Nathan Greenebaum

“Fever Dreams” by Nathan Greenebaum

Submitted to Contest #124

I don’t, as a rule, have nightmares. Not anymore. They’d been more common when I was a child; dreams of walking into a nest of spiders, or of being chased by an unseen pursuer - although the latter kind was more thrilling than truly frightening, running through a landscape of ever-shifting and impossible architecture. Certainly, I almost never have dreams about monsters.But I did have a cluster of bad dreams a while back at the height of a cryptic illness which turned out, eventually, to be a simple infection in the gut, but which at the tim...

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“User’s Manual for your New Bunker” by Nathan Greenebaum

Submitted to Contest #101

Congratulations on becoming the proud new owner of this state-of-the-art Pioneer Development survival bunker! My name is Andrew “Ace” Larsen, the CEO of Pioneer Development, and I’m here to walk you through how to use and operate this facility. Once we’re done here, you and your loved ones will be able to breeze through any potential catastrophe. You’ll be living in so much comfort, you might not ever want to leave! Your bunker is located in the lovely Parchment Hills region of Southern California. It’s surrounded by acres of native palo v...

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“Forbidden Books Inc.” by Nathan Greenebaum

The curtain rises on the interior of Forbidden Books Inc., a bookstore in the 89th circle of Hell. It resembles a modern-day chain bookstore. Chip is a lesser demon, around thirty, dressed like an office worker. He creeps anxiously between the bookshelves. Enter the Bookkeeper; a shadowy figure whose features are concealed by robes. Bookkeeper, seeing Chip: Greetings, imp, and welcome. You have entered into the dominion of forbidden lore. Strange and powerful knowledge rests upon these shelves; insights unwelcome in the halls of decency...

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“The Dirge” by Nathan Greenebaum

Submitted to Contest #24

Author's Note: The following contains depictions of suicide. “Tell me a story.” I rolled my eyes. My husband was busy in the bedroom, packing. “I can’t right now,” I replied. “There’s no way I can think with everything that’s been happening.” “Oh come on, I love your stories,” he said. “It’d help you relax?” I sighed, closing my eyes so that all I could hear was the sound of him humming to himself as he tossed clothes into his suitcase, and the concise babbling of Majorie Clare on the news. “I just can’t right now. I’m sorry.” The remote clu...

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“Homesick” by Nathan Greenebaum

Submitted to Contest #24

“Three rubies. Winning hand.” “What? No, you can’t just declare you win. You haven’t seen what I have.” “There’s nothing that you could have that could beat three rubies. It’s simple logic.” A card floated out of Zilin’s tentacle, briefly rotating enough to reveal a flickering red gem on its face. It confirmed what the iyk’s hand was, but he wasn’t one for lying. “Three diamonds could beat three rubies,” Dens said. He twined his arm lazily around a security strap. “I could have three diamonds.” Zilin’s three eyes squinted. “And do you have t...

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