Go back to the listing of the best Strange Encounters.

A Fish Story by Susan Stern (1994)
Sometimes it is not personal peril, wisdom, great costs or great gains that motivate us: sometimes it is only the inevitability of change...

A Handful of Dust by Daniel K. Appelquist (1992)
The Great Masters take a trip through a remarkable world.

Amo, Mensa! by Rupert Goodwins (1998)
If inanimate objects could talk--trust me, you don't want to know.

Anticipation of the Night by Daniel K. Appelquist (1991)
A trip into the darkest of dark places.

Argyst by Deborah Bryan (1995)
Despite the old saying, you may do well to look certain gift horses in the mouth.

Blame it on the Pigeons by Russell Butek (1999)
Who you callin' a birdbrain?

Bludemagick by Jacqueline Carey (1995)
Faith and belief are things we learn -- no matter how tightly we shut our eyes, reality always shimmers at the edge of our vision.

Do You Have Some Time? by Mary Anne Walters (1991)

Dragon Financing by Ken Kousen (1991)

Dreamstock by Dorothy Westphal (1993)
When you drop down that money for a haircut, you're paying for a lot more than scissors and shampoo.

Fade Out, Mrs. Bewley by Rupert Goodwins (1996)
Some people rarely notice their many habits... others aren't so lucky.

Fit for a King by Laurence Simon (1999)
It's good to be the king. Or maybe not.

Frog Boy by Robert Hurvitz (1992)

Fructus in Eden by Robert Devereaux (1993)
In this story, you already know the characters, the setting, and the way things turn out in the end. But this might be a case where history was re-written by the victors...

Georgia's Loose Tooth by Richard McGowan (1994)
This transplanted fairy tale gives new meaning to the word vegetable.

How Joe Found a Living by Adam Harrington (1998)
Who says they don't tell fairy tales any more? The characters have just changed, that's all.

Kaptain Komfort's Misdemeanor by Patrick Whittaker (1999)
What happens when the land of dreams becomes infested by nightmares?

Little Sun by P. G. Hurh (1994)

Multiplication and the Devil by Daniel K. Appelquist (1992)
There's a reason your parents make sure you've learned your multiplication tables...

Oak, Ax and Raven by G. L. Eikenberry (1996)
In olden days, life was simpler. All you had to worry about was providing a home and food for your family, and stocking up enough wood for the winter. Oh, and the occasional sentient tree

Schrödinger's Keys by G. L. Eikenberry (1997)
A cane, an umbrella, a box, a key: All unlock the secret of one man's life.

Sea Change by Susan Stern (1994)
"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me."
--T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

Shift by G.L. Eikenberry (1999)
Reality is tenuous on New Year's Eve even in the best of situations.

Still Life by Adam C. Engst (1994)
When you go to the desert on a horse with no name, be sure to get out of the rain.

Storm's Child by Shawn Click (1995)
The forecast said "cloudy, with a chance of rain." Forecasters deal with chances. But not Samuel.

Temporary Town by Mark Steven Long (1997)
In which we learn the history of the West comprises swindlin', cussin', spittin', drawin' iron... and highly trained circus animals.

The Damnation of Richard Gillman by Greg Knauss (1991)
What is hell? Your own worst nightmare. But before you can be sent to your eternal damnation, there's quite a screening process.

The Explosion That Killed Ben Lippincott by Greg Knauss (1991)

The Greatest Vampire by Gary Cadwallader (1996)
Submitted for your approval: a tale of one relationship dying while several others, bonded in blood, are being born.

The Loneliness of the Late-Night Donut Shop by G. L. Eikenberry (1994)
As the Chinese proverb says, be careful about what you wish for -- you may get it.

The Mirror of Aelitz by Ellen Terris Brenner (1997)
Is true wisdom a knowledge of the outside world, or of the world within one's self?

The Piano Player by Will Hyde (1991)

The Scratch Buffer by Steve Connelly (1991)

The Smart Bomb by Richard K. Weems (1999)
You ever have one of those days?

The Web by Russell Butek (1996)
One person's lifestyle is another one's crime. It's all a matter of perspective.

The Year Before Sleep by Rupert Goodwins (1998)
Losing yourself in your work is fine, so long as you remember to come back.

TimeBugs by Carolyn L Burke (1994)
In the same way no two people agree on everything, no two clocks march to the same beat.

Timespooks (and bit parts) by Stan Kulikowski (1993)

Underground, Overground by Simon Nugent (1994)
"One can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen.
--Lewis Carroll (1832-98)