Blog update April 2014

Welcome to this short fiction blog.

The stories here reflect my interests: environmental issues, resource scarcity and also the history, cultures, and landscapes of Tibet and China

The first 6 stories are entries in a short story competition hosted by John Michael Greer (details here), peak oil writer and blogger. They each inhabit a post peak oil world where resources are scarce and industrial society is changing to something different. The top entries will be published a book. Wish me luck!

A previous set of stories was published in 2012 in a book entitled After Oil: SF Visions of a Post-Petroleum World, available from Amazon (Amazon) or in Australia from Fishpond (Fishpond).

 

Each story stands alone but some are linked. Suggested order of reading:

Stories set in China:

Winds of Change –  In 2022 a migrant worker struggles to realise his dreams and fulfil his family obligations.

Outside In – It's 2050, the country and economy have changed. A recycler studies for an exam to improve his prospects, and an indentured servant plans her escape.

Seeds of Time – (Sequel to Outside In). In 2055 rural China prospers again after a period of dramatic changes, then things are complicated by a strange visitor and a hidden object.

 

Stories set in Australia: A North Queensland Trilogy

Robots on Mars – 2025. A space-mad city boy adjusts to life in the country and tries to solve a mystery.    (Note: no actual robots or Martians involved)

Promised Land – (Sequel to Robots on Mars). It’s 2050 and development threatens the rural district. Is it what they really need and if not, how can they stop it?

 

Heart of Glass - (Sequel to Promised Land). The year is 2099, high school graduates prepare to step into adulthood and the community prepares to celebrate the turn of a new century.


[Note: The competition word range is 2500-7500 words. My stories are between 4000 and 7000 words.]



 
Also see: Beijing Private Eyes - A foreign teacher in Beijing meets an unexpected and attractive visitor in need of assistance. He offers to help and things begin to get complicated.

Read Beijing Private Eyes - Part 1  Arrival  here ]


Coming soon....

Tell Him He's Dreaming - An engineer has an environmental epiphany but things don't go quite according to plan.

Trial by Fire - A Tibetan woman self-immolates and two witnesses confront a dangerous dilemma.

Arrested Development - A development consultant in China finds life getting out of control.

My Trip to China - A novice traveller has the adventure of a lifetime.



I welcome constructive comments.

Heart of Glass

Heart of Glass - (Sequel to Promised Land). The year is 2099, high school graduates prepare to step into adulthood and the community prepares to celebrate the turn of a new century.

This is story 3 in the North Queensland trilogy
See story 1  Robots on Mars  
See story 2  Promised Land

  

Toowoomba View, Queensland, Australia  (Photo: M. Griffiths)

“Vance?...Vance? Are you with us or out the window somewhere?”

Vance snapped out of his day dream. “No Miss. Just thinking.” His classmates laughed and he felt his cheeks redden. In fact he’d been staring at the girl between him and the window. Zoe. Her long black hair, striking profile, and the silky dark skin set off by her white linen sleeveless top. The prettiest girl in North Queensland, he thought, maybe the whole of Oztralia, at least if he was the judge.

 

Seeds of Time

Seeds of time - China in 2055 and beyond....In rural China prospers again after a period of dramatic changes, then things are complicated by a strange visitor and a hidden object.

Sequel to Outside In


Beneath the shade of a poplar tree Shen lifted her conical hat and wiped her brow. She tucked a lock of long black hair behind her ear then she reached into her pocket and fed some apple to the ox. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure walking up the road beyond the field, the silhouette dark against the afternoon sun. She looked up but did not recognise the gait. Not Chang, not the travelling pot mender or the vet with his bag of instruments and medicines. She put her hand to her forehead to shade her eyes better. The man walked closer. He waved and called out in a strange accent. “Ni hao.” Hello.

Village house, Shaanxi, China (Photo: M Griffiths)

Outside-In

Outside-In - Short Story: China in 2050.... the country and economy have changed. A recycler studies for an exam to improve his prospects, and an indentured servant plans her escape.

Shen covers the bruise on her cheek with one hand.  Her normally friendly face is expressionless and she does not raise her eyes when Jiang greets her.

“Tian-ah.” exclaims Jiang, “What happened?”

She does not look up, just holds out the recycling. She wears simple but well-fitting clothes and her hair is tied in a ponytail with a bright red ribbon.

“Did you argue with your foster mother?” he asks softly.

               She nods. “She tells me I will stay until I am twenty two. The maximum allowed. Only then will my debt be repaid...” Her voice trails off.

He picks up the bundle of newspapers and magazines, hooks them onto his weighing stick and calculates the money. He adds a little extra and hands it all to her.

Recycler, Taiyuan, China (Photo: M Griffiths)

Winds of Change

China, 2022. A migrant worker struggles to realise his dreams and fulfil his family obligations in a world affected by the ongoing global financial crisis and resource scarcity...

 
 

Apartments under construction, Taiyuan, China (Photo: M Griffiths)

“I used to love Spring Festival.” Yang said as he frowned at his glass of beer. “Now I am starting to hate it. Every time I go back my parents tell me I must go home to the farm and get married.”

               “Bummer.” said Josh. “At least I don’t have my parents on my case. Just a huge debt hanging over my head.” He brushed his hair back from his face and stretched his legs out under the Formica table. Beside them on the wall of the small restaurant faded posters advertised various brands of drinks. Bottles of Tsingtao beer and two small glasses stood on the table between them.  

Yang pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He slipped the packet back into the pocket of the thick jacket draped over the chair. It was designed to keep the cold winter of North East China at bay. It was more than adequate for the milder temperatures of coastal Jiangsu province, just north of Shanghai. “What about you? When will you go back to your home?” he asked Josh.

 

 



Robots on Mars

Robots on Mars – Set in 2025. A space-mad city boy adjusts to life in the country and tries to solve a mystery.    (Note: no actual robots or Martians involved)

Kangaroos, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (Photo: M Griffiths)

Grandad used to talk a lot about the good old days but when they came again he stopped. Then he started talking about the bad old days instead.

The bad old days aren’t much fun. I know because I’m living them now. We came to live with my uncle and aunt on their farm. We left our house in Brisbane, got rid of most of our stuff, and packed everything else into our car and a trailer and drove to north Queensland. It was the longest, slowest, most boring trip ever. Luckily I had my video game player.

Promised Land

Promised Land - It’s 2050 and development threatens a rural north Queensland district. Is it what they really need and if not, how can they stop it?

Koalas, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary  (Photo: M. Griffiths)