“But I was seen as a product, not a living being that was an end in themselves, only a mere means to an end. The facts of the matter were that I was made of spring, foam, and latex, not flesh and blood. I lived to serve others.”
“The next thing Harley remembered was the sounds of rushing cars coming through the open window. On his back, Harley squinted at the spinning ceiling fan. A chill hung in the air. Last night’s smoke haunted the room. The denim jacket spread over his body. The sheet was tucked into the undisturbed bed. It was morning, and Keisha was gone.”
“Deserts can make dust that travels a long way, even across oceans. That great body of water touched the plains running from a high plateau to the river. Across the ocean came a man—a stranger. He brought a message.”
“Passengers focused on their own selves, their phones, daydreams, the hair or freckles of their forearms, and their inner world. Commuter subways made everyone into inveterate introverts. Routine travel had a way of canceling the passengers’ natural curiosity about each other.”
“My intellect is unparalleled, so I’m not often stumped. I’m in a cognitive league of my own. World-renowned psychometricians administered the Wechsler-Blaustein IQ test to me. The results were conclusive: I received a perfect score. (I also pointed out two slight misprints in the puzzles. Two! And the proctor renounced any responsibility. Trigonometric travesties!)”
“In the heart-shaped locket, his wife’s chestnut hair, neatly parted in the center, tumbled to her bare shoulders. Although he was unaware of time’s perseverance, her mild brown eyes, porcelain skin, and smile watched him curiously. Through its gate, and as long as the picture of her was in his hands, death couldn’t touch him. He lived forever in its reflection.”
I am an American writer and editor based in South Korea with published work in literary and speculative fiction.
