dreamszilla

Giovanni Rosselli's life in Rome threatens to grow stale, until he finds a story anthology with a funny title, containing an uncanny tale; by Loredano Cafaro, translated from Italian by Sabrina Beretta. Image generated with OpenAI When Giovanni Rosselli, wandering among the stalls of used books in Via Po, bought that anthology of tales with a funny title, he did not imagine what he was about to face. His life had unfolded, so far, without excessive shocks: an almost happy childhood, a diploma, a few love stories gone wrong, a job, and then, the decision to go and live alone in a couple of rental rooms near Piazza Vittorio. Truth be told, by now his existence seemed headed toward that sort of monotony that makes life govern man and not vice versa. Not that he could complain about anything, by all means; simply, nothing could bring him joy anymore. There were very few things Giovanni Rosselli believed were worth fighting for, and he didn't even remember what they we...

Over the decades, Andrew is occasionally visited by his deceased father in a comforting lucid dream; by Adam Strassberg. Image generated with OpenAI It had been many years' time since his father had died, and Andrew had never dreamt about him. Not even once. Not until now. He sat there with his father in the old model train room. It was a large insulated shed abutted to the side door of the garage. Small air vents bordered the roof but the space was otherwise windowless, lit only by fluorescent panels powered by extension cords. The interior of the largest wall was painted with a scene of the sun setting beneath a mountain horizon. Raised up on benchwork in front of this wall, an enormous model train layout filled the entirety of the small room. The main railway line, a large primary loop through a styrofoam mountain tunnel, branched to several secondary lines, including a train yard, a passenger station and a freight crane. Buildings, trees, bushes, people, even pe...

Robbie's mother does not approve of his quirky new girlfriend, but his dad is impressed - and wants to help make her even better; by James Rumpel. Image generated with OpenAI Robbie Tinsman typed in the access code, signaled for his companion to follow, and burst through the front door. "Mom, Dad," he shouted, "come here. I've got someone I'd like you to meet." Mrs. Roberta Tinsman walked in from the kitchen. "Oh, Robbie, what a pleasant surp..." Roberta stopped at the sight of the beautiful young woman holding her son's hand. Robbie's female friend had long black hair, devoid of even the slightest wave or curl. Her tight-fitting outfit failed to conceal any of her alluring curves. Robbie's Father, Charles, came in a few seconds later. He took one look at the woman's low-cut blouse, short skirt, and long legs before averting his eyes and looking down at his feet. If someone were to create the stereotypical ne...

While living in Romania, Marius falls head over heels in love with Sebastien's fiancée, but there are secrets and terrifying surprises in store; by Mihai Stet. Image generated with OpenAI I only agreed to join Isabelle and Sebastien on their trip because I had a crush on her. Since that very first evening when I met them in a bar in Cluj, I couldn't stop thinking of her. It all started when she came to me. I stood on the second-floor terrace overlooking the inner court of one of those old central buildings, my back propped against the railing. She asked me for a light. I smiled. For a few naïve seconds, I assumed she had chosen me to be more than the flame bearer of her freshly rolled cigarette. She's hot, I told myself as I elbowed some of the guys around for a lighter. "Are you from around here?" she asked me in English as I lit her cigarette. I immediately picked up the French accent, but I delayed the answer. I was lost in her voice, the perf...