Spectrum Short Stories

Experimental drug therapy. Pushing the boundaries of science. Advancing the human cause. So, they say. Don't. Believe. Your Eyes. The human brain decodes only 0.0035% of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. A tiny fraction which our eyes recognise as 'visible light'. BioLuminary Enterprises conduct early clinical trials and breakthrough medical research for pharmaceutical companies. They have developed a controversial new study and are actively seeking volunteers. As far as the eye can see... (a short story - 8,500 words)

5...4...3...2...1. Mira McNair always counts it down. It takes twelve seconds to descend in the space elevator to reach the base station anchored to the ocean floor. Regimented, daily order keeps Mira's thoughts in line, and she has taught herself how to build androids. She hopes to use them to learn how to read human facial expressions and the proper sequence to social interactions. However, when the I.S.S. collides with her atmospheric home, Mira must save her creations from a fiery explosion. What happens next surprises them all. Twelve seconds is long enough to prove that compassion ...

A collection of short stories, including many photos, of the author's experiences building, buying, enjoying, fixing, showing, racing, and selling classic cars, while being active in his local car culture as a family man. There is an underlying thread, which follows the successful build of a built-from-scratch fake Lotus 7 "Locost", a project which took over six years to be roadworthy. The author infuses some humor into the writing, but maintains an appreciation and respect for American car culture.

A student sorcerer just can’t seem to get a break after he transmogrifies his assistant into a palm tree. Alien Bleeders are coming for Earth, ingesting one terraformed planet after another. A ghoul hungers for souls but still finds time to enjoy art. And a shoeshine boy struggles to make ends meet at the far edge of the Oberon Galaxy.

Book View Cafe celebrates its fifth anniversary with an anthology of our favorite stories. From the fantasy and science fiction of our roots to steampunk, romance, historical and mainstream; from humor to life's hardest challenges, across the spectrum from light to dark.

The World According to Matt: A collection of 50 inspirational short stories on raising a moderate/severe mostly non-verbal autistic child from diagnosis to independence. This delightful collection of stories is a love letter from a mom who refuses to accept the 1990 view of autism that is imposed on her son, and instead embarks on a journey to uncover the beauty of who her son really is. The stories encompass everything from the trials and tribulations of potty training to helping Matt get his own apartment. Becker’s style of writing evokes an Earl Hamner simplicity, making you feel as ...

Diagnosed as severely autistic at the age of three, Tito, nearly nonverbal, was brought up by his loving mother Soma, who taught him to read English and challenged him to write his own stories. The initial result was The Mind Tree, published in 2003, which Tito wrote between the ages of eight and 11. The Gold of the Sunbeams is an equally impressive, beautiful collection of stories, each prefaced by a charming note from Tito explaining how the story came into being.

Adam was a boy who was affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability Disorder (IDD). Despite his limitations, Adam’s parents did their best to have him engage in fun activities that would enhance his quality of life and enable him to acquire new skills. Adam had relatively good gross motor skills and learned to ride a bicycle, skate, and cross-country ski. However, his parents thought there were many activities he would never be able to do, including driving a car, playing team sports, and downhill skiing. Then one day Adam’s parents met a representative of the ...

This is a story about a father taking his disabled son on a walk to a Lebanese bakery to get a meat pie for his son and having an unexpected experience. On the way, the family’s history and experiences over the years raising their son with profound autism are recounted and provide the context that made the unexpected experience even more special. Lebanese Meat Pies and Santa Claus also provides an exposé of the challenges faced by parents of children who are severely affected by autism. Despite the lack of public resources and the consequent marginalization of the disabled in society, ...

Award-winning author Mollie Mathews returns with a luminous, lyrical tale of difference, destiny, and the hidden magic within. A luminous, lyrical tale of difference, destiny, and the hidden magic within. Born in 1965 under the sign of Libra, Clarissa always felt different. While the world told her to dim her light and never outshine her brother—the golden child—she dreamed of flying carpets, painted skies, and colors that refused to stay silent. Sensitive to sound, touch, and truth, Clarissa lived in a world that felt too loud, too sharp, too much. Decades later, on the cusp of her ...

Is it possessed? Is it some kind of experiment? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that it is out to get you. The DilDozer, or DD for short, calls on all of those in its path in the hopes that one day it can unleash its 20 full inches of destructive force upon the world. Keep listening, if you dare, to the tale of the DilDozer. Deadly. Dangerous. Ribbed for her terror.