David McLeod

Death Wins a Thai Game The maître d’ at the Thai restaurant seated the two young gentlemen and their elderly woman companion, and then beckoned the waiter. “It’s so sweet of you boys to take your poor old grandmother to lunch,” Dike said, after she had ordered. Mars snorted. “Cut the crap, Dike. I’ve got battles to attend. There are insurgents in Afghanistan and Yemen; Muslim fundamentalists in Iran and Yemen; drug smugglers in Mexico and Yemen, and gangs in Chicago. And in Yemen. This era ha

Pink Cadillac Nemesis Gary and I were in the living room. It had been snowing since we got back from the museum. Gary struck flame to the lighter pine, resinous kindling at the base of hardwood logs stacked on the andirons. He looked toward the couch where I sat, and grinned, as if pleased by this proof of his mastery of fire. “Can I have a hug?” I asked. “Actually,” Gary said. “I was hoping for a cuddle in front of the fireplace.” It took me, like, zero time to get to Gary. We had a good c

Interesting what the perspicacious reader can find. I would have thought that Gary was the most transparent of all the characters, as far as his goal(s) were concerned. Apparently, he has depth I did not realize. I've heard authors complain that their characters sometimes "run away" with the story. Hope that happens in Gary's case, or we're both going to be disappointed. Nemesis, on the other hand, is, in the current pop-psych parlance, "conflicted." He is, I think, accepting his role as a 12-YO whose past is largely forgotten, too easily. His past still haunts him, which is part of the reason he's done a reversal (harm-help). A long trip through Hell didn't hurt the cause, either. His roles of justice and retribution may involve killing. I think the first man (car, hands through window) was a fluke. The man in the museum, self-defense. Perhaps Nem needs to learn a little self-control. Next chapter is about ready to go online. Thanks for your thoughts. They were quite helpful. David

A serious review that deserves serious thought and answer. I have memory problems, which means chapters must be short. I cannot hold a long story arc in my mind. I plan on a lot of chapters, though, and am working from an outline and extensive notes in an attempt to keep a logical story arc, overall. Was the figure who appeared in the motel room really in the body of a 12-YO boy? Or did he adopt that image in order to get the attention of the about-to-die man? Or did the about-to-die man perceive him that way from his own desire? Once again, the reader sees more deeply than the author! Thank you for the question. It enriches my imaginary world. Alas, I'd not thought of this. The "new" Nemesis is, indeed, in the body of a 12-YO boy. The "old" Nemesis? Since I hadn't thought of the possibilities you raised, I must with gratitude leave the answer to your imagination. Thank you, again, for a stimulating notion

Thank you for your review. First, please remember that my stories take place on alternate worlds that sometimes touch ours. Things may be different; witness the presence in this particular world of people with some unexplained powers. (By the way, that will be treated in future chapters … at least, there will be an attempt to explain them in secular humanistic, scientific terms.) Second, the term “Obama depression,” as used, does not assign blame. It’s the fate of an incumbent to be blamed for present conditions regardless of what brought them on. President Herbert Hoover wasn’t responsible for the “great depression,” yet his name is inexorably linked to it by the nickname for shanty towns that sprang up across the nation: “Hoovervilles.” Third, if I use my stories to create discussion—whether of magic, the art of writing, contemporary influences on traditional grammar, or politics, logic and propaganda—then I believe I’ve done some good. I’m glad if I had a part in encouraging you to express your viewpoint on the genesis of and influences on the current world economic situation. May I propose other factors that I believe are associate causes of the current world economic situation? First, the USA created an economy that since World War II has been predicated upon the creation and spending of artificial wealth. The most obvious examples are the well-known “bubbles,” including the “dot-com bubble” and the more recent “housing bubble.” Let’s look at just the housing bubble. For decades, housing prices were artificially inflated; it was easy to “take out equity” and spend it. The consumer was the engine of the economy; the fuel was fake money, wealth that did not exist. When the bubble collapsed, money stopped flowing. Second, the world economy depends on the steady flow of money. When the home-equity money stopped flowing, the economy suffered. When the economy suffered, people reined in their spending. A downward spiral occurred. Obama’s programs to date seem to have been attempts to inject money into the economy—to prime the pump. I believe that TARP, “Cash for Clunkers,” and other stimulus programs failed because the injected money was as artificial as the fake equity in homes. (As an aside, one reason I don’t believe the USA government is serious about the “war on drugs” is that so much money flows through the drug trade that if it were stopped, the world economy would collapse even faster.) Third, since time immemorial, the economy of “developed” nations has been based upon the availability of cheap labor and cheap raw materials from “undeveloped” nations. Whether that be the slaves of ancient Greece or 17th—19th century America, copper from Chile, or sweatshops in modern Malaysia and China, that paradigm, too, is collapsing. The undeveloped nations, propagandized by “entertainment” from the developed countries (primarily movies and television from the USA) “want theirs, too.” Frankly, Earth does not have the resources to keep seven billion people in the style to which the people of the USA have become accustomed. Thanks for reading. David

Sue the Dinosaur Nemesis “You’re Garreth,” I said. “Not Gary. At least, that’s what Dike called you.” We were stuck in traffic on the way home. I was still jittery from talking to Dike, and I was impatient. I was babbling. Gary seemed calm. “It’s Welsh,” he said. He blushed a little. “It means modest and brave. I grew up knowing that. My father never missed a chance to tell me … especially when I didn’t live up to his expectations for modesty or bravery.” After we got home, while Gary was on

Character development. That's a good thing. Thanks for noticing!

Dike Gary It took almost a month to get Bobby assigned to Erewhon. Family Services wanted to put him back with the two stepparents. Idiots! I had to bring in a couple of lawyer friends to fight that … I could not have done it if they charged what they charge corporations. Both worked for the foundation pro bono. Both had been orphans. Both had been sexually abused by older boys at the orphanage; both had done the same to younger boys. They had been rescued by a couple who had the courage to ad

You've found the key questions: how will Garreth/Gary and Nemesis interact, what will Nemesis tell Gary about himself, and when; and what role Bobby will play. Actually, Bobby's only the first "foil" that they will encounter. Thank you for reading! David

Chapter 4: Partnership Garreth Before I could ask what Nemesis and Bobby wanted, the doorbell rang. “Guys? How about making yourselves scarce? In the bedroom. Please keep quiet.” The boys nodded. There were two policemen at the door. That they were policemen wasn’t obvious at first. They were in civilian clothes, but their gold detective badges were pretty convincing. I invited them into the living room. “Sir, your vehicle was seen in the vicinity of a homicide earlier today. Can you tell u

Bobby’s Story Bobby When I woke up, I was lying on … a kitchen table? I really felt weird. I didn’t know where I was. Why was I in somebody’s kitchen? There was a guy and a kid standing at the sink. I think I recognized the kid. The guy was washing the kid’s hands and arms, and saying stuff like, “What made you think you could put your hands through safety glass without getting cut?” and “Stop whining. If I don’t get the glass out of the cuts, you’ll be scarred for life.” Nemesis It was hard

Please don't be sorry if my storyline is confusing. That's the author's fault; not the reader's. I think that all your questions will be answered in the next few chapters. In short: The Nemesis's (I'm really going to have to work on the plural and plural possessive) is to stop bad people from hurting innocent people and then to exact retribution on the bad people. They are limited in their power and in their number. They can't address every problem. In fact, only a small subset of the evil that exists in the world. The relationship between Death, Nemesis, and Gary will take a while to develop. Clue: Gary was able to see Death and interact with him without Death electing to reveal himself to Gary. The "avatars," including Death, Nemesis, and Dike are normally ignored by humans unless one of the avatars elects to interact with a human. I hope this has been useful. If there are other questions, please let me know. Thank you--and thank you for your kind words. I hope it continues to be a "very good read." David

Your wish is my command. There's a lot in the offing. Where would you like the story to go?

Extensive notes take the place of short-term memory. Hope it continues to hold your interest. Where would you like it to go?

Retribution is Job One Nemesis It didn’t take long to figure out what I was supposed to do. I hadn’t taken ten steps from the motel when I got my first job. The motel was next to an abandoned shopping center. It was one of those places where Sprawl-Mart had built a store, attracted tenants in out-parcels, milked the place, and then shut down. A storefront church that preached prosperity theology—you know, “God wants you to be rich”—had given it a go. Their signs were still in the windows, cov

Nemesis “Who are you?” My voice was slurred from the booze I had drunk and fuzzy from the sleeping pills I’d taken. “I am Nemesis,” the little boy answered. “Uh huh, yeah.” I grunted. “Since when is the Goddess of Divine Retribution a 12-year-old boy?” The boy looked funny at me. “I am not a goddess! I’m a boy. And, yes, I’m the spirit of divine retribution. One of them, at least. How would you know anything about—?” “Look, I don’t mean to interrupt,” I interrupted. “But this is my dream, a

Inspired by Piers Anthony and others. A story that combines myth and reality. Are the elder gods real?

Sadly, too true to life. Thank you.

Hi, Conner. I had to go back and read the dialogue. Thanks for noting that!

Thank you for reading, and for some very kind words.

The Yellow Warm-up Suit The warm-up suit might have been yellow when it was new. Now, it was mostly black. The blood from gashes in the boy’s wrists certainly looked black in the mercury-vapor streetlight. The person wearing the suit might once have been a redheaded boy. Now, he was a corpse, or as close to it as someone might come without being declared clinically dead. His respiration was shallow; his heartbeat was thready; his blood pressure nearly zero. He’s got delta waves, Tommy thought.

Redneck Trailer Park The bars closed at 2:00 AM. A few of the drunks went to the Waffle House and tried to suck in enough coffee to sober up. It never worked, and any cop who needed to pump up his arrest record only had to hang out near the Waffle House. By 3:00 AM, though, things usually got quiet. The city police department had a joint-support agreement with the county sheriff, so I wasn’t surprised to get a call to the trailer park behind the Plaza Shopping Center. I’d been there often enou

An interlude. A brief story that takes place in what may become Americana.

It's good to read a story whose characters are real, human, with weaknesses with which we can all associate. Realism helps suspend disbelief, and is the halmark of a good story. This one is just complex enough to be interesting, without being too complicated to follow.

Wish I had gotten in on this earlier. All the good stuff has been said. Summary: dialogue should reflect the natural speech patterns of the speaker. The speaker's speech patterns can be used to characterize him or her. Even so, too much vernacular can be off-putting. (I attribute the last verb-preposition to Winston Churchill.) David