Dorian Ashwell
11 stories published
Stories by Dorian Ashwell
Substitute Moon
The moon goes on strike over unpaid light. The neighborhood hangs a paper lantern as a replacement. It glows bravely, held up by fishing line from rooftop to rooftop. Tides forget what to do, puddles...
Gravity Holiday
The town council declares a gravity holiday. For twenty-four hours, weight takes a break. People tether themselves with scarves. Parks become floating picnics. Someone loses grip on a lawn chair and w...
Lost and Found Gravity
Objects in town begin to float when their owners forget about them. A lost glove hovers near the bus stop until someone claims it. A bicycle drifts above a garage. The local news reports a cloud of fo...
Origami Passport
At a travel kiosk, a sign reads: "Fold yourself anywhere." Paper sheets printed with visas sit in neat stacks. Travelers follow diagrams, creasing themselves into cranes, boats, and foxes. Each shape...
The Secondhand Star
A pawnshop advertises a secondhand star, slightly dim, no box. Curious customers peer into a glass case where a faint glow hums. The price is negotiable. One buyer worries about maintenance; another a...
Factory of Borrowed Voices
The factory sits on the edge of town, smokestacks replaced with speakers. Inside, voices are bottled, rented, and returned. Customers borrow a booming baritone for a presentation or a lilting tenor for lullabies. The slogan: "Sound like your best sel...
The Ink That Refuses to Dry
Writer Sam buys a rare fountain pen from an estate sale. The ink flows smooth but refuses to dry on the page. Words smear, sentences slide. Frustrated, Sam leaves a draft overnight. In the morning, the words have rearranged into a story Sam never int...
Rental Conscience
A start-up offers consciences for rent. Need to fire someone without guilt? Rent a conscience that will nag you into kindness. Prices vary: deluxe models include moral philosophy references. Jin, a mid-level manager, rents a conscience for a week to...
The Paper Bridge Treaty
Two towns, Eastwell and Westwell, were divided by a river and centuries of grudges. Their bridges had burned in wars, storms, and accidents. Each rebuild became a battle: whose engineers, whose materials, whose name. Trade suffered. People swam across at night, risking currents and fines. Children s...
The Bureau of Second Chances
The Bureau occupied a beige office building downtown, between a donut shop and a law firm. Its sign was small: âBureau of Second ChancesâBy Appointment.â Most people assumed it was parole services. In reality, it issued official second attempts at anything: a test, a date, a career. You filled out a...
The Posthumous Travel Agency
Horizon Beyond Travel had a niche: vacations for the deceased. It catered to families who wanted loved onesâ ashes scattered in meaningful places, to wills that specified posthumous road trips, to cultures that believed spirits appreciated a good itinerary. Their brochures were tasteful: sunsets, mo...