"The Colony" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Michael noticed the blue spot on his leg  when he was taking a shower. The spot  was on his thigh and  was about the size and thickness of a quarter. Michael pressed down on the spot and found that it was as hard as glass.

In a few days, Michael went to see his Doctor about the spot. His Doctor injected a local anesthetic and tried to remove it , but was unable to. X-rays showed that tendrils from the object extended deep into his leg.

The Doctor frowned. "I have a friend at the university that might have a better idea of what we are dealing with here." The Doctor wrote a name on a slip of paper and handed it to Michael. "Professor Abrams is an old friend of mine. I will call and explain the situation."

Professor Abrams turned out to be a woman which was more then a little embarrassing for Michael. Unfortunately, he had few options. Professor Abrams looked closely at the spot and then pressed it hard. "I have never seen anything like this." she said to herself.
"What do you think it is?" Michael asked. Professor Abrams shook her head and retrieved a large magnifying glass and again examined the spot. "It looks like a tiny city." "A city? that's crazy." Michael said. "Maybe, but that's what it looks like. I will have to do more tests. she answered.

Over the next few weeks, Michael spent almost every evening at the Professor's lab. "I have discovered a few things." Professor Abrams told Michael one night. First of all, the object in your leg is some kind of city composed of  very tiny  alien creatures.  Secondly, the city sustains itself by drawing energy from your body. "You mean it's a type of parasite?" Michael asked. Professor Abrams shook her head. "It only draws a small amount of energy from your body. Not enough to do you any harm."

"One more thing", the Professor added. "The object is sending out radio signals and I am trying to decipher them." It took months for Professor Abrams to interpret the radio signals.

Professor Abrams looked up from a computer printout at Michael. The radio signals from the object on your leg are mostly a message of gratitude directed at you." "Gratitude for what exactly?" Michael asked. "For the temporary use of your body." Professor Abrams answered. "Apparently, this is a common arrangement where these creatures originate from."

Michael shook his head. It was hard to believe something so fantastic. "So what do we do now?" he asked. "I am formulating a radio message in the creature's language asking them to leave your body." the Professor answered.

A week later, the Professor broadcast the message to the creature's tiny city and in about an hour the colony exited Michael's leg without even a scar left behind to remind him of his intimate encounter with alien life.



  

"The Jungle" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Michael's father was moving some rocks out in one of their fields when he discovered the petrified trees.

Michael ran out to the field after hearing his father shout. They both stared at the find.  Dozens of Ginkgo trees frozen in time after being covered in lava eons ago.

That night, Michael had a vivid dream of being among the Ginkgo trees, except that in the dream the trees were green and alive. 

The next night the dream was even more realistic. As Michael sat in a tree, he could hear the sounds of prehistoric animals moving through the brush. Once he even got a glimpse of a Saber-Toothed Tiger.

After a dreary, friendless day at school, Michael longed for the escape of his dreams. 

Eventually, Michael found that he could return to the jungle any time he wanted. All he had to do was concentrate.

One day, Michael simply vanished. Volunteers scoured the desert calling his name, but Michael couldn't hear them, he was sitting in his favorite tree, a million years in the past.

"The Cave" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Jim was deep in the back country when he noticed the cave. He had been that way several times before and had never noticed a cave, but there it was.

Jim pulled a flashlight out of his backpack and walked up to the entrance of the cave. The cave ceiling appeared to be high enough for him to walk upright. Jim took a few steps and stopped. Caves could be dangerous, but he decided to explore this one just a little.

After about 100 yards inside the cave, Jim noticed the faint traces of a light ahead. Jim followed the light until he entered a large cavern. Suddenly, a panel opened in the cavern wall exposing another room. 

Bones of every kind were scattered around the room, and some kind of shapeless thing occupied a kind of throne against the cavern's wall. Jim turned to run, but found the exit gone. "There is no need to be afraid" the thing in the chair said.

"Who or what are you?" Jim asked the creature. "I can't answer either question." The creature said. "My only memory is of being in this cave. I have the ability to manipulate matter in some fashion, but I do not have the power to leave.

"So, I am to be dinner?" Jim said looking at all the bones. The creature laughed. "No, I have no need for what you think of as food. The bones you see are from people and animals that have kept me company over the long years."

"I don't understand." Jim said "I do not have the physical needs of your kind." the creature said, but I do need companions. I will provide you with food and drink and you will be my friend for as long as you live."

"What if I do not wish to be your friend.?" Jim said. "There is no other choice. The cave entrance has been sealed." 

Jim looked at the bones on the floor. The creature was right. For the time being, there was no escape.

Book Review- "The Wounded Planet" edited by Roger Elwood and Virginia Kidd

"The Wounded Planet" is a collection of science fiction stories with an environmental theme.

Among my favorites of the collection are: "Noonday Devil" by Dennis O'Neil in which a  fallen priest tries to use his faith one last time to prevent an environmental catastrophe.

"Desirable Lakeside Residence" by Andre Norton has two little girls trying to solve a mystery which may bring life and hope back to a dying world.

"Beautyland" by Gene Wolfe is a wicked satire about what happens to one of the last pristine areas left in a bleak future.

and lastly "Paradise Regained" by Cogswell Thomas  has convicts on a prison planet creating their own unique environmental paradise.

"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."

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.

"The Uncommon Cold" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

"Grandpa, what was it like to be sick?" ten year old Brian asked from inside the kitchen. Grandpa Terry scratched his chin and thought back to when he was a child. "Well you felt pretty bad and sometimes you had to stay in bed a few days until you felt better"

 Brian entered the main living room. "I think I might be sick" he told his grandfather. Automatically, Terry felt the boy's forehead. He was a little warm. Terry led Brian over to the Auto-Med unit in his home and placed the swing out monitor on the boy's hand. The Auto-Med screen lit up with dozens of Brian's vital signs. 

His body temperature was 101 degrees. Terry immediately contacted  their doctor. A moment later, the Doctor Wilson's smiling face appeared on the screen. "Hello Terry and hello Brian, what seems to be the trouble today?" "Brian isn't feeling well and he has a temperature" Terry told the Doctor.

For the first time the doctor frowned. "Have the auto-med send me a blood analysis" he instructed Terry. Brian held out his arm, and the auto-med collected a tiny drop of blood. In less than ten seconds, the auto-med analyzed the fluid and sent the report to the doctor.

After reading the report, the doctor attempted to maintain his cheerfulness, but Terry could see something was wrong. " I will need you to bring Brian in to the clinic right away" the doctor told Terry.

Terry led Brian to his old truck and programmed the clinic's location into the truck's guidance system. Even though computer guided vehicles were not new. Terry still had a hard time getting used to letting the machine drive itself.

When they arrived at the clinic,  an auto-nurse led Brian to an examining room. Doctor Wilson came out of the room a few minutes later. He looked grim. Terry was alarmed. "What is it Doctor?" Doctor Wilson hesitated a moment. "Brian has a cold." he replied. Terry almost laughed. "A cold? is that all?" 

The Doctor shook his head. "The problem is Terry, that a cold today is much different then when you were a boy.Because of advances in medical science, today's children have not been exposed to any of the pathogens that you were as a child. Their immune systems are weak and incapable of fighting serious infections"

"What are you saying, Doctor?" "I am saying that without some kind of treatment, Brian may die"  Terry rubbed his eyes. "There must be something"  "Do you know where Brian's maternal grandfather is?" Terry shook his head. "He was living in Montana, up in the mountains the last I heard" 

"You must find him" Doctor Wilson said. Terry grabbed the Doctor's shoulders. "Why, what is it?"  "Brian's other grandfather may have the anti-bodies in his blood that Brian needs to fight the infection" Terry released the Doctor's shoulders. "What about me?Doesn't my blood have the anti-bodies you need? The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I checked one of your old blood samples. It does not have enough of the anti-bodies Brian needs." "I will bring him back here" Terry told the doctor.

Terry had not seen Mike Barnes in ten years. The last he heard was that Barnes lived in a secluded cabin high in the Rocky Mountains with no electricity or modern technology of any kind. Terry had a feeling it was not going to be easy to persuade Barnes to leave the mountains.

The first thing that Terry did was to contact a company that used supersonic drones to locate missing people. Terry gave the company the general location of Barnes and within a few hours, he was given some probable leads. Terry then took a bullet train from California to Montana. Once in Montana, he rented a recreational auto-drone and programmed Barnes' probable locations into the guidance computer.

The first location was a dead-end. At the second location, an old man with a long beard came out of a crude cabin with a rifle. For a moment, Terry thought it was another dead-end, but sure enough, behind the beard and dirt was Mike Barnes. As he exited the craft, Barnes pointed the rifle at him. "Get out of here" he told Terry in a low voice.

Terry held up his hands. "I'm here about your grandson Mike. He is very ill and he needs you" Barnes lowered the rifle slightly. "My grandson?" Barnes seemed to be trying to remember. Terry nodded "Your daughter Julie and my boy's son needs your help." Barnes rubbed his head. Barnes sat down on an old log and laid the rifle down. Terry sat beside him.

 "Why do you need me?' Barnes asked  Terry explained about the anti-bodies and Barnes nodded in understanding. " I was once an astro-physicist you know." A few hours later, Brian was responding well to the anti-bodies from his grandfather's blood.