"Refugee" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Ariana sat by herself at the lunch table and watched the other kids laughing and having fun. She wished she could join them, but thoughts of her father and war crowded her mind.

Ariana and her mother Parisa were forced to flee their home when the Taliban overran their village. The soldiers took her father into the fields and shot him. After fleeing to Kabul, Ariana's mother was able to get a job at the big American military base. 

For a while, life was good and Ariana was even able to go to school, but it wasn't long before the Taliban came down from the hills and the Americans began to leave. During the frenzy of the evacuation, Parisa was able to find a spot for herself and her daughter on one of the departing planes.

After a stop in Germany, Ariana and her mother were granted refugee status in the United States. Their new home was a small village in the state of Kansas. Ariana was in awe of the endless fields of corn and wheat. There was never so much food back in Afghanistan. Parisa found a job in housekeeping at the local hospital and Ariana was enrolled at the local high school.

Ariana was unprepared for the hostile glances and whispered comments from the other students. She tried to be friendly, but it seemed as if everyone hated her. Lunch time was the worst, Ariana sat alone while the other kids chatted and laughed together. 

Ariana tried to talk to her mother, but Parisa was usually tired from work and went to bed soon after dinner. After several more weeks of eating lunch alone, a girl with red hair and braces asked if she could join her and Ariana was surprised to learn that she had made a friend.

"The Man in the Snow" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Hailey Abbot checked her outdoor gear one last time. The next day she would be going on an overnight solo hike in the Norse Peak wilderness area, and she wanted to be prepared for anything. Hailey left her apartment bright and early and arrived at the Norse Peak trailhead while it was just becoming light.

After gathering her supplies, Hailey set out on the trail eager to get moving. The weather was perfect and she made good progress. It was around noon that Hailey first saw the man. He was a good distance back on the trail, but she could tell that he was huge.

Towards evening, she noticed the same man again, only this time he was much closer. Hailey quickened her pace and tried to tamp down the fear that that emerging in her gut. As darkness approached, she found an isolated campsite and prepared dinner which consisted of a peanut butter sandwich and an apple. Hailey slept fitfully, afraid of what was out there in the dark. 

The next morning, the man was nowhere to be found, and Hailey scolded herself for imagining the worst. The trail was now leading to the summit of Norse Peak and snow covered the ground. Struggling to ascend a steep rise, Hailey stopped to catch her breath and glanced behind her. The huge man was only fifty feet behind her! 

In a panic, Hailey tried running up the slope but failed to see that the snow was hiding a deep crevasse and she fell through the icy crust and became wedged about twenty feet down in the fissure. Hailey cried out for help unsure if she really wanted to be rescued by the brute who was apparently stalking her.

A rope suddenly appeared and a male voice told her to tie it around her waist. Hailey did as she was told and powerful arms pulled her to the surface. Hailey cried with relief when she was on solid ground again, but her rescuer was gone. A trail of large footprints led into the snowfield and then just stopped.

"Invasive" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Russian botanist Georgiy Morozov discovered the new plant species in a remote valley in northern Siberia on a field trip to the east. It was a type of clover with thorns, and he named it "Trifolium Spina." Georgiy brought samples of the plant back to his lab in Moscow and even planted a sprig in his garden to see how well the plant would fare in western Russia.

The new species flourished in the garden, but after two weeks Georgiy noticed that the clover was killing his flowers and spreading over the entire plot. Somewhat worried, Georgiy sprayed a portion of the new species with a common herbicide, but there was no effect. Stronger poisons did not work any better and he became alarmed as the new plant took root across Moscow.

He was astonished that the new species could spread so quickly and reluctantly decided to make a report to the department of agriculture. Georgiy tried to explain the potential danger to the bureaucrat downtown, but it was obvious that the man didn't care in the least.

By the time the Russian government understood the seriousness of the problem, the thorny clover had spread to the agricultural regions in the south. Desperate farmers tried everything to kill the invader, but their efforts amounted to nothing. 

The green plague marched on, enveloping India, Europe, and Africa. The Americas were spared for a few months and then they too became a victim of the insatiable plant. 30 years after Georgiy Morozov discovered the new species, Trifolium Spina was the dominant life form on earth.