“The Pros and Cons of Time Travel” • by James Blakey

“You have a time machine?” Arthur Wilbur looked more CPA than angel investor: five-six, wire-rimmed glasses, bow tie, tweed jacket. Dina, arms crossed over her gray M.I.T. sweatshirt, said, “I can’t discuss anything until you sign the NDA.” Without reading, Wilbur scribbled his signature and handed the sheet to Dina’s partner, Jarrod. Jarrod scanned the document. “Excellent.”...

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The Never-ending FAQ • about our slush pile

Welcome to this week’s installment of The Never-ending FAQ, a constantly evolving adjunct to our Submission Guidelines. If you have a question you’d like to ask about Stupefying Stories or Rampant Loon Press, feel free to post it as a comment here or to email it to our submissions address. I can’t guarantee we’ll post a public answer, but can promise every question we receive...

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“Reunion” • by Toshiya Kamei

The carriage door creaked open, and a chilly draft blew against Maya’s cheeks. Before she could react, a translucent figure climbed inside. He wore an old-fashioned gray kimono and two swords—one long, the other short—at his waist. “To the temple?” the man asked. Maya nodded, unable to hide her astonishment. The horse shook its head, and the carriage rolled forward. He...

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“Daydreams” • by Brian K. Lowe

So now it’s the Future.  You remember the Future, it’s all we talked about when we were kids: flying cars and jet packs, robot butlers and time travel. Right. Look around—do you see any flying cars or jet packs? Is Robbie the Robot fetching your newspaper or doing the dishes? Not bloody likely. But time travel? That’s another story—I have time travel… I’m actually rather...

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The Week in Review • 25 February 2024

Welcome to The Week in Review, a summary for those too busy to follow Stupefying Stories SHOWCASE on a daily basis. “Arrivals at Hope Station Have Been Indefinitely Postponed” • by Warren BenedettoIt seemed the appropriate story for President’s Day.Published: 19 February 2024  The Never-ending FAQ • Manuscript Formatting 101We didn’t think this was necessary, but based...

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“The Prediction of a Horrific Crime” • by Humphrey Price

I figured I had about an hour before being arrested by the Pre-Crime Police.  Sky drones surveilled my movements while I fought back tears and left the house inherited from my mom. I was on the Precog AI watch list due to my social media posts, including chatroom banter that was supposed to be unobservable. So much for that. I still had my gun, though. Guns are sacred,...

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“The Break” • by Becky Neher

The male silk moth can detect a single pheromone molecule from a female moth who is miles away. The molecule lands on one of his antenna’s receptors. He swerves left, banks right, finds another molecule. He guesses at a flight path; another molecule hits. He triangulates and pursues the concentration gradient. Equally, I think, weaving through the throng of pedestrians, cart...

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“Getting Sponsored” • by Eric Fomley

Misha’s chest was tight when she walked into the tattoo parlor. The walls of the parlor were covered in holotat portraits, shining holo projections that displayed four-dimensional artistic scenes. Others were sponsorships from companies, big corpos that paid advertising fees in exchange for body parts to have their ads tatted on, as if the human body was a piece of...

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The Never-ending FAQ • Manuscript Formatting 101

Welcome to this week’s installment of The Never-ending FAQ, an evolving adjunct to our Submission Guidelines. If you have a question you’d like to ask about Stupefying Stories or Rampant Loon Press, feel free to post it as a comment here or to email it to our submissions address. I can’t guarantee we’ll post a public answer, but can promise that every question we receive...

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“Arrivals at Hope Station Have Been Indefinitely Postponed” • by Warren Benedetto

Attention, Travelers. Due to circumstances entirely within our control—but beyond our collective will to change—all arrivals at Hope Station have been indefinitely postponed, and the Station is now closed. Travelers entering the Station should abandon Hope and proceed to the exits immediately. Travelers currently en route to Hope Station will be diverted to alternate...

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The Week in Review • 18 February 2024

We’re introducing something new this week: The Week in Review, for those too busy to follow Stupefying Stories SHOWCASE on a daily basis. Except that since this is the first time we’re doing it, we’re going to cover the last two weeks, just to make sure you haven’t missed anything important lately.“A Blaster Called Sam” • by Matt BlissThis one has it all: time travel,...

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