Overcast 162: Twentyone Twentytwo Seven by dave ring

The Overcast

Published on Jan 20th at 9:34pm

Twentyone Twentytwo Seven by dave ring. Narrated by J.S. Arquin. #fantasy #urbanfantasy #magicrealism

“Drink, sir?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said. “I thought I had to go to the cafe car for some reason.”

“We are happy to accommodate you,” he said, and then mumbled something else through a pointed smile. His teeth gleamed white against the stubbled growth of beard on his jaw.

“Sorry, what was that?” I asked, plucking the effervescent glass from the tray. Tiny pinpricks of coolness splashed against my wrist.

“We are happy to accommodate you,” he said again, then quieter: “Andtakethephonefromunderthetray.”

I heard him this time, barely, but I don’t think I reacted quickly enough. He strategically released his hand and a cell phone tumbled into my lap.

“Thank you?” I said.

He whisked past me, abruptly distant. “Twentyone twentytwo seven,” he said.

A chill ran across my neck. That was my lock code. The phone was a basic iPhone. I pushed the button on the side and a photo of me and some dude I didn’t recognize shone back at me from the screen.

dave ring is a queer writer of speculative fiction living in Washington, DC.  His short fiction has been featured in publications such Fireside Fiction, Podcastle, and A Punk Rock Future. He is also the publisher and managing editor of Neon Hemlock Press, and the co-editor of Baffling Magazine. Find him online at www.dave-ring.com or @slickhop on Twitter.