Author: Alexander Fawn

The dimly lit bus shelter at the edge of town was empty as he approached.

It was a cold, dark night. His car had broken down and was now pulled up on the verge, some distance away, back along the lane. It was far too late to be hanging about for a tow truck. He’d catch the late bus home and fix it all up in the daylight. Being elderly, his eyes were no longer the best, and for him everything looked much better in the daylight. He sat down on the bench inside and checked his watch. By his reckoning, the last bus for the night would be arriving within minutes. After the walk from the car, his legs were aching and he thought about putting them up along the seat, just for a few minutes. He went to swing his legs up, when he got a fright. He thought he could make out somebody sitting next to him. Of course, he knew that was impossible. The place had been empty when he arrived.

He was squinting at the shape, when it moved!

In a small whisper, the figure said, “Do you think I’m here, sitting next to you, in this shelter?”

The man said, “No. Not really.”

With that, poof! It was gone!

Still shaking, he mumbled to himself, “Wouldn’t have happened in daylight.”

Within the darkness of a vast universe there is a great scattering of worlds.

Within one of these slowly spinning orbs, dotted with several lands, there is one mass that is speckled with the sparkling lights of many cities. Within just one of these cities is an old industrial area. Within this gloomy place there is a shabby street. Within this street of forgotten buildings there is an empty warehouse. Within this disused building is an uninhabited corner office. Within this gloomy room there is an old metal desk. Within this long-abandoned piece of office furniture there is a drawer. Within the darkness of this drawer is a cardboard box that once contained paperclips. Within this container there is a cockroach.

It sleeps… undisturbed.

The bus that had been standing at the stop for a couple of minutes, began to move.

There was a jolt. The engine had obviously stalled. The young man gazed out the window and checked the time, then relaxed. He had plenty of time to make his connection. Suddenly, he realised that he was staring at a young woman. She was certainly watching him. She was obviously waiting for a different bus. He found her attractive, but in a modest way. It was her eyes that held his attention. They were positively beautiful! He was almost embarrassed when he saw her quickly look away. Meanwhile, the driver had left his seat and seemed to be tinkering with something under the bonnet. Looking back, there eyes met again. This time, there was no looking away. Rather, they just held the moment.

The sound of the driver climbing back into his seat and apologizing for the delay, snapped his attention. The whole vehicle shook as the engine burst into life. With the happy mumblings of other passengers, also smiling with relief, he turned back to the woman. She was smiling, both with him and at him. He would never be able to explain the intense passion he felt in that moment.

He nodded.

She nodded back.

He would soon be boarding his flight. A flight that would take him home. His home, in another country.

The visitor sat in his friend’s lounge.

He hadn’t seen his longtime acquaintance for some time, having recently returned from working a two-year contract overseas. This time, his software programming skills had paid better abroad, but he was glad to be back home. The man he was visiting, like him, had the same programming knowledge, but a lot more besides. As a respected scientist, he had been heading up a research and development team in his own company, designing and building androids for over thirty years. Most recently, his work had broken through a barrier that he and his colleagues had been striving for. The robots they were now developing not only performed tasks after being given verbal commands, but were able to read the minds of those making a request, in order to fully carry out precisely what is required of them.

He had read about the scientist’s groundbreaking work in the press. He was not a fan. He could see all sorts of issues coming up with what was being created. He felt that a simpler program was sufficient; such as using a keypad to enter a code that corresponded with a particular task; the sort found on vending machines.

Despite this, the visitor knew the topic of these new, developing cyborg upgrades would come up. He didn’t like any of it and he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind on the matter. He was saying, “You know my thoughts on the subject. I’ve always considered that artificial intelligence could be taken too far for my liking; but this, this path is fraught with all sorts of hidden dangers.”

The scientist said, “Of course, there have been snags, but one by one they are being fixed with amendments being made to the code. We fully expected to have this sort of thing to deal with.” He grinned with pride. “Our marketing surveys have had a lot of positive feedback from several major organisations.”

The visitor shrugged. “Well, I for one,” he said, “would not be at all comfortable with some mechanical person having access to my private thoughts.”

“Really?”

His visitor smiled and shook his head. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but to be honest, I’d rather be dead than have one of these things in the same room as me.”

This statement was followed by his eyes closing, as he slumped to one side in his chair.

The scientist jumped up and felt for a pulse. There wasn’t one.

“Oh! dear,” he whispered, “another snag!”

It was the very latest in security camera technology.

The company that made it had employed some very clever people, along with experts that were up to date with the latest fully advanced levels of artificial intelligence technology. Their contribution was to approach the product’s design in such a way that AI could select the best possible design from a myriad of programmed options, based on past manufacturing data. This, together with developing a product that would both be tailored to and meet the expectations of the customer, thereby enhancing the experience enjoyed by the end user. To achieve this, AI algorithms were used throughout the manufacturing of this, the initial and stand-alone project. Only one was being built with the intention of putting it into service with the selected customer as an onsite test.

To any outsider, this was seen to be a lot of trouble to go to, along with the associated huge financial outlay, in order to simply produce a security camera. However, everybody at the company was excited the day the camera was installed in the building’s main foyer.

It was only two days later that the Lead AI Technician suggested that the Project Manager go through to the control room and see for himself what was happening.

After looking at the displays on a number of computer screens, the manager asked, “OK. What are we looking at here?”

The technician nervously cleared his throat and said, “Apparently… put simply, it has connected itself with other cameras.

“Other cameras?”

“Yes, there are fourteen other cameras in the building and it’s communicating with all of them.” He pointed to several monitors. He coughed again and said, “It gets worse, I’m afraid. According to my readings they all seem to be talking to one another.”

The manager shook his head. “Are you sure about any of this?”

“Yes, I am, and like our one, they’re all looking around at whatever they like. We no longer have any control over them.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Nor me, but…” He massaged his face.

“But?”

“I have to tell you; it gets even worse!”

“How the devil can this thing get worse?”

“Well, basically, our camera has managed to connect itself to other electronically controlled devices.”

“Such as?”

“Well, according to what I am seeing on these screens, it started with the local telephone exchange, I think it was just there to gather information, and it’s currently talking to a number of subscription-based streaming services. I can’t figure out why it’s doing that.”

With a worried look, the manager said, “If… If it can do that… what about things like stock exchanges, traffic lights and life support machines?”

The technician grimaced. “To be honest with you sir, I don’t see why it would want to stop doing what it’s doing. It does seem to be moving at a rapid pace.”

“Oh! For heaven’s sake! We’re not dealing with some kind of sentient being here, are we?”

“Probably.”

Throwing his arms up, the manager said, “OK. OK. There’s nothing for it. We’re going to have to pull the plug!”

The technician scratched his forehead. “I tried that, but…”

“What?”

“It didn’t work… and there’s more.”

“More?”

“Yes. From the feedback readings I’m getting here, I think it’s gone global!”

The medium was very expensive, but he’d like to make contact with his old schoolfriend.

He had greatly admired his old chum and felt the cost was worth seeing how he was going. They were teenagers when they had spent time together. Now, getting on in life himself and recently returning from abroad he had learned that the man was dead. He had made an appointment to visit a well-known spiritualist; she was considered to be the best. Because he had lost touch after leaving school as a result of his parents moving to another country, he was aware that it may be difficult to locate him in the hereafter. This would be made even more challenging by the fact that he couldn’t remember his name, only his nickname, ‘stinky’. He knew that he had entered politics as a young man, but that was about all.

Seated across from the seer, he began by explaining how little he had to go on. “I do hope it’s possible to contact him,” he said.

“We can only try,” she said, with a wrinkled smile. “Can you describe him?”

“I can, but only as a boy, of course.”

“No matter. Tell me what you can.”

“Well, he was quite short and a little bit chubby, he had curly hair that was ginger when I knew him.”

She nodded. “OK. His nickname was Stinky, you say?”

“Yes, it rather suited him.”

The medium closed her eyes and fell silent for several long minutes, before opening them. “Not very successful, I’m afraid. I’ve been communicating with parties on the other side and they don’t seem to have a record of him. I was rather taking it for granted that your friend was upstanding. Are you sure he went to heaven?”

“I… I haven’t really thought about… you know, that side of it.”

All right; although I prefer not, since we’ve come this far, I’ll contact the other place.” With that she went into what looked like a trance for even longer this time. Finally, she woke abruptly, looking most upset.

Are you OK? he asked. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “Yes,” she said. “They were even more rude this time. Their language was disgusting.”

“What did they say?”

“When I said he became a politician, they complained that it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even, the nickname didn’t help. They say they get a lot of them down there…”

She was sitting in a cell, waiting to be questioned.

The police had a strong case against the suspect. First, there was little Jack Horner drowned in a drinking trough on old MacDonald’s farm. Then came the incident of the Muffin Man being found dead late one night, half way down Drury Lane. On top of that there was the terrible case of old King Cole, who being a merry old soul, had called for his fiddlers three. When they arrived, they were shocked to find that he’d been strangled. The forensics team had found traces of curds and whey at the crime scene. Now, only this week. the terrible business that took place when the grand old Duke of York was invited to lunch by the Queen of Hearts and they both succumbed to the poisonous mushrooms. The inspector was convinced that she was behind that too.

The Inspector said, “Let’s face it, we’re dealing with multiple murders here. I’m sure little Miss Muffet was responsible for all of it. I still think she had an accomplice; she couldn’t have done all this on her own.

Turning to his sergeant, he said, “Have we made any progress tracking down this secret boyfriend she’s supposed to have, or is that just a rumour?”

“I don’t know, sir,” came the reply, “but I couldn’t help noticing little Boy Blue with his horn sitting in the shade across the street. I did think it strange, him just sitting there with his cap on the ground, but not blowing his horn.”

“Ah! Well spotted, man! This could be the break we need! Let’s haul him in…”

Sitting in the child’s bedroom, the first book was opened.

The intruder had been instructed to gather as much information as possible. Not really understanding whose room it was had not been a consideration. The acquisition of cultural knowledge was all that really mattered, and this would be carried out in whatever time was allowed for such probing to take place. Book after book was being taken from the shelves and the contents examined. Not all of it made sense. After all, regardless of how many children she had, why would an old woman live in a shoe? Who would seriously ask a sheep if it has any wool? Would anybody really ask that of an animal incapable of speech? What is it with this Old Mother Hubbard person, that she would keep bones in a cupboard?

What could a dish and a spoon be so frightened of that they end up running away together? What does Hickory Dickory mean and how exactly could a mouse run up a clock. What accounted for such a weird reaction when Georgie Porgie kissed the girls? What was this incy wincy spider doing up a water spout in the first place? As for ‘Humpty’, why would he sit on the top of that wall, or for that matter, any wall? And how did he manage to get up there in the first place? How did this Bo-Peep person actually lose all of those sheep? There didn’t seem to be any mention of that.

The last book was returned to the shelf, with so many concepts hard to fathom. For instance, there are so many things that would be so much better than a mulberry bush to dance round. Furthermore, it has to be the case that nine-day-old Pease-porridge would be quite lethal if consumed, and surely, weasels don’t really go pop!

The alien thought, how am I going to report this?

They’ll never believe me…

For the elderly pensioner, it was just another morning at the local shopping centre.

As always, her list was short. Now that she was on her own, her needs were modest. In fact, since his passing, her life had been modest; both modest and simple. She was grateful that despite her age she could still get about, still catch up with friends. Although, for a while now she had been feeling a sense of emptiness. Whenever this notion made itself felt, she had pushed it away. After all, it was only the silliness of an old woman. She looked down at her list again. She was almost done. One more item in isle four. Using her trolley as both a trolley and a walking frame, she headed back to the shelves of canned foods. She was trying to remember the colour of the can she liked. Once there, she looked up and found it. She stood still for a moment.

The girl packing shelves could see that the old woman was troubled. She went forward and asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“That’s kind of you, dear.” She pointed. “Yes, the cans of crushed tomatoes, up there, with the red label. Just one, thank you.”

The girl reached up and grabbed one. She smiled as she placed it in the trolley. Momentarily, their hands brushed.

She went back to her stacking, oblivious of the old lady watching her with eyes that were watering. That feeling came over her once again. She stood, pretending to read her list, but remembering. More accurately, trying to remember the last time she had been touched. Touched, by anyone.

It had been her grandson, months ago, holding his hand, looking at a small paper cut…

He was only young, but he always helped his mother with the shopping.

It was only a last-minute decision to pop into the supermarket for a couple of items. It just happened to be on their way home. She only needed bread, milk and a can of their favourite peaches. She had asked him to look for the peaches while she got the rest. The only place he could find them was in a very high stack at the end of an aisle. One of the tins at the bottom was sticking out a bit. He only had a moment to step back, as the whole thing began to fall apart and come tumbling down.

It didn’t take long for the entire tower to collapse, sending cans rolling away down the aisle, towards the checkouts and the main entrance.

At first, because the supermarket was quiet at the time, he was the only one to see what was happening.

Following the crash, it was only a few cans that managed to make it all the way to the front entrance and pass through the automatic doors. These were still open after someone had gone through only seconds before.

Three of them managed to roll out and travel across the entire length of the carpark, with only one making it all the way to the main road. It came to rest in the centre of the road, next to a white line.

It was only this one that caused the oncoming car to swerve and mount the pavement.

What followed… everything that came after…

Putting to one side the ghastly events that came about following this, it is sufficient to record here that following the statement given to the police by the boy, consisting mainly of an apology, was his final comment.

With heartfelt honesty he said that he ‘was only trying to help’.