William King

Love is a many splendored thing! Once on a high And windy hill In the morning mist Two lovers kissed And the world stood still Then your fingers touched My silent heart And taught it how to sing Yes, true love's A many splendored thing

A short story about a short, one night, encounter. Seventies London, two boys make a rendezvous.

“We can meet at Warren Street.” “Ah yeah, I guess. If you want.” “You know where it Is?” “Course.” “It's the nearest station to where I live.” I knew we were arranging to meet up, but I never really thought about going to his place. Still, that was good. “What time?” “8 pm. Is that good for you?” “Yeah, it’s fine. How will I know you?” “We meet in the ticket hall. Where the machines are. I'll find you! What will you be wearing?” I thought about i

A short story set in Tangiers, circa 1978, a young European encounters a Moroccan of a similar age.

The clear blue sky invited the heat from the sun into every single place, anywhere that was not shaded by either the narrow streets or the leafy trees. I don't recall who had the idea to wonder up here, but it seemed our direction was dictated by the desire to go upwards, the reward would be – hopefully – a view. There were people everywhere, no matter the time of day, in these places humanity gives you the impression of never sleeping, even if it slumbers to wakefulness in the early mornin

“As for man, his days are numbered, whatever he might do, it is but wind.” The Epic of Gilgamesh. Part I – The Great Gods “Maybe there isn't a God after all, maybe there's only a universe rotating by itself like a millstone.” GAO XINGJIAN, The Other Shore. “This is no ordinary story,” 6985 told him. “Of course, I know that,” the boy answered. “And you know the sacred data text from where this comes. The account of times past that was discovered by accident, co

I don’t want an ordinary lover. I want a fucking storm, someone who will make my whole body shiver, from tip to toe. Henry was a very nice guy. Rich, powerful, influential, and yes, overweight. It was mean to nick name him the fat man, but Grif had a nick name for everyone. Over the last few months he’d performed in front of Henry quite a few times. The thing about this guy was he liked to watch, Henry was the epitome of the voyeur, even more than Grif knew. The side of things he sa

It's a mad, mad world! It would not be anytime soon that Marek got here, at least that’s what Joel was thinking. They would have tonight alone, maybe longer, they might have to wait a few days. Nothing specific had been arranged, just that they should get to the house and, well, wait. It wasn’t clear why they should come here, or why they had to leave at all. Something was hinted at, that they were being looked for. No rephrase the they, it wasn’t plural, it was him they were lookin

Supramolecular activation cluster – natural killer cells. Mysteries abound where most we seek for answers.” – Ray Bradbury. “Marek will take care of all that when he gets here,” Joel was following Jack around the house as he explored. They had reached the back of the house downstairs and were in a sort of utility room. The difference here was that this room was floor to ceiling along one entire wall with electronics – dead electronics. At least it all seemed switche

Is it better out west? We are about to find out! What aren't they being told? Maybe it's more what Joel can't remember?

Undefined structure results in losing consciousness. “There is always a cause,” Kado was saying. “The cells are crossing the membrane, microscopic particles are changing negative to positive. The result is a loss of consciousness. Periodic blackouts.” “And how do you account for the memory loss?” Tattersall asked. “Difficult, I’m not sure. Not sure if it’s permanent either. My suspicion is it’s temporary.” “Caused by exposure to the virus?” “That’s what we need t

Nothing is ever certain. “Can you stop calling him the fat man? I’ve said I’ll do it. Let’s make it enjoyable,” Joel told Grif. “Everything’s enjoyable for you,” Griffin laughed. “Henry, that’s his name.” Jack was in the armchair saying nothing, but listening. “If you want?” Grif was toying with the idea. “Jack could take your place.” “Me!” Jack looked at him. “Doing what?” “Don’t play the innocent, you know what this club is. Fuck, you’re friends with Kado

Drugs - it has always been a fascination of mine, what is real and what is imagined. Where is reality, in your head or something fixed outside, or some mix of both? And then there's sex!

In an October 1939 radio speech, Winston Churchill used this phrase to describe a situation that was difficult to comprehend. He was referring to the second world war, a war to end all wars. The enigma here is Charlie and a family called to a quasi-medical facility. The injection administered to Joel has echoes of a vaccination, this was written pre-Covid, but Sci-fi often predicts future events. We will see where things go...

Relaying sensory impulses – homeostasis. It’s all about maintaining balance. “I think he had sex with me,” Joel felt like talking. He thought that was the only possible way to know. To know if it was real. “Yeah, I know.” Grif told him. “How the fuck can you know?” “Because...” Grif half thought Joel might react violently. “Because I was there watching your face pressed against the glass.” “You was there?” “I was there.” “Why didn’t you say anything... bef