I have just uploaded a new short story to my newly reshuffled Writing area. I believe subscribers to this page are only notified about posts, so I thought I’d let you know in case you’re interested. The story was written a couple of years ago and is very brief. I’m a fan of packing a lot into a few words. I like a quick literary hit, so I can go away and think about it, or read it again without too much of a time investment.
Between You and I (conversation with a ghost) The narrative explores the experience of a deceased soul residing in Limbo, observing the living world from a dark alcove behind a curtain-like veil. The soul shares their role as a custodian of the family, assisting a newly deceased ancestor in crossing over while warning of the dangers of becoming trapped in the living realm.
The ghost from the story ‘Between You and I’ written by Dan Verkys.
Dusk falls on a tired dusty rural landscape, The long shadows of the late afternoon have faded to grey, In the distance, bright city lights flicker to life, lighting up the sky, The distant volume of Central City’s chaos rises to a murmur, There is a comfort to be being isolated, distant from humanity, Away from the energy, constant sound, and movement of the city, Tech still fills this rural space, but it is subtle, used where needed, Out here it is functionality over convenience, tech for survival only, No unnecessary body mods, or implants, some city escapees do have them, But out here they are few and far between, chop-shops are a city thing, Grove 18, or G18, is some distance from the hot spot of Central City (G0), Since the war, most people are cautious of machines, however, Salvaged tech has been repurposed, constructive rather than destructive, Varieties of hover vehicles have replaced the wheels and tires of old, Important, considering the surviving roads are overgrown and damaged, Raider crews on hov bikes can be a threat to farming communities, But the Syndicates keep them in check, for a price, a cut of your proceeds, But, don’t pay your Syndicate, your property burns, Or worse, you and your family are deleted, Aside the turmoil, nature still exists, savage and beautifully untameable, Forests reclaim dead townships, creating new habitats and secrets, The grey new world is brutal and unfair, but that is the way of all things now.
Beyond my machine world the Infinite Black, exists 'A Grey New World', a dystopian future set following the war with the machine hellworld as outlined in my art series, and book I co-created with Jeff Oliver.
I have been (very) slowly fleshing out all aspects of this new post apocalyptic world for a while now, and I will continue to release parts of it here. The final product will consist of poetry, art and short stories.
Dan Verkys 