Philip Baker

“A Divergent Path” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #61

The curtain wall is foggy and dazzlingly bright as the sun's rays fall on it from a little angle. They hit on its surface perpendicularly, making it exceedingly hard to look anything beyond it, as if they mark a shiny shield in which you are well-sheltered behind. Various people in professional dressings come and go as they grab their hot morning-coffee from displeased employees behind the cash register. A few of them sit down in the little round tables dispersed into the area, making chit-chat as they read their newspapers. I, on the other ...

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“A New World” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #60

«I think you did the right choice. You are quite lucky you have the chance to be one of us now.»«Am I?» I ask timidly.«What I can offer you, cannot be found in any other place on earth at the moment. And neither it will be for a very very long time.»He extended his hand offering me a glass of whisky as he approached me with a smile on his face. General Cooper, leader of the Gunners and sole operator of the last machine force, was standing tall in front of me as he unbuttoned the top part of his black shirt. He had a strong body structure, al...

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“Acadia” by Philip Baker

(6262 words)The fiery turbines produced a deafening sound as the little aircraft landed on the rooftop as if it was a little helicopter. It was a dynamic minimum size plane that somehow managed to travel the length of a half a planet in two hours. The engine lights still visible through the bursting propellers, diminished their flame gradually, as the dust settled down all-around within a 10-meter diameter. Inside the plane, the two men standing on the back-sits raised in front of the door as an automatic iron staircase unfolded from the pla...

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“Navigating Wasteland” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #58

«When this company started, down in the little poor alleys of the city, nobody would have anticipated it would reach the level of success it is in today. And nor we could predict it would become a model for the rest of corporations in Japan and an aspiration for the upcoming generation. 35 years have passed and we still continue down the same road of success and prosperity as when we first started. No one is to be thanked more in this journey than Mr. Izumi Jakamoto.»There is a strong round of applause throughout the whole room, as the words...

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“Bedrock” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #57

On September 1st, 2011, my little brother Joshua was saved by certain death. We still commemorate this day every year and will continue to do so for as long as we live. A special request from our father to remember and appreciate the luck and privilege of life itself. You see our father...is a very particular kind of man. A retired military man, with the number of medallions and awards that would make the president blush. You could fill a whole wall with them assuming you were looking for a way to decorate your house. Or maybe plaster them a...

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“Under The Dazzling Sun” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #56

TW: Domestic abuse   «Mark, don't fucking ruin this God damn it! Just make sure you push the Appstore stocks to the guy and promote the apple startup shit. Leave out any references to the Brandon scheme or any other options for that matter.» He grins his face in mockery as he covers the speaker for a couple of seconds. «I'm telling you this guy is all about smartphone shit. Just get him through the app and the general idea and wait for the cash to start flashing on. Plain and simple."   That's Brian. My husband. He has the big mirr...

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“The Dream Inspector” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #55

«And now, the injection of methylpyrrolidinium and fluorosulfonylimide in the blood, is gonna produce the right amount of relaxation compounds, that will bring the brain to the desired relaxed state without losing its critical judgment ability.» said the man in the white robe.A long white robotic hand moved mechanically to the back part of the patient's brain interjecting a long needle right in the center of the cervical spine, pouring a green liquid.«It will only take a few minutes before the subject reaches the required mental state to beg...

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“A Hidden Past” by Philip Baker

«Honey, I'm home!» yelled the woman as she pushed the door behind her, entering the room. She was a lean, middle-aged woman, in her early 40s, wearing a firm beige dress and her big circular earrings were protruding through her straight, chestnut hair that was abruptly cut around her neck. With quick and assertive moves she unleashed her bag from her shoulders, pushing them upwards in discomfort. «Honey, are you here?» she yelled one more time. With her left hand, she started rubbing over her shoulder, carefully as her face took a painf...

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“The Proposal” by Philip Baker

«Wooo, I didn't know a prince could be so fun!» giggled the woman, sitting on top of the young man. Her dress was wide open in the chest revealing a rich bust, and her curly hair was falling downwards hiding his face. «I was always wondering what such a busy and responsible person was hiding underneath..» she giggled again as she teased his face with her finger.«And what did you found down there?»«I found some...large and heavy..equipment..» she whispered heartily.«Ohh is that right ah?» he said teasingly, as he tingled her waist with his ha...

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“A Shattering Premiere” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #50

The corridor seemed long and dark at its end. The fat red carpets with the windowless walls would make it seem suffocating and stifling, more like the entrance to a big underground cave than anything else. If it wasn't for the occasional candle lamps appearing every ten steps or so, it would be a rather bleak and dismal place. Yet, besides the simplicity of it, everything seemed rather carefully chosen, from the yellow warm light diffusing through the room like little suns to the iron props in the walls supporting the lamps, with the curling...

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“A Little Bait” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #49

«And the alarm takes off…now! Mr. Smith is gonna wait 15 seconds yawning and rubbing his eyes before he pushes the blanket aside and sits up straight on his bed, unfolding his two arms in full length.» The man was examining his watch, holding it carefully with his left hand while his peer was sitting right next to him, listening carefully. «He stands up. Wears his slippers and starts dragging his feet across the room, which should take about….7 seconds till he gets to the door. He opens it up and heads to the toilet, 30 seconds.» The guy...

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“Program 16” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #48

I'm gonna enjoy this all the way. I'll make sure your pain is gonna be enduring and long-lasting, till the moment you will lose sense of who you are and how you ended up in here. By the end of the sequence, you are gonna be wishing you had never been born at all and death will be the most pleasurable option. But the process is gonna be long before the end of your Calvarious punishment. The pain is gonna prolong time, opening up the continuum to its bare nanoseconds. You will wish for it to pass faster when everything around you will see...

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“The mixture” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #48

The mixture gave me unlimited strength. From the moment it got into me I could sense my muscles strengthening, my mind working faster and smarter, my memory got...almost impeccable. I can remember every single person, every face, and every text I read. Why did it happen to me? Why was I the one that happened to come across this imperceptible substance and not someone else? That is yet to be discovered. But the person I was, died the moment it happened. And a new one emerged, someone I can barely recognize and understand. It leads me the way ...

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“Orion” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #47

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. What you’ve known as your family is not your biological parents. Your origins are quite tremulous and diverged out of the worst of occasions. Ohh don’t be so persistent you’ll know everything on time. But let me assure you that your father did the best he could so that you have a normal life to the degree that was possible. And have no doubt that he was one of the noblest of men that the world has ever come to know. He was feared and admired like no other man has ever been and his name would shout as t...

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“The Paraphernalia Of Mr. Jenkins” by Philip Baker

Submitted to Contest #46

"So Oliver, it's true then? You are getting back in business, aren't you?" The group of old men chuckled as they kept playing their card game around the circular table. The coffeehouse would consist of a number of identical tables sparsed around the room, for the service of the faithful and diligent customers consisted mostly of people in the third age. Build externally out of carved, hand-crafted rocks giving a red-brownish ambiance, and full-furnished in the inside with wood that would offer the second set of home for its daily customers w...

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