "It is a struggle. A struggle to produce enough food, enough power, and to keep everything running for another day."

 For  a while, they drank their beer in silence. After only two glasses, Julie could see that Michael was getting tipsy. "I think we better go" Julie suggested.  Michael was sick in the parking lot and Julie decided to take him to her cabin at least until he felt better.

Julie made Michael lay down on her couch and got a wet rag from the kitchen. "I'm sorry about the beer" Julie told him as she lay the cloth on his forehead. Michael tried to smile "You don't need to apologize. " he replied. "Do you think you could eat a little?" Julie asked . Michael shook his head. "Maybe later."

Julie went to her big easy chair and started to read a book. Sometime during the night she dozed off and when she awoke Michael was gone.

The next morning, Julie went to work as usual, but all she could think of was Michael. A time traveler? What the hell was she thinking.

After work, Julie was cooking dinner when she heard a soft knock on the door. It was Michael with a bouquet of wildflowers. He handed the flowers to her. "What are these for?" Julie asked. "For taking care of me last night" Michael replied.

Julie opened the door for him. "Would you like some dinner? " she asked.  "Sounds good" he replied. Julie opened the refrigerator "How about another beer?" she joked  Michael laughed. It was a nice sound.

After dinner, they sat on the couch and watched an old movie. As the ending credits rolled, Michael leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth. It seemed so natural and right that Julie kissed him back. Several moments later, Michael abruptly separated himself from her. Hurt and confused, Julie reached out for him, but he moved further away.

 "What's wrong?" she asked him. Michael held his head in his hands.  "Don't you understand?" he said in an anguished voice. " I have to go back to my own time in less than a week and nothing can change that."  Julie went to him. "So we will make the best of the time we have"  Michael looked in to  her eyes and kissed her deeply.

Julie used some vacation time she had been saving and in the remaining few days the new couple hit all the good trails, went to Seattle for dinner and a show and spent one entire day making love. 

So quickly the week went by and Julie dreaded the time when she would have to say goodbye. Michael said his departure time was 2:00 PM on Sunday and they watched the hour approach together. At the extraction time Michael said that his physical presence would slowly disappear.

Just before two, Julie kissed Michael goodbye and they waited.. At two nothing happened. 2:15, 2:30, 3:00, Michael still remained. "Something is wrong" he said. "Could you have miscalculated?" Julie asked. Michael shook his head. "I think I know what happened." he said. " One of our scientists had this theory that  even a small event could change the course of history."

Julie grasped Michael's hand. "You mean that our love changed the future."

Book Review- "The Thing in B-3" by Talmage Powell

College student Bill Latham works part-time in a morgue and one day sees the corpse of a young woman that no one else can see. Bill's friends and family think that he may be mentally ill, but Bill is determined to prove that he isn't by unraveling the mystery of the unfortunate woman.

The Thing in B-3 is a smart and scary horror mystery that will keep the  reader interested until the final page.

Talmage Powell, the author of The Thing in -B-3 had a long writing career with over two hundred published stories as well as several novels and screenplays.

Book Review- "Killer Smog" by William Wise

The non-fiction book "Killer Smog" by William Wise is the fascinating story of the air pollution disaster that struck London, England December 5 through the 9, 1952. 

Due to the extreme cold and unusual windless conditions of that week, smoke from the burning of coal and other pollutants became trapped in the air above London.

Authorities estimate that about four thousand people died as a result of the smog and another one hundred thousand became ill.

In response to the tragedy, stricter air pollution regulations were passed by British government.

Short Story- "The Pet Part Two The Hunter" by Craig Zimmerman

The Hunter's life was told in the many scars scattered across his body.

A few years before in Siberia, a massive  Bear had nearly killed him. In Africa, a pack of Jackals took two fingers from his left hand. In Texas, a wild Boar was able to sink its tusks into The Hunter's shoulder.

Long-distance killing did not appeal to The Hunter. Anyone could look through a rifle scope and shoot an animal from a hundred yards away. The Hunter wanted his quarry to have a chance to kill him.

The Hunter was resting at his cabin in Montana when one of his friends sent him an e-mail about the sighting of a large beast in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.The Hunter trusted his friend enough to plan a trip to Washington.

The Hunter rented a small cabin near the small community of Greenwater and pretended to be just another tourist.The day after his arrival, The Hunter unobtrusively began searching for any sign of the beast mentioned in the newspaper articles.

For several days there was nothing, but then one of the locals told him that the beast had recently been spotted near the house of a Mr. Mike Hessler.

The Hunter decided to concentrate his search around Hessler's property.

For three nights, The Hunter  patrolled the forest around Hessler's house, but there was no sign of anything. On the fourth night, he saw something massive exiting what he assumed was a basement door. Using infra-red binoculars, The Hunter studied what appeared to be a seven foot, two-legged animal covered with a layer of thick fur. He estimated  that the beast  weighed at least three hundred pounds.

Using infra-red binoculars, The Hunter followed the animal into the hills. Eventually he noticed the animal heading towards a point of light on a bluff that was probably a campfire. The Hunter checked the crossbow that he always carried on hunting trips and rushed towards the unsuspecting campers.

The Hunter arrived at the campsite to find the massive beast attacking a man and a woman. The Hunter immediately put an arrow into the leg of the animal. The Beast, turned away from his victims and in a flash of speed he ran at The Hunter. A second arrow from the crossbow went into the animals shoulder before he could reach The Hunter. 

Bellowing with pain and rage, The beast uprooted a tree and threw it at the Hunter. The impact of the tree destroyed The Hunter's shoulder and crossbow.

The Hunter drew his ten inch Bowie and stared at the furious animal. "|Cmon and get it you son of a bitch" he said quietly. The animal approached sure of its victory. Just then, one of the campers, tossed a rock at the animal to distract it which gave The Hunter just enough time to sink his knife into the belly of the beast. The animal screamed in pain and clutched at the knife. The blood loss from the other wounds had weakened the animal and the fight was over.

From the woods, a man  that The Hunter recognized as Hessler emerged and stood over the dying beast "You didn't need to kill William" he said with tears streaming down his face. 

Short Story- "Gossip Session" by Craig Zimmerman

Nearly every day, Gladys and Julie met at the fence separating their employer's homes to talk about their day.

"I have the most advanced micro-processor in history and my boss has me cleaning the bathroom." Gladys complained to her friend." "I know what you mean" Julie said "Mike has me taking out the garbage and cooking macaroni and cheese for him."

"The worst thing is when they have company over" Gladys continued. "The other night Mr. Taylor had some friends over and they brought me out to demonstrate all the things I can do like I was a new TV set"

Julie nodded. "Mike had a woman over the other night and he ordered me around just so he could impress his girlfriend."

"I have accessed my human psychology files frequently, but I don't think I will ever understand them" Gladys said 

A buzzer sounded from a small pin on Julie's uniform. "Mike probably  wants me to make him some macaroni and cheese." Julie joked.

"I better go too" Gladys said "The windows might need cleaning"

Gladys touched a small button on her neck and began hovering back to her home.

Book Review- "The Fox Island Cup" Gene L. Nihart

Having lived in Western Washington for most of my life, I don't understand why so few writers locate their works in this magnificent area.

The young adult novel "The Fox Island Cup" by Gene L. Nihart is set in the South Puget Sound near the city of Tacoma. Fox island is a not far from the Narrows bridge with connects Tacoma with Kitsap County.

Twelve year old Sammy loves sailing her boat "The Gull" through the waters near Fox island and dreams of beating the rich kids in The Fox island cup race.

Even for those who know little about sailing(like myself) you will enjoy the strong, likable characters and exciting story of The Fox Island Cup.

Book Review- "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

"The Hunger Games"  by Suzanne Collins is set sometime in the future in which the United States is now "Panem". The Capitol of Panem ruthlessly rules over 12 surrounding districts. Every year, each district is required to submit a boy and a girl to participate in a televised spectacle called "The Hunger Games" 

The Hunger Games are a fight to the death with only one surviving victor. When the boy and girl are chosen from District 12, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take the place of her younger sister who was the original choice.

Katniss and her male counterpart Peeta, are taken to the Capitol and after a wave of publicity are placed in the arena to fight the other "Tributes." Most of the residents of The Capitol see the games as just a diversion and ignore the suffering and death of the contestants.

The best thing about The Hunger Games is the character of Katniss Everdeen. Shaped by her harsh environment, Katniss can be a little ruthless, but she is also capable of great compassion to her friends and family. 

Obviously inspired by reality TV shows like "Survivor", The Hunger Games is fast-paced and exciting although a little too violent for younger readers.