Pylimitics

"Simplicity" rearranged


Stories

  • The Mirror 4

    No one ever followed the old woman in black as she tottered away from the town center. Just a crazy old woman, of course, so who would give her a second thought? And not only that, but even though she was seldom noticed, there was something about her that made people just a bit uncomfortable.… Continue reading

  • The Mirror 3

    Europe, 1795 The tiny old figure, clad completely in tattered black sackcloth, had become a familiar figure around certain parts of town. She tottered unsteadily about, never speaking, unspoken to, and because of her thick black veil, unrecognized. Most people didn’t spare her a second glance, thinking that she must be from a gypsy wagon… Continue reading

  • The Mirror 2

    Navigating the cave became more difficult, and the men struggled to move the heavy chest along through the rocks. “How much farther,” muttered one, panting with effort. “More,” replied another. “Easier for those lending only one hand,” said the first, as the leader held the torch with one hand and could only spare the other… Continue reading

  • The Mirror 1

    Europe, 1623. There were cries of alarm, shouts as men tried to organized themselves, and above all the roar of the blazing fire. The cathedral, by far the largest structure in the village, was ablaze. Had been set ablaze. The flames brightened the night throughout the village, even as far as its edge, where a… Continue reading

  • Gundan

    Gunden died quietly in their sleep, so when they awoke (as everyone does) in a world that was very similar but for certain key details, they didn’t remember dying. So they distrusted their memories of things like which cabinet the coffee beans were in or the color of the sky. “I could swear I had… Continue reading

  • Meyer

    What was he doing in here? He was in the bedroom, he was sure. He thought he had had a reason, just moments ago. He had been… Meyer tried to think back to what he had been doing. What had he been doing? He had been in the kitchen, hadn’t he? Yes, the kitchen, that… Continue reading

  • The Boost Goose

    “One,” said the first fish.  “Zero”, argued the second.  “One,” insisted the first.  The third fish, which had a blue stripe, finally said “one.”  “One”, agreed the second fish immediately.  Then all three said “one”, and darted away into the deep water of the lake.  “Does it seem creepy to you that they never blink?”… Continue reading

  • Aberlin’s Gift

    Aberlin’s Gift  The village children, all but Marino, who was timid and sat in their mother’s lap at the side of the great room, gathered around Grandma Lensia, getting as close as they could to her chair without actually climbing into the fire.  It was just a day before Long Night and the Festival day… Continue reading

  • The Case of Mr. Dumpty

    Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet were walking along in a far corner of the Hundred Acre Wood — a place Piglet thought they’d never been before — when they came upon a tall stone wall built alongside the path. There wasn’t anything to stop anyone from walking along one side of the wall or the other.  “The… Continue reading

  • Losing Jeremiah

    “I feel like I have no sense of time anymore, not since Jeremiah was lost.”  She sat in her favorite chair in her scrupulously clean apartment. The chair faced the big front window. The sill was sparely decorated with a few items that would catch the sunlight. An old, deep blue bottle. A stone that… Continue reading

About Me

I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.