David McLeod

Leroy I was the one who put two and two together to make four, and once more to make eight. As soon as I did, I translocated into Daddy’s office. Nomos Leroy popped in and sat in the seat beside my desk where I was being Captain Ben Marlberg of the Chicago Police Department. My first reaction was, “Leroy, don’t you have school today?” Leroy had enrolled in a college program designed for working people: classes on Saturdays, on-line material available the rest of the week. Today was Saturday.

James I hovered over the assembly room of the gods on Mount Olympus. It was an oval, white marble amphitheater, open to the sky. It looked like the mold for a three-tiered cake: an empty pit, about thirty feet deep in the middle, a second tier about ten feet above and surrounding the pit, and a top tier about ten feet above and surrounding that. Seats ranging from thrones to simple benches lined the top and second tiers. The largest thrones were two on one short end of the oval on the top tier.

Leroy James stood as his father approached. I was only an instant behind him. The man opened his mouth. Before he could speak I put out my hand to be shaken and said, “Good afternoon, sir. I am Leroy Marlberg.” The man had barely enough control not to snarl at me, and he ignored my hand and introduction, speaking only to his son. “We are leaving. Now. Unless you wish to walk home, say goodbye and go to the porte coucèhre.” Before the man could turn away, James took a deep breath. “I’ll walk,

Leroy and Nomos Nomos When Nemesis offered Leroy two paths to retribution, Leroy took the harder route: to spend eternity as a force for justice. I understood the philosophy behind that offer. The person who has done evil is better equipped to mete out justice than someone who had been a victim. Leroy had done some bad things. He was a black teen who had been the leader of a “kiddie-crip” gang whom he convinced to try for street cred by killing a couple of boys. Nemesis and Apollo had kept tha

I have never made any secret of my views and opinions on politics or religion. They permeate my stories. Of course they are--by definition--biased, since they are my personal views. I do not consider either "person" or "biased" to be pejorative, nor do I take offense. In this particular instance, the words "personal" and "biased" may be redundant. (The question is not whether there is bias, but the cause or source of the bias, and whether or not it is legitimate. Bias, per se, is not wrong.) On the other hand, I disagree with the notion that my views do not belong in my stories. The publication of the personal (and biased) views of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine, to name but two, were almost certainly instrumental in the creation of a nation in which we can still express our personal views, and can disagree while still respecting one another. I am no more satiric than (although not as talented as) Jonathan Swift or Samuel Butler. There are many authors and many, many stories on this site. I trust you will find others than mine that will give you both pleasure and intellectual stimulation.

Company Eagle Grim-visaged Mars hath smoothed his wrinkled brow . . . . —William Shakespeare, in “Richard III” Earth Analogue V Calvin The day was already hot, at just 8:00 AM. It was Saturday. Casey and his boyfriend, Aiden had popped in from Chicago for the weekend. They were at the lake with half-a-hundred other boys. Not our “private lake”; that was too far away and still a secret shared only among our closest friends. That circle was growing every day, though. Gary and Nemesis, as

Calvin Gary was conducting the meeting, even though we were in my office. Tom, the construction foreman, and a couple of his men were there. So were Casey and Kevin, Uncle George, and two of Gary’s Army guys. Richard had brought his friend, the new guy, Paul, and Paul’s boyfriend, Bryan. When Paul wasn’t looking, Bryan caught my eye and gave me a thumbs up. We grinned at one another, and I made a mental note to get to know him, better. He was smart, he was cute, and he had courage. He would mak

I think there's substance here, and hope that it will be continued.

Texas? Yes, Texas Paul Richard had convinced me that Bryan and I should move to Texas to a place of refuge. In fact, he called it Refuge Ranch. He wouldn’t tell me much more than that, except that it had been Dike who had told him to ask me. I knew who she was, and I understood why Richard wouldn’t say more: the words of the gods could create reality. It didn’t used to be that way, except perhaps for the top few: Zeus, Athena, Dike, Poseidon, Hades, and Vulcan—maybe a couple of others. But,

Chapter 5: Paul-Bryan-Zhang-Richard-Nemesis Paul Richard and Zhang invited us to stay with them longer, but I had classes to teach and scripts to write. Bryan needed more clothes than what he was wearing, and I needed more compute power than my laptop. Richard gave me a hug and an official-looking pass that Aiden had dropped off. Bryan got a hug from Zhang. I was glad Bryan and Zhang were becoming friends. Both had been manipulated by men for their own purposes: Bryan’s over-demanding “Tiger

1: Recruiting No man is an island, unto himself. Every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main. Any man’s travails diminish me, because I am involved in Mankind. Therefore do not send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. —John Donne (1572—1631 Earth Analogue V) Nemesis “Why are you here?” the man asked. His voice was gentle, and he seemed genuinely interested. We were sitting in the waiting room of the Department of Family Services. The city doesn’t matter. T

Constructing Refuge Calvin I felt Uncle George stirring, and opened my eyes. The room was dark. There was no light behind the curtains. It was not yet dawn. “What …?” I asked. “A visitor. He is expected. The men are handling it. Go back to sleep.” Uncle George put his arm over me and then pulled me close. He was warm; the air in the room was cold. I snuggled against him, and went back to sleep. Gary and Nemesis popped in while we were at breakfast. Between hugs an

Camp Genesis They were ruled by superstition rather than science, and religion rather than reason. —David McLeod Camp Genesis, Near Glen Rose, Texas “Inside this container, our scientists have replicated the conditions that supposedly existed on Earth four billion years ago—Yes, Aaron?” “But, sir, isn’t the world only eight thousand twenty one years old … or will be next October?” “Don’t interrupt, Aaron! As I was saying, the mixture of gasses, the ultraviolet radiation, as well as the

Chapter 3: Aiden and Casey Calvin Casey had been avoiding me ever since Aiden and the others had returned to Chicago. I knew something was wrong. I’d screwed up that first morning after he and Aiden had first slept together, and it had taken Dike, a powerful god, to smooth that over. I was afraid I’d screw up, again, but I had to do something. Uncle George was at work. Even if he’d been here, there was no way I was going to admit I needed help from anyone to deal with my own little brother.

Refuge Chapter 2: Flash Mobs Bryan had accepted my offer to take him to a god for help. He may not have believed the part about a god, but he seemed to trust me. Perhaps because his other options were limited: go home where he believed his father would kill him, or sleep on the streets where he would be killed—or worse. Perhaps he thought I was crazy. Perhaps he thought my offer was the lesser of three evils. Perhaps he saw something: a lifeline I had thrown him. It was a waste of time to gu

I understand your frustration, and am faced daily with the ignorance of the ignorant ... and those who substitute superstition for science.

Hmmm. I may have lost the original reply. In that case, thank you for your review. The "study to the test" controversy is one of the betes noir of the Georgia education system. (Motto: "Thank God for Mississippi") And, yes, "you know" is another, but it's not limited to Georgia.

Fascinating, although I'd rather the chapters were a little longer.

The story needed this break; things were getting entirely too serious. Well done.

Good buildup of tension. Dense writing.

"Punctuated equilibrium": evolution for jerks. James, you are a savant! Great chapter, and a nice cliff-hanger at the end.

Excellent use of reality to help the reader suspend disbelief. Good "technobabble." Good hook. I'm off to the next chapter.

University Library, Chicago, Illinois, Earth Analogue “So, what’s that?” The husky tenor interrupted my thoughts. I looked up, blinked, and saw a boy pointing to the open book on the table. The boy’s eyes widened and he stepped back. “Sorry,” he stuttered. “I shouldn’t have interrupted.” He must have thought I was angry. “I’m not mad,” I said. “Just startled. Sometimes I get lost in my own head.” The boy giggled. “That,” I said, answering his question, “is a sea bear or Echiniscus blumi.”

Neither the old gods nor their younger helpmates have been able to stop the coming collapse of civilization. Something more is needed. An ark, a refuge, a place where hurt, abused, abandoned, and thrown-away children can feel safe ... maybe, be safe. This is a sequel to "Nemesis" and "Protector of Children."

Protector of Children Synergy Part 4: Norns Calvin I told Kevin who Uncle George really was. I felt Kevin’s disbelief, then his understanding and acceptance. Then, I felt his fear. I hugged him. “Please don’t be afraid, and I know you’re afraid,” I said. “He’s my … he’s our Uncle George, and I love him. I love him and I love you. He doesn’t go around killing people … ” I thought of Fred-the-Dead. “Not often, and only if they’re really, really bad. Sometimes he saves lives.” “Like mine,”