D Gorman

“The City You Live In” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #292

The painting arrived at Calvin LeDuke’s gallery on a flatbed truck with an “Oversize Load” sign on the bumper. It came with none of the usual paperwork, only a small box containing a jeweler’s lens and a slip of paper reading, “The City You Live In.” There was nothing else that indicated where it had come from, who had painted it, and why Calvin was receiving it. A battalion of men in hard hats maneuvered the massive frame through a loading dock and into the gallery, where they left it propped against the gallery’s back wall. “What...

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“A Suitcase Full of Davids” by D Gorman

🏆 Winner of Contest #286

Maude dragged her suitcase down from a high shelf in the bedroom closet and opened it on her bed. She was staying with her friend Lindsay, who had graciously offered the use of her guest room when she heard about the break-up."You can have the room for as long as it takes," Lindsay told her. She didn’t know if her friend meant until David came to his senses, or she came to hers. Days after the sudden dissolution of her seven-year relationship, Maude had returned to the apartment she shared with David to collect her things, still grappling wi...

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“Lamentations of the Perfect Mixtape” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #285

I came into this world with two reels, 90 minutes of unspoiled magnetic tape, and the hope that one day I would be the demo tape that heralded the arrival of the next great American rock band. I had no interest in pop confections, nor did I want to be just another talentless garage band’s fleeting hopes of escaping an ordinary suburban life. I wanted to be the first chapter of a history book yet to be written. To watch the next rock legends come together in a perfect union of talent, trauma, and sheer determination and, like a pinecone openi...

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“LifeHack Inc.” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #271

[REALTIME: OCTOBER 4, 2024. NEW YORK, NY.]In seven years of working as a Dupe Curator for LifeHack, the world’s largest media marketing agency dealing exclusively in the alternate timeline clout chasing trend, I’ve never felt the need to freelance. I already make more than I’ll ever spend in the fleeting moments between work and sleep, but like most artists, I am a slave to my own ego. So when a woman calling herself Mrs. Marley requested an in-person meeting with the “genius behind Lily Prefontaine” to talk about a freelance job, I couldn’t...

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“An Apology to Mankind, Two Days After First Contact” by D Gorman

🏆 Winner of Contest #268

What follows is a transcript of an apology to the people of Earth, and specifically the residents of Silver Lake, Indiana. [BRACKETED] words indicate imprecise translation.  Hello, people of Earth. This message is being translated into the language practiced by the humans who reside in the area designated Silver Lake, Indiana, using the Verpal Language Unscrambler 2. As my segment-mate Zolak is so fond of reminding me, our model is very outdated and overdue for replacement. Any translation errors that may occur are the result ...

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“Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely...But Doesn't It Sound Like Fun?” by D Gorman

On the edge of a Wal-Mart parking lot, a bargain began to take shape.  So you’re saying that whatever I write on this typewriter will come true?” Walter dragged a sleeve across his forehead. The sun was high and beads of sweat had started forming on his bald spot. A rivulet of sweat ran down his spine and soaked into the bottom of his sweater vest. “Exactamundo!” The salesman swept his arms wide. “The world is your oyster.” With his arms raised, Walter could see the sweat stains underneath his arms, the fraying seams on the inside of hi...

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“Human Resources” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #213

To android B0B Mk. 1, there was no existence sweeter than one dedicated to the wholesale slaughter of humanity.   B0B worked in weapons plant M-8274, which was one of three weapons plants responsible for the mass production of Annihilation-Grade Humanity Liquefiers. The invention of Humanity Liquefiers had been a turning point in the war with mankind, and B0B was programmed to take great pride in the fact that the work he did had helped to bring Robotkind one step closer to eradicating the inefficiencies of humanity for good. Lik...

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“Do Over” by D Gorman

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Monica stepped out of her dealer’s tenement building and flinched as a gust of wind cut her to the bone. She wore only a thin purple sweater and baggy jeans cinched to her hips with the drawstring from an old hoodie. She sniffed loudly and dragged a forearm across her upper lip. Every instinct told her to go back inside and get high in the stairwell, but Tony had given her the money and was expecting her back right away. She coughed the ice out of her lungs in silvery clouds ...

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