27 Comments
User's avatar
David Perlmutter's avatar

Have you ever read Robert Bloch's story "The Cheaters"? I was getting that sort of vibe.

Bill Adler's avatar

I haven't read The Cheaters? You often recommend good stories after reading mine, and I'm going to check out Robert Bloch's tale. Thanks!

David Perlmutter's avatar

He has never disappointed me with anything he wrote.

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume's avatar

Whoah. Heavy story. (I almost said "dark.")

Bill Adler's avatar

Dark, too. I had to take a long rest after finishing this story.

Paul Prothero's avatar

Good story, though a bit hard to read considering present circumstances. But giving us difficult subject matter is part of the writer’s job, isn’t it?

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you, Paul. These are troubling times and it's hard to get that out of my mind.

Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yeow! That last line was powerful, Bill.

Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yeow! That last line was powerful.

Bill Adler's avatar

Thank you Sharron. That's how I would feel if I were Håkon.

Sharron Bassano's avatar

🙄🩷

George Palamara's avatar

I kind of want to know what came before and what happens next, but, by the same token I don’t want to know. Leaving some things up to the readers imagination is a good thing.

I just hope they were able to save the poppy and sesame seeds or there will be no everything bagels in the post nuclear holocaust world…

Bill Adler's avatar

Somebody knows how the war started, the means of spreading that news is gone. Maybe that is for the best.

I'll miss the poppy seed bagels, too.

Mark Hayes's avatar

Fun fact: Poppyseed Bagles & Muffins can make you show up positive on a drug test!

George Palamara's avatar

Great, all the potential jail time without the pleasure of getting stoned😫

Mark Hayes's avatar

Happy to kill your buzz!

George Palamara's avatar

I shall mourn that dead buzz for an appropriate length of time🪦

M.E. Proctor's avatar

A hard story to write, thank you, Bill.

Bill Adler's avatar

You're welcome. I was exhausted when I finished The Sunglasses.

K.C. Knouse's avatar

From a discussion regarding opaque sunglasses to the end of the world via nuclear holocaust, that's quite a turn--even for you, Bill.

Bill Adler's avatar

I think I may have eaten too much sugar the day I wrote The Sunglasses.

K.C. Knouse's avatar

Or maybe you got too much sun.

Njakins's avatar

I need a pair of sunglasses and seeds now after reading this story. Strange but true.

Bill Adler's avatar

Sunglasses and seeds go together.

Mark Hayes's avatar

Well, that was certainly terrifying...

Bill Adler's avatar

It could be worse, and I fear that, too.