Short Story Theater

Fast forward many thousands of years into the future to a land where there hasn't been a crime for 3 millenna!  But now that the stupidest man on Arinor is guarding the treasure, things may change. 

A tale of terror in a nearly empty Cape Cod hotel in the off-season.

The Hounds of Fate will follow you, no matter where you go. You cannot hide from them.

In tropical South Florida, three thieves are preparing to steal the treasure of a retired director of a wildlife research program. They soon find that the treasure is much larger than they expected.

A retired fisherman on Boston's North Shore attempts to catch a ghost ship named The Carolina Queen.

In a classroom, far away in a distant, advanced planet, a student presents his science project - a living, miniature planet that he calls Ear

Thou Shalt Not Kill. It is a commandment, perhaps the most important one. Thou Shalt Not Kill - but there is a caveat, an exception to the rule. In times of war, even your clergyman will slap you on the back, hand you a chocolate bar, and send you off to kill. Bill Russo's tale, The Death Squad, is the story of Private Shadow of the Union Army, who near the end of the U.S. Civil War is assigned to a firing squad which must kill 80 prisoners a day. Shadow dislikes the horrid duty and soon grows to dread it, and tries to find a way out.

In Bill Russo's new tale, the creatures of the Juns Federation - Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, are poised to conquer earth, by capturing one human being at a time. They have chosen desolate Ragged Mountain in Northern Maine for the starting point of the invasion. A lone disc-jockey sits in a solitary cabin at the top of the peak. In winter it is not possible for any vehicle to scale the icy mountain, or for any helicopter to land. But in the swirling snow outiside his window, the radio announcer sees someone - or some thing!

An irreverent, satirical look at the news from June/July 2023

In Hyannis on Cape Cod back in the 1950s, police would respond to a call from the Kennedy Compound in about 2 seconds. A business on busy Main Street could expect to see a response from a call to the police department in five or ten minutes. On Leftover Main, where the tourists don't go, the police won't go! So, on Leftover Main, it's every man for himself. Luckily for The Chicken Man of Leftover Main, he's up to the job.