Reese Blaise

“Humanity’s Rebirth” by Reese Blaise

🏆 Winner of Contest #284

“Humphrey,” I yell, banging my fist against the observation deck door. “There’s something wrong with Jansen. Humphrey!” I try to push the door open, but it’s been barricaded from the other side. How long has Humphrey been holed up in there…three months? Three years? It’s hard to tell. “Humphrey!” I yell one last time before giving up. This whole ship is going crazy. Four years in space and I’m the only one holding it together. I make my way to the Navigation room to find Jansen in a state of mania. He sits tuck-kneed in the captain’s chair w...

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“Project Suraci and the Suns of Man - Part I” by Reese Blaise

I was just a child when they stole the night. At first, people were confused. Then they were angry. My father cursed the sun in rage as my mother held me close in fear. The whole world looked up at the sky, waiting for the night that never came.Jans Furman, the billionaire tech founder and unofficial spokesman of the Techno-elite, initiated a worldwide simulcast. "Fellow citizens of the world," he began in his deep baritone voice, "Our collective hubris and arrogance have brought our ecosystems to the brink of catastrophe. The effects of cli...

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“A Transformation” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #98

It was five or six years ago when I first noticed the antennae growing out of my dad’s head. He assured me that they had always been there, but I was skeptical. Seems like something I would have remembered. My mom didn’t seem to think much of it, but then again, she was busy trying to cover up the thick trail of slime secreting from her pores. And my brother Allen was scurrying headfirst down his own strange hole. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. This all happened back when I was living just outside of Washington, working as a data an...

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“The Arrival of the Grym” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #97

Aeron watched as the amber light of the blood moon crept above the forest canopy, illuminating his shaggy crop of brown hair. He stood on his tiptoes, peering out into the wooded shadows, waiting for the Grym to appear. Father Feran was busy in the other chamber, preparing for the arrival. “Get away from that window, boy. He’ll be here soon enough and you best be asleep when he arrives,” Feran shouted over the crashing of brass kettles and clay pots as he prepared the lamb stew. Aeron ignored him like he did every year. He waited, keeping ...

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“The Breath We Share” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #94

Ship Log; June 27th, 3095, 17:34 OST; Private H. L. Jansen, Pilot, First Class, Deep Space - Terrestrial Division; “Everybody is dead. I don’t know how I survived. Why I survived. I’ve been here 8 months, trapped. But I have to leave now. My supplies are low and I’m running out of oxygen. By my estimates, the other ship crashed 25 miles northeast of here. I don’t know if anybody there is still alive.” Jansen flipped off the console. He didn’t know what else to say. It didn’t matter anyway since the comms were down. His cries for help we...

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“The Manticore” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #93

Manticore (n) - /man(t)iˌkôr/ - A legendary creature having the face of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. “Hi. My name is Manti,” I say in a friendly tone of voice while slowly extending my hoof so as not to alarm you. We shake, firmly but not too firmly, while maintaining strong eye contact. You tell me your name, and I immediately repeat it back to you, and then offer up an innocuous comment about the weather, or the venue decor, or perhaps even a positive compliment about your attire, just to get the conversation roll...

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“The Pale Lady” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #92

EVENING“There have been a lot of wild rumors surrounding your life, so I’d like to begin with just the facts,” the young woman said, fumbling with her tape recorder in the darkness.“Lead the way,” encouraged the older lady with a chuckle. “But you may find that facts and rumors look awfully similar in the dark.”“First, you were born Anna Prescott in the Eastern Demilitarized Zone. Your parents died when you were young and you were sent to the Riverside Youth Education Facility. It was there that you developed a severe form of solar urticaria...

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“The Annex” by Reese Blaise

Submitted to Contest #91

I wake up in the library. It’s the middle of the day. No. Wait. I wake up in the library. It’s the middle of the night.  That’s right. The lights were off. The building was quiet. It was the middle of the night and the library was closed. That’s the last thing I remember. Then why do I hear people upstairs? Why does my phone say it’s 2:30 in the afternoon? Pause. Take a breath. I’m in the library right now. It’s the middle of the day. But where exactly am I? I’ve never been in this section of the library before. The building...

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