"…his stories are always sharp and compact and interesting." ——Angel Martinez "(One of) the hottest authors in the independent horror scene…" —-Hellbound Books
Every week at Rainbow Snippets https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets participants post six lines of a work of theirs, a work in progress, or a work by someone else which has LGBT characters.
My snippets this week are yet more shameless self-promo for “Sidetracked.” A serial novel I’m writing as by “Mike Mayak” that will post every Friday on this blog beginning January 1st, 2027.
James Arvad has accidentally passed through a gateway to a parallel Earth where civilization about came to an end. Early on, he meets Eddie. Hey, are they gonna get “close?”
“This the new guy?”
James turned around and stared. There was a young man standing in the doorway, not much older than James. He was taller than he was with dark hair and James found himself staring into his eyes which were brown. His sleeves were rolled up and James checked out his arms which were lean but muscular.
“Yeah,” James managed to say. “James Arvad.”
Okay a bit more than six lines, but here’s more…
“Hi, new guy James.” The young man said. “I’m Eddie. Eddie Erhard. My Dad was here earlier, listening to you. He says you’re not from around here. I mean, really not from around here!” Eddie said.
“Yeah,” James said. “Believe it or not.”
“Well, I believe you,” Eddie said sitting down in a chair opposite James.
“Thanks.” James said. “I’m not sure I believe it. But I’m starting to realize I’m not dreaming any of this.”
James realized he was trying to act cool and was so blowing it.
Okay, that’s it for this week. Thank you so much for reading! I’ll have more later!
Shane rushed over and kicked the basketball like a soccer ball. Since the ball was half buried in the powdery snow there was a burst of white, dazzling and glittering in the sunlight.
The ball made a wobbling arc in the air and plopped down in a snowdrift there in the front yard.
“You’re crazy!” Ross laughed.
“We both are!” Shane laughed back.
The two of them had changed clothes there at Shane’s house and were in sneakers, shorts and sweatshirts. Shane had looked out at the snow covered yard in the sunlight and said “Follow me,” and headed out the door.
So there they were, playing soccer in their shorts in temperatures in the high twenties.
“Just like in High School, right?” Ross laughed, kicking the ball which plopped a couple of feet away.
“Except for the blizzard conditions.” Shane said.
“Hey, it’s snow association football!” Ross laughed. “You get a red card you get to go inside and snuggle together on the couch with the heat on!”
Their laughter echoed up and down the street. Ross aimed another kick and the basketball soared into the snow covered bushes beside Shane.
“GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!” Ross yelled.
“Only because nobody was guarding the bushes,” Shane said. “And because I didn’t know the goal was there.”
“Yeah,” Ross said, looking red faced and sweaty. “Hey, let’s go in. It’s cold out here.”
“What about the ball?” Shane asked, heading for the door.
“Leave it.” Ross said. “We can shoot hoops when the snow melts.”
—end—
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Check out “Sidetracked.” My serial novel (as by “Mike Mayak.”) Running Fridays in this space beginning Friday January 1st, 2027! —–jeff
The Draws for the November 2026 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge were a Science Fiction Story, set at an Egyptian Pyramid involving a Manhole Cover. Here’s what I came up with. —-jeff
Close Enough
by Jeff Baker
“Okay, it’s dark.” Ted said, stating the obvious.
“I noticed.” Wally said, tapping the manhole cover with his foot.
“Where did we end up this time?” Ted asked, his voice echoing slightly.
In the dark, Wally switched on what looked like a smartphone. The display lit up and he swiped a couple of times.
“According to the Revulator App, we’re in Egypt and it’s July 20, 1979.” Wally looked up, his face illuminated in the blue light. “And we’re inside a pyramid.”
“A Pyramid?!” Ted blurted out. “We’re stuck inside a pyramid?”
Wally aimed a light beam from the device around the room. Stone walls, musty smell.
“Looks that way.” Wally said. “Pyramid.”
“That thing is so ‘Quantum Leap,’” Ted muttered.
“Yeah, but converting the Relativity Field Stabilizer to an app was the easiest way of carrying it around.” Wally said.
He shone the light on the ground where a manhole cover emblazoned with NEW YORK CITY incongruously now part of the stone floor of a 3,000+ year old pyramid.
“I seriously thought latching the beam onto the manhole cover would take us to another part of the city.” Wally said.
“Yeah,” Ted said. “Where we weren’t going to be run over in the street. So how ‘bout you reconnect with the manhole cover and zap us back to New York. Or Paris. Or somewhere where it isn’t dark and dead.”
“Can’t.” Wally said. “Each object only works as a focal point one time.” He shone the light beam around. “The good news is this isn’t a room, it’s a hallway.”
The light illuminated a long corridor, angled slightly upward, with a turn at the end.
“Maybe a hallway with an exit?” Wally said.
“Or with a walking mummy at the end.” Ted said.
They walked along the corridor, definitely walking upwards as their route turned a few times. They could make out light growing more distinct as they went along further.
“The literal light at the end of the tunnel.” Ted said.
Then they heard gunshots. And explosions, not too distant but muffled by the thick walls of ancient stone.
“You’re sure this is 1979?” Ted asked.
“Not really.” Wally said.
“How many wars have been fought in this area?” Ted asked.
“Since the Pharohs or since the Carter Administration?” Wally asked.
They heard more shooting and yelling voices which sounded like they were getting closer.
“Quick! Grab hold!” Wally said.
Ted grabbed around Wally’s waist and looped a hand through Wally’s belt as Wally used the app, focusing a beam oof energy on a section of the pyramid wall.
There was a rumble. The walls shook. Then…quiet.
“I can’t hear those soldiers anymore,” Ted said. “But we’re still here.”
“Yeah,” Wally said, staring at the faux smartphone. “Screen’s not coming on.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Ted said. “Carefully.”
As the two of them walked along the upward angled corridor towards the bright sunlight, they thought they heard a familiar sound, a sound out of place in an Egyptian desert.
Water lapping something.
They turned the last bend in the corridor and saw an open doorway framing blue sky and a familiar skyline.
“Hey! Chicago!” Wally said.
They walked to the doorway and looked out.
“This pyramid is half submerged in the river!” Ted said. “Just about a foot from the bank.”
“Ah!” Wally said. “According to this it’s Chicago, November 16th, 2026.”
“Close enough.” Ted said, stepping down from the pyramid into the shallow riverbank.
Soon the two of them were walking along the beach.
“Hey, what about the pyramid?” Ted asked.
“Gotta leave it there.” Wally said. “The city will charge admission and make a killing.”
First, here’s the prompts for the November 2026 Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, then my usual long-winded explanation:
A Science Fiction Story
Involving A Manhole Cover
Set at An Egyptian Pyramid
Now, on to the details.
Hi! I’m Mike Mayak, I also write as Jeff Baker and I’m the current moderator for the monthly Flash Fiction Draw Challenge, which was started by ‘Nathan Burgoine a few years ago and carried on by Cait Gordon and Jeffrey Ricker. It’s a monthly writing challenge mainly for stress-free fun that anyone can play.
Here’s how it works: the first Monday of every month I draw three cards; a heart, a diamond and a club. These correspond to a list naming a genre, a setting and an object that must appear in the story. Participants write up a flash fiction story, 1,000 words or less, post it to their website and link it here in the comments. I’ll post the results (including, hopefully, one of my own!)
As I’m no good making videos I did the drawing offstage. So, the results were the Ace of Hearts (a Science Fiction Story), the Five of Diamonds (An Egyptian Pyramid) and the Six of Clubs (A Manhole Cover.)
So we will write a Science-Fiction Story, set at an Egyptian Pyramid involving A Manhole Cover.
We’ll have the results here in this same space around Monday November 16th, 2026.
So, get to writing and I’ll post the results next week! And I’m putting the 2026 Flash Draw sheet at the end of this message, again! (* indicates those have been used.)
Thanks for playing, and I’ll see you in about week!
Every week at Rainbow Snippets [LINK] https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets participants post six lines of a work of theirs, a work in progress, or a work by someone else which has LGBT characters.
My snippets this week again are some shameless self-promo for “Sidetracked.” A serial novel I’m writing as by “Mike Mayak” that will post every Friday on this blog beginning January 1st, 2027.
James Arvad has accidentally passed through a gateway to a parallel Earth where civilization about came to an end. Here, James is talking to Eddie, whose family has taken James in. And they are getting closer…
“Just don’t tell anybody,” Eddie said looking a little scared. “I think I like you. I mean…”
“Yeah, I know.” James said. “I caught you looking at me a couple of times, like, well…”
It hit James that this world had missed out on the whole movement. Harvey Milk, Gay Rights, Pride Month. Those things weren’t a part of this world which may have gone into a stall about 1938.
“Look, James said. “I don’t know what you’ve heard about this stuff…”
Here’s another snippet
“Look, James said. “I don’t know what you’ve heard about this stuff…”
“Really nothing.” Eddie said.
“I mean, guys liking guys.” James said. “But there’s nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of us in my world.”
Eddie smiled. “Us?” he asked.
“Yeah. Us.” James said. “I’m, well, what they call Bi. Bisexual.”
“Huh?” Eddie asked.
“It means I like guys and girls.” James said. “But not as much as I like you.”
I’ll post more snippets of “Sidetracked” here in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to check the story out when it starts posting here January 1st, 2027 and every Friday until it’s finished.
“Okay,” Chris said, standing on the corner on the sidewalk. “Where to now?”
“Not sure,” Nick said.
“Hey, it’s your city now.” Liz said.
“Hey, it’s hardly New York.” Nick laughed. “Or Chicago.”
“I know! I’m from Chicago, remember” Roberta said.
“Long way from home,” Chris said.
“I know.” Nick said, wondering if the big city would ever feel as much like home to him.
“Well, we ate, we saw the game, we walked along the river and now what?” Liz said.
“Whew.” Nick said. “We’ve done a lot today.”
“Yeah.” Liz said.
“Hey, how long’s it been since we’ve all been together?” Chris asked.
“About three years.” Nick said. “The reunion at school, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” Roberta said.
“Sure isn’t like the old days. Seeing each other every day, walking down the stairs of the dorm or going to class.” Chris said.
“And I knew you before that.” Liz said. “Back when you still went by ‘Kristoff.’”
“Kristoff!” Nick laughed. “I never heard that!”
“You weren’t at my Graduation.” Chris said grinning. “Named after my Grandfather. From the Old Country…New York!”
“Back to New York again.” Roberta said.
“I wish your Enrico could have made it out here.” Nick said. I’d like to meet the guy who stole your heart.”
“Yeah,” Chris said with a smile. “Same here, but he had to work.”
“Guys I got an idea.” Roberta said.
“What?”
“What to do next.” Roberta said. “Go back to the hotel. To one of our rooms.”
“Calling it a night?” Liz asked.
“No!” Roberta said. “All of us. Sit around the room. Like we used to. Talk. Enjoy just being together.”
“We’ve done a lot of talking already.” Nick said.
“Yeah, but we can never do too much.” Chris said.
“After all,” Liz said as she started down the sidewalk to the hotel. “Who knows how long before we’re all together again?”
On the walk to the hotel somehow, in the noise of cars rushing by on another street they seemed to hear the music that played from the radios all those years ago when they were younger…
Every week at Rainbow Snippets participants post six lines of a work of theirs, a work in progress, or a work by someone else which has LGBT characters.
My snippets this week (It’s been a while!) are some shameless self-promo for “Sidetracked.” A serial novel as by “Mike Mayak” that will post every Friday on this blog beginning January 1st, 2027.
19year-old James Arvad has roared his motorcycle into a parallel Earth where things went very wrong. Here we see him with his friend Eddie. But are they getting closer??
Here’s snippet #1…
“Show me how to ride that thing. You and I ride around a lot, right?” Eddie said. “It would probably come in handy for me to know how to drive your bike. So, how about it?”
James stood there for a moment. He remembered his older brother had shown him how to ride before he’d even gotten a licence and supposedly took lessons. James thought about all the ways it could go wrong; Eddie could get hurt, the bike could get damaged.
Here’s one more snippet…
But Eddie was right, they were riding out a lot and it would be handy for Eddie to know how to drive the bike.
James imagined Eddie driving the bike down the road, with him pressed up against Eddie’s back, hands around Eddie’s waist, feeling blissful and warm…
Eddie shrugged. “And you’ve got the gas now.”
James closed his eyes and took a breath.
“Okay.” He said. “I’ll show you. But you gotta wear the helmet.”
Eddie’s grin could have lit up the dusk.
I promise this pair will have plenty of adventures along the way! And I’ll keep you folks posted here! Thanks so much!
“They’re closed but since I’m invisible and insubstantial it doesn’t do a lot of good.” Bertie said.
“Don’t look then,” Gus said. “It’s a surprise.”
“I’m not looking.” Bertie said. “I mean I’m looking at the ground.”
Gus and Bertram (“Bertie”) had been a happily-ensconced couple in his family house nearby decades before that was cool or accepted. They had been happily-ensconced ghosts for longer. The Rowley cousins and their families who had lived happily in Peregrine House never knew it was haunted because Gus Rowley and Bertie Menzies usually kept a low profile. But not tonight.
“Okay.” Gus said. “Open your eyes…or look, I mean.”
Bertie looked up. The little row of one story brick buildings sandwiched together on the side street had big darkened windows except the one on the end. It had a glowing Jack O’Lantern on the front porch, a glowing “OPEN” sign in the window and a carved wooden sign “MacDowell’s Place” lit by a floodlight hanging over the door.
“Oh, my gosh!” Bertie said. “The Corner Inn! I thought it was closed decades ago! Last I heard they were going to tear it down!”
“Nope!” Gus said. “Somebody found a reason for it to be historic. Building nearly a hundred years old and a few generations of college kids got their beer here.”
“So did we, and we weren’t college kids.” Bertie said. He laughed suddenly. “Remember Halloween, 19…what? 53? We went in here for a beer and stayed and you got snockered?”
“Oh, God! I barely remember!” Gus said.
“It was a Halloween party and you were drunk and were talking to that guy dressed as a pirate?” Bernie asked.
“So help me, I thought he was you!” Gus said.
“You said you were Gay but you were so sloshed he thought you said you were ‘Gage?’”
Gus laughed again.
“And I wasn’t even dressed like a pirate!” Bertie said.
“So, you want to go in?” Gus said. “For old time’s sake.”
“Got no money.” Bertie said. “Our nephews inherited it.”
“So, we go in, see what’s going on and leave.” Gus said. “Call it a nostalgia trip.”
“To our favorite old haunt.” Bertie chuckled.
“Yeah.” Gus said.
“We better get visible.” Bertie said. “Let’s get behind those bushes.”
“The usual outfits?” Gus said.
“Sure.” Bertie said. “Fits perfectly.”
A couple of minutes later, Gus Rowley and Bertie Menzies opened the door of MacDowell’s Place and stepped in. It was small but cozy. Bar area and an area with tables to the side. Glowing pumpkins and cutout witches hanging behind the bar on the mirror. Plastic pumpkin on the bar with a sign saying: “Tips! (Ghosts Need Love Too!)”
“Love the sign,” Gus said to the bartender pointing to the pumpkin.
“Thanks, guys!” The bartender, a lean young man with a reddish face and nice biceps (Bertie and Gus surely noticed) grinned at them and said. “Whaddy’ll have?”
“Uh, we just dropped in for old times sake.” Bertie said. “We filled up the tank and are fresh out of cash.”
“Card?” the bartender said.
“Don’t have them anymore.” Gus said with a shrug.
“Hey, it’s on me.” That was from a man sitting at the end of the bar. Stubbly beard and scraggly hair. The pair would have guessed he was in his thirties. He was wearing a long jacket, a floppy hat and a long, multicolored scarf.
“Thaks!” Bertie and Gus said.
“Uh, we’ll have…” Bertie looked at Gus. “Two beers.”
The bartender nodded and started pouring the beers.
“Thanks a lot,” Bertie said to the man.
“You’re welcome.” The man said. “Hey, I love your costumes.”
“Thanks!” Gus said, glancing at their outfits that would have been in fashion about 1953. “We’re going as ghosts.”
“Like the TV show?” the man said.
“Yeah.” Bertie said. “We used to love Topper.”
The man looked at them quizzically as the bartender set their beers down on coasters.
“Cheers!” Bertie said as they toasted the man. They sipped the beers and wandered around the room. Several customers, a few in costumes. And on one wall, under glass was a collage of pictures taken at various times in the bar’s history. The exterior, the interior when it had been cleared out and ready for demolition and one taken at the grand re-opening.
“Take a look at that one…” Gus said, pointing to a corner.
Barely visible, sticking out from behind another picture was a black and white of the bar in an earlier era. In the picture, grinning ear-to-ear, were Gus and Bertie looking young and alive.
“Wow.” Bertie said.
They finished their beers and Gus looked behind them. “Uh oh,” he said.
There was a trail of beer on the floor behind them. It had gone right through them.
“We weren’t concentrating.” Bertie said.
They walked up to the bar and handed the glasses back.
“Got a mop?” Gus said. “Sorry, but one of those glasses was leaking.”
“It wasn’t us!” Bertie said.
The bartender stared quizzically and turned, putting the glasses to the side.
“Wanna meet me outside?” the man who’d bought their beer said.
Then he vanished.
Bertie and Gus stared. The bartender turned around and stared at the empty chair. He glanced around.
“Hey, he didn’t pay!” The bartender said. “Listen you two, pay up.”
Bertie and Gus looked at each other, then vanished too.
Outside, they found the other customer fully visible and in the bushes.
“How did you know?” Bertie asked as they appeared beside him.
“I saw the beer leak out of your shoes.” the man said. “I can tell.”
“What’ll they think?” Gus said with a smile.
“Nothing. It’s Halloween.” Bertie said. “They’ll get a good story out of it.”
“So whadya want to do?” the man said.
“I don’t know.” Gus said. “You?”
“There’s a pool hall near here I haunt sometimes.” The man said. “Lots of fun.”
“Okay! Let’s go!” Bertie said. “Mister…?”
“Oh,” the man said, wiggling his scarf. “Just call me Doc.”
AND Get ready for “Sidetracked.” My serialized sci-fi adventure novel (as by “Mike Mayak”) begins posting in weekly installments on this blog beginning January 1st, 2027! New Year’s Day! More info to come!
Just a note to say that I am busy working on, outlining, making notes for and writing “Sidetracked.” My serial science-fiction novel where our young hero, just out of High School roars his motorcycle through a mysterious portal and finds himself on a parallel Earth. (The first clue is the two smaller Suns together in the sky!)
Sidetracked will start posting on January 1st, 2027 and it’s going to be a challenge but I’m going to enjoy it!
I’m posting it under my pen name of “Mike Mayak,” because there are a few too many “Jeff Bakers” writing right now. (Good name, but I need to stand out!)
I am not ditching my other writing projects, but the weekly flash fiction stories will be on hiatus for a while although I may do one or two now and then. “Sidetracked” will post in installments on this blog and on the Friday Flash Fics socials.
And yes, I plan on releasing “Sidetracked” as a serial novel when it’s all done. Probably sometime in 2028.
So, thanks to all my readers out there, and keep watching this space for more information!
T’amec was getting used to the new system at Food Garden Court even if the customers were a little leery. The company was phasing out the intercoms they used in the mall to tell customers their order was ready by calling out the number on their ticket. No more “Take a Number,” they just handed the customer the little plastic disc, about the size of a coaster.
Skid was not that sure, but he knew that some of the things they had as customers customers probably ate their receipts.
The intercom had worked fairly well and it had been fun sometimes, but they never knew what they would get when they called out “Order Number Six-Six-Six, your order’s ready.”
The new idea had come from Corporate.
Pagers.
The small discs were supposed to indicate to customers when their order was ready. Vibrate or beep.
The discs all bore the slogan: HELPING CUSTOMERS SINCE 64 B.C.
“What do we do?” T’amec asked. “Rub a lamp?”
Actually, they just hit the order number on the screen at the register.
“This is assuming we have that many customers,” one of the other employees said. It was the slow time of year, even on the weekend. The customers would typically stay by the counter and shoot the breeze with whoever was making their order.
It was on that weekend that things got interesting. Mr. Sprague was insisting that they really had to start using the new pagers.
First order up; cup of broth and the small meat roll. T’amec took the order, handed the customer his pager and told her “That’ll go off when your order’s ready.”
T’amec realized that made it sound like an explosive.
As it turned out, he was not too far off.
Broth and meat roll were up and T’amec touched the symbol on the screen.
At the customer’s table a few feet away, the little plastic disc lit up with an accompanying sizzle. In another instant, there was a burst of light and a tall man with greenish skin suddenly appeared standing by the customer’s table.
He was wearing golden earrings, a reddish tunic and a bright yellow loincloth which draped down to his sandalled feet. He was bald-headed with a mustache and a pointed goatee. He clapped his hands in front of him and bowed from the waist.
“Oh Mighty and Noble One! By the Powers I Serve, your Repast is Prepared and Awaits your Pleasure!”
The customer had edged as far away as she could while still staying on her seat and was staring aghast at the apparition.
“Uhhh yeah,” she managed to say. “Thanks.”
The tall green man bowed again as the customer slipped out of her seat and crept to the counter, keeping her eyes on the green man. As she picked up her tray, the djinn (for it could be nothing else!) bowed again and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
Skid and T’amec just stood behind the counter staring.
“Okay,” T’amec said. “How bad could this possibly get?”
After the next few customer encounters with various djinn, (One customer ran off in terror!) Skid made a note to talk to Mr. Sprague and tell him this might not be a good idea.
The lunch rush was in full swing and things were okay for a bit. Then two of the pagers went off at one of the larger tables at the same time. Two near identical djinn appeared on either side of the table and were midway through their speil when they noticed each other.
“You!” Yelled the first djinn, pointing at the other. “Contemptable dog you dare show your face here!”
“Spawn of pigs!” Shouted the other djinn. “I shall teach thee respect!”
Skid and T’amec gawked as the two near-identical djinn shouted at each other.
The first djinn dove at the other, slamming down on the table, his hands clutching at the other djinn as the customers at the table scattered.
“Should we call security?” Skid asked.
“No!” T’amec shouted. “Help me turn those things off!” T’amec was frantically poking icons on the screen, to no avail. The djinn remained where they were.
Skid was staring as the two wrestled on the floor, sparks and smoke popping off of them as they rolled on the floor clutching and grappling with the other.
T’amec gave up on the touch screen and joined Skid in watching the fight.
“Y’know, we ought to have the number to the Augury Shop by the phone.” T’amec said.
“Yeah,” Skid said.
As the two djinn rolled on the floor they seemed to be swelling and growing. Smoke and flashing lights poured out of the ground where they were. Trays rose from the nearby tables and began to swirl around in the air. The pagers left on the tables were flashing and beeping.
Skid and T’amec ducked as trays soared over the counter, crashing into the wall. They poked their heads back up in time to see the two djinn vanish in a burst of black smoke and green flame.
The flying trays dropped to the floor. One that was hovering over the counter dropped into a vat of broth splattering it all over Skid.
The pagers stopped flashing and were smouldering with green smoke.
“I guess they didn’t get along,” T’amec said.
“Yeah,” Skid said, wiping the broth off his face and licking it off his fingers. “Glad I was wearing my apron.”
