Did you enjoy the fabricator's story in Falsified Doctrine in the prior edition? I am quite excited to be running the new column, to introduce new characters and new attractions in a slightly more improvised fashion than the rest of the Backstage Pass.
Granted, much of what you experience here is improvised. Though A Vampire’s Vengeance, House, and Bus Driver all had (House)/have outlines, the scenes themselves are written off the cuff and delivered in their raw state, unedited, unfiltered, etc., etc. So when I say “slightly more improvised” with regard to the new column and attractions, I mean they are pure flash fiction: there is no outline, and there is often not even a concept. There is a smattering of words cast on the page to get the project started, then who knows where it ends up!
It ends up here, Backstage, of course. But with regard to the narrative within each? No fucking clue. The characters drive the narrative and we end up somewhere. And then I share the massive pile of nonsense with you, my esteemed guest!
So, please consider this as you enjoy these weekly excursions into the unknown with those titles which do not belong to the regular serials, nor to the classic horror.
As a final thought, I want to point out that not a single word of this edition—nor any prior—whether expository or narrative (read: editorial content or stories) has been written with the use of AI. I now feel it entirely necessary to state this fact since AI has become prevalent in a number of ways across society, and I want to reassure you, my dearest guest, that what you consume here is all dreamed up by a human—me—and created by hand, the old fashioned way.
Let’s get into it →
Workflow workflow workflow. With the advent of the new column here (see “Human Resources” as this edition’s entry), there are new marketing operations I have decided to build out! Well, one specific operation, and this is to share the Brief Attraction to Medium! The attraction is shared here, Backstage, first. Then it goes live on Medium the following week. So you, my most esteemed guest, get to read them before anyone else does!
Edgar may have some feelings around what happened at the Manor, though he is giving little to no indication of what those feelings may be. He certainly, however, has ideas about what to do moving forward! Though it is unclear if he has a plan underlying his actions. Read this edition’s installment of A Vampire’s Vengeance to see what Isabelle and Edgar get up to next:
Here is another Brief Attraction for your displeasure! Do you work in Human Resources? If so, is the following attraction an accurate portrayal of your work environment? Just kidding, don’t answer that. Beyond not wanting to know, the attraction presented below is a work of fiction and any semblance to real life situations should be understood as completely coincidental. Also, I’m not even sure the representative narrating the experience is even human. Please enjoy:
Lucky for one, unlucky for another. The Fates may oft be cruel; see how they treat one individual vs another in this curious story by Robert H. Hart, published in 1935:
on sale now
A traveling merchant finds himself in quite the predicament when he manages to win a duel, leading him down a dark path. A tale from the Odds ‘n’ Endings Boutique.
Welcome to another installment of Bus Driver! I must confess, I have made an egregious error in the bus driver’s path. For several chapters now, I have referred to Barstow as the town of ill-report the bus driver is wary of passing through. However, this is a lie! The bus driver passed through Barstow to get to the Calico outpost. So, all of that concern is fake news if Barstow were indeed the place to fear. Thus I write now to offer a correction: it is not the city of Barstow which lies further to the north along the highway, but Baker! Fucking Baker, whose claim to fame is the World’s Largest Thermometer. Seriously. Look it up.
Anyhow, the bus driver and his merry band are on their way, and the bus driver remains preoccupied with real and imagined dangers which may or may not lie ahead. This installment extends from the last in this regard, which you can read here if you have not already . Let’s take a peek into his thoughts and their progression, shall we?
