Fantasy Patrick

Crispin has been following Lisa around since she was a child, only no one can see him but her. She hopes she's isn't crazy but she can't be sure. And of course, the dead people who talk to her are no help at all.

In which your StoryPod author and narrator, James Patrick Kelly, has an unexpected encounter with an old friend and sees his mundane life pushed off the edge of reality. REMINDER: this is a work of fiction.

It's Christmas and one of the aliens wants to go shopping at the mall to get in the proper holiday spirit. The trouble is, he doesn't know an elf from an elephant. Here's a wacky Yule story about intelligence, diversity, and too many tins of fruitcake.

A psychological study masquerading as an experiment in time travel lures an undergraduate English major to volunteer. To the astonishment of the psychologists in charge of the study, he takes their instructions to heart - with horrific results.

In this wild and funny tale, a sentient television show is struggling to survive the death of her main character. Her ratings are plummeting, her live audience is comatose, her new star has stage fright, and her guest star is gleefully upstaging her entire cast. What's a show to do? Maybe cut a deal with the devil?

Mike has it all: a loving wife, a bright son, a steady job, and a house on a lake. Then why does he feel as though he had locked himself in and thrown away the key? And what is the meaning of the disturbing dream that haunts him night after night, the one in which he is revealed to be a coward? In a horrifying moment that shatters his tranquil life, his courage will be put to the ultimate test.

When the bombs fell, there were precious few survivors. Young Lucy and Juan were spared, but they fell into the clutches of the Bad Daddy. After their escape, they scavenge through the ruins in New England, barely able to make sense of the civilization that destroyed itself, until they meet Hannah, who has a vision and, perhaps, the technology to make it come true.

Talisha is shocked when she finds mechdream pills in the bottom of her husband's underwear drawer. Designed to create a unique virtual reality based on his wildest fantasies, they will allow him to plumb the depths of his pleasure centers. The only problem is, he's spending the rent money building his virtual paradise. Just what are her husband's deepest desires? Talisha isn't sure she wants to know.

Jack is having an affair with Suzanne. He invites her to lunch to tell her that he's leaving his wife so that they can be together. But just before Suzanne arrives, a stranger approaches Jack and asks for help - a stranger whom no one can see but Jack.

Children fighting on the front lines? Maybe in some other country. But things have gone from bad to worse in the U.S. as the South American war drags on. Now the government has hatched a scheme to attract teens and even preteens into the army: they are offering kids a chance to be the star of The Johnny America Show, a reality show set on the battlefront. In a country wracked by shortages and draft sweeps and despair, maybe picking up a gun isn't such a bad idea after all.

Whatever Nojo imagines comes true, which is why he's huddled with a group of other homeless men under a bridge on a frigid winter night. They're waiting for Mags and her mysterious friend Angel, who may be bringing them the whiskey they crave or the death they fear.

A career woman, wracked by guilt over the death of her young daughter, begins to find toys scattered around her house. Is she being haunted or going mad? Her psychiatrist insists that it's all in her mind but the truth is far stranger - and emotionally wrenching.

As humankind's first starship accelerates past the speed of light, an astronaut wakes up and finds that he is all alone. The crew is gone, the sensors give no readings, and he is trapped. Alone? Not quite. His imaginary wife keeps him company and helps him keep a tenuous hold on his sanity.

In a quiet London suburb, four university students participating in an experiment inside a reputed haunted house hold a séance that goes terribly wrong. What — or who — ever they summoned has taken their minds away, leaving them empty shells. Enter the Ghost Finders, ready to confront an enraged poltergeist for the students’ very souls.

Life is primal and filled with deadly games. To survive, one might say, is to live and breath this conspiracy. Wildest thing is that I've been thriving lately. Rising to the position of Alpha Prime, conquering those that got in the way or didn't want a new force in their own lives, seeking instead to snuff out my flames before I learned to use my power. Before I insisted on claiming its entirety. Unfortunately for them, I wasn't easy to kill.

Orphan-warrior Caltus Talienson must capture Skryling's Blade, the ancient rune-carved sword and the only weapon that can slay the Dark Lord's fire-breathing servant.

Mysteries abound in the new world: Who are the so-called architects that built the Menagerie System? Why are people being brought to Novus, and why is no one allowed to leave? With dozens of new arrivals appearing by the day, the abductees must hurry to organize themselves if they are to defend against the many dangers on Novus. Meanwhile, trouble is looming on Earth. With the discovery of Planet B’s healing water, superpowers are racing faster than ever to colonize the new world.

A week ago, Ruby Grace was an ordinary girl. Now she’s a wolf shifter, rejected by her fated mate and sent to live with an ancient coven of powerful witches. That’s not even the craziest part. Because Ruby’s been star touched—blessed by the gods with the rare ability to weave illusions with her mind.

The Tales of the Otori does for medieval Japan what Game of Thrones does for medieval Europe. The bitter struggles of the Tribe and the clans have left many children orphaned. Among them are Sunaomi and Chikara, sons of Arai Zenko, who face death after their parents' treachery. Their aunt, Kaede, is able to save their lives on the condition they become novice monks and never leave the temple at Terayama. Sunaomi has been brought up as a warrior, yet his grandmother is Muto Shizuka. He cannot escape that he is also a child of the Tribe.

Alex Khan finished his military service and enrolled in college with the money he’d earned, ready to major in history. But when a nearby lightning strike activates an ancient stone portal, Alex is torn away from Earth. He finds himself on an alien world full of wonder and danger.