Category Archives: Absurdist Fantasy

Guys Like Me are Mad for Mermaid Meat*

Posted on September 25, 2015 by John Swinburn

Buried deep in my subconscious are recollections of what must have been a torrid love affair with a mermaid. My gustatory passion for creatures who spend their lives in the sea betrays that obscure secret, hidden beneath waves of recall that pound my psyche … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdist Fantasy, Fiction, Food, Writing | 1 Comment

Fulcrum

Posted on September 18, 2015 by John Swinburn

Fulcrum gazed at the bathroom mirror, marked with water spots and bits of toothpaste flung from his mouth during yesterday’s energetic attempts to brush away the taste of the previous night’s experiment with bourbon and sloe gin.  He stood staring at his reflection, illuminated by an ancient fluorescent … Continue reading →

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Just Past the Point

Posted on September 10, 2015 by John Swinburn

A writer, speaking at a conference I attended, suggested interviewing key characters when it’s tough to decide on the direction one’s writing should take. So, I asked a character for an interview. He turned me down. I asked again. Same result. Later, … Continue reading →

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Turn Back Time

Posted on July 11, 2015 by John Swinburn

The conversion to an age-based economy began when the Dutch implemented a program called Ungdom-penge; youth-money. Five years later, almost all global economies had adopted Ungdom-penge. The changes were not in the currencies themselves, but in what currencies could buy. Thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdist Fantasy, Just Thinking | 2 Comments

A Curious Experience

Posted on May 9, 2015 by John Swinburn

Why would eight to ten grey-bearded men gather in a conference room of a public library? What commonality, aside from their beards, could cause them to assemble around a conference table, nary a smile visible behind those masculine mops? Those questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdist Fantasy, Writing | 2 Comments

Sprites

Posted on April 20, 2015 by John Swinburn

Linda awoke just before daybreak, full of energy and anxious to explore the forest. She jumped out of bed, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and examined herself in the bathroom mirror. Her straight, shoulder-length golden blonde hair shone brightly … Continue reading →

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Just Imagine

Posted on April 16, 2015 by John Swinburn

You’ve read The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges, right? Well, if not, you’re in for a treat.  And whether you’ve read it or not, you probably didn’t know that he based the book on stories I shared … Continue reading →

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Disconnected by a Thread

Posted on March 27, 2015 by John Swinburn

It appears my wifi service is down, so I am forced to rely on ATT for access to the Internet on my smart phone. I cannot type fast enough on this tiny keyboard to enable my thoughts to spill out … Continue reading →

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Fairytales on Acid for Demented Adults

Posted on February 15, 2015 by John Swinburn

The Seven Dwarfs (Blick, Flick, Glick, Plick, Quee, Snick, and Whick) arranged to meet for lunch one sultry February afternoon at an Argentinian steakhouse on The Kurfürstendamm in Berlin.  They invited Goldilocks and Santa Clause to join them, anticipating both would offer … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Way to Wake Up

Posted on January 26, 2015 by John Swinburn

I awoke with a start, not knowing why.  Light filtered into the room from the thin curtains on the windows, suggesting I had long overslept my normal waking hour.  I started to throw the covers off, but I felt confined, as … Continue reading →

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Off-Color Fantasies

Posted on November 10, 2014 by John Swinburn

When I visit a hardware store or a paint store or a big box all-in-one home store, almost invariably I gravitate toward the dozens or hundreds or even thousands of paint samples. I like colors.  Even colors I don’t like attract … Continue reading →

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Reports from the Front Line

Posted on September 15, 2014 by John Swinburn

Three days on, the invasion had not accomplished the results that had been promised in two.  Casualties were higher than expected and the ground-gain amounted to a fraction of the progress planned. Things were going badly for the rag-tag Lichtenstein invasion … Continue reading →

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