41 Comments
User's avatar
Sharron Bassano's avatar

You are so clever, Bill. Such a wild imagination. You probably wake up from a dream three times a night to jot down bizarre thoughts. Cool story.

Bill Adler's avatar

I sometimes do that, even though my fingers are in a state of paralysis in the middle of the night. Thank you, Sharron. I'm happy you enjoyed this little tale.

Feasts and Fables's avatar

Clever, very clever, Bill. Most imaginative writing.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you for your kind words, Barrie. I'm glad you liked Life.

Virginia Neely's avatar

I think we're in the Twilight Zone. I've been thinking about a story with the same general theme for quite a while. And yet, you still managed to surprise me. Poor Jasper. I thought he was losing his mind.

Bill Adler's avatar

I'm glad I could surprise you, Virginia, and I'm also glad I'm not Jasper, though at times it does feel like I am.

The Twilight Zone inspires me.

Helen Whelchel's avatar

Nice suspense build. Unexpected events, yet in character. I enjoyed "Life."

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Helen. I'm delighted you liked "Life."

C. M. Setledge's avatar

This one had me laughing: "What's going on here!? Why are these characters becoming so ridiculous!? ...Oh, that's why."

And bonus points for nostalgia.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you. I had fun writing Life and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I loved playing Life, too.

Andrei Atanasov's avatar

Awesome story! Loved the subtle social commentary.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you very much, Andrei.

maryh10000's avatar

Oh, I loved this. It started out way too real, then got surreal with the instant pregnancy. Then when the application disappeared, I thought, "Oh, it's fantasy." Then when you got to Amelia naming the game tokens, I laughed out loud.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you. That's the sensation I was hoping for. I'm delighted you enjoyed "Life."

Thomas De Moor's avatar

Magical Realism really is your genre (although I wouldn't dare pin you down).

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Thomas. I love to write and read magical realism stories (and other genres, too.)

Luke Skelton's avatar

Great premise. Certainly made me think about who's in charge of my life! Thank you.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thanks, Luke. I'm glad you enjoyed "Life."

Chris Gartland's avatar

Did you watch a lot of Twilight Zone when you were young?

Bill Adler's avatar

I did. The Twilight Zone was my favorite show.

Osasuyi Ojomo's avatar

I had such a big OMG moment at the end. Amazing story 👏🏻👏🏻

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Osasuyi. I like twisty endings and I'm glad you enjoyed this one.

Mark Starlin's avatar

“You start out with two thousand and a car.” “I got a car!” Ah, the memories.

I didn’t catch on until the end. I thought it was some strange magic.

Such is Life.

Bill Adler's avatar

I remember your Notes post/comment about not wanting to give away any clues about what happens in a story with either the title or illustration, but It thought I'd take a chance here. I'm glad you enjoyed Life, Mark.

Colin Devonshire's avatar

Yeah, got me.

Bill Adler's avatar

I'm glad to hear that, Colin.

Donna Warren's avatar

This ‘Life’ story was great!

Your imagination and writing skills are phenomenal, Bill.

Thank you for sharing.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Donna. I'm glad you liked Life. I had a fun time writing this story.

Eduardo de Leon's avatar

Great. Made me think of J.L. Borges‘ Poem „Chess“: (translation) „...What gods behind God framed the beginning of dust and time and sleep and agonies?“

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Eduardo. That's a terrific line from J.L. Borges. It resonates with me and meshes well with this story.

Stirling S Newberry's avatar

I went back to college at 50. The opening line say "loser" in spades.

Bill Adler's avatar

I can only imagine how amazing an adventure it must have been to go back to college at 50.

Stirling S Newberry's avatar

It wasn't. I was a long slog. There were individual small adventures but mainly it was day in, day out, wake up, go to class, and do the work. The one the I will say is that in the present time, what is now a BA is like high school in 1984.

I was not even the oldest person to graduate though I was the oldest disabled person to graduate.

Bill Adler's avatar

It must have taken a lot of energy and focus to do that.

Stirling S Newberry's avatar

No. It was just a grind.