The Gadgeteer finished his latest device, and laughed. He turned to his most trusted henchmen. “It is ready. We can once again rob banks with impunity. This device will disrupt the nerves and paralyze the security for us. Soon, we’ll be rich.”

The henchmen looked at it, quite impressed. “But, sir, why not make more of them and sell them? The police and military would pay a fortune for something like that.”

It took a bit of time to arrange production and settle the contracts, but once it was done the money came flooding in. They retired in Las Vegas.

Author’s Note: I have never understood why stock supervillains rob banks. Superpowers or amazing gadgets should make it easy to become rich without bothering with the trouble or needing to worry about superheroes.

Categories: Fiction, Timothy A. Wiseman | No Comments »

The immortal walked. There was little else to do. Humanity had been gone for an eon. Many other species had vanished along with humans, and new ones arisen.

He had been bored for centuries. But then he saw an animal using a stone to crack a nut. Humans were far from alone in using tools, but this was the first one he had seen in centuries.

He followed the fuzzy thing. Perhaps he could teach them, encourage them to evolve intelligence. Perhaps, eventually, he could have a conversation with them. If nothing else, trying would give him something to do.

Author’s Note: Immortality could be extraordinarily dull, but an immortal could act as a light cast to the future to help provide later species a start on developing civilization.

Categories: Fiction, Timothy A. Wiseman | No Comments »

John wandered aimlessly about his house. He could see his family, but they couldn’t see him. When he spoke, they didn’t hear. When he touched something, his hand merely passed through it. Nothing he did made the slightest bit of difference.

He had been like this for nearly two weeks. For the thousandth time, he screamed in frustration. He collapsed onto the ground, staring off in bleak despair.

Finally, a raven arrived and said, “Sorry about the long delay, I was on vacation. I guess they didn’t get anyone to fill in. I’m here to take you to your judgment.”

Author’s Note: There are some jobs in which arranging a vacation is simple. But for others, like being a guide to the dead, they must be carefully arranged.

Categories: Fiction, Timothy A. Wiseman | No Comments »

George stood proudly over the body of the dragon. As far as he knew, it was the last in the realm. Taking its head, he returned to see the Queen.

“We are facing an orc problem,” the Queen said. “It seems the dragons ate the orcs. Now, with no dragons, the orcs are breeding out of control.”

“Surely, orcs are less dangerous than dragons?” George asked hopefully.

“Not when there are quite so many of them,” she replied in exasperation, as George slid the head behind a nearby chair. Now might not be the time to ask for a reward.

Author’s Note: Different creatures have different roles to play in the ecosystem, and one can rarely be removed without some unintended consequences.

Categories: Fiction, Timothy A. Wiseman | 1 Comment »