By Robert W. Caldwell
Delta walked out of the subway train. In her hair she wore a faded flower. Scribbled on the walls of the subway was Isiah said: followed by a few lines of text. Next to that graffiti was scratched Mohamed said: with some barely legible words of text. She exited the building into blinding light and for a few seconds she felt like she was walking on sunshine.
She saw alligator lizards flying around as her eyes adjusted. People she didn't know said, “Hi,” or gave her funny looks. A girl with a name tag that said “Wendy” walked past her — smiling at people. Delta walked on past a store where a man dressed as a cowboy kept ringing a bell at the register. The store clerk came out from the backroom and yelled at him. The man then walked to the street crossing and punched the walk button a dozen times.
She looked down another street and saw a lot of people Kung Fu Fighting and decided to take another route, one that would take her past the House Of The Rising sun so she decided to go through the strawberry field instead. A yellow submarine flew by.
Delta passed a roundabout where a pretty nurse was selling poppies from a tray. She entered a park and she saw the remains of a green cake spread around a concrete picnic table. Some young men in a gazebo played guitar, the best playing she'd ever heard. As she walked that music faded to be replaced by the sound of a man selling ice cream and singing Italian songs. On a wall she saw a small heart with two names written in it.
She entered a bar and joined the regular crowd. A sign on the wall said, “Thursday night Tambourine Man, Friday night Guitar man, Saturday night Piano Man.” On the counter was a card with a picture of the Tambourine Man holding a green tambourine with the caption, “Shake me with your love.” She saw Lola sitting by herself drinking, wearing an old showgirl dress that was now too small for her.
Teary-eyed Olivia sat with a group of friends and she called out, “Hey Delta Dawn. What's that flower you are wearing? Aren't you supposed to meet your boyfriend here today?”
“Yes. Today he will come. I know it, to take me to his mansion in the sky.”
Delta sat down next to Olivia. Brandy, who wore a silver chain with a locket, tended bar. A man Brandy served whiskey to said, “Brandy, You're a nice girl. You really should get married. That sailor is never going to come back.”
“Oh, but he said he loved me and gave me this necklace.”
“He made it clear he couldn't stay. The sea is his love. You're wasting your life waiting for him.”
“You're wrong. Just wait and see,” Brandy replied.
The man shook his head.
Next to Delta a waitress talked politics with a business man. Further dawn was a sailor with the name Davy on his uniform. She overheard some conversation. “Why would anyone be interested in reading that?”
“Don't you see? In my novel the realtor tricks the young couple into buying a house that is haunted.”
A man dressed as a cowboy walked in and approached the music box. Olivia whispered, “Please don't play B17.” The man pushed a button and a love song began to play. Olivia started crying. Her friends comforted her.
After closing time Brandy walked through the almost silent town, except for children screaming, lovers crying, and poets dreaming. The church bell didn't chime because it was broken.
About the Author
Robert was diagnosed with Asperger's at 28 years of age, which explains where his crazy ideas come from.
He is now 64 and a self-advocate who does public speaking, lobbying, and serves on boards and councils.
Maybe an autism conference in Australia could invite him to come and speak.
He works in retail and has his own house with two cats and lots of plants.
His hobbies include photography and collecting antique photographs.
Emma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in
James Walton was a librarian, a farm labourer, and mostly a public sector union official.
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Brian Biswas lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.
Tara Campbell is an award-winning writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing.
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his