Challenge 914
Keeping Time
In Channie Greenberg’s Beloved Little Sister: Owmapow writes that he thinks his father regrets making him “abandon those innocent creatures” by exchanging them for baseball cards. Is Owmapow engaging in sarcasm? Or is he displaying a naive incomprehension of his father’s sensititivities?
In Shauna Checkley’s The Waiting Game: Does the story overstep Bewildering Stories’ “ Dead Narrator” guideline? How might one argue that it doesn’t?
In Charles C. Cole’s Breaking Up With Dad: Did Dad really impersonate Dario’s sister on the telephone? Even if he didn’t, why does he say he did?
In James Rumpel’s There Goes the Neighborhood:
- Take the story literally: How can any of the space-alien spies verify the authenticity of supposed Earthlings without trying to disrobe them of their putative disguises?
- Take the story figuratively: In what way is homo sapiens an anomaly on Earth? Which is more likely: that the species invaded Earth from another planet or that it was deported as a nuisance?
In Rebecca Johnson’s The Legend, Kerri has been acting as a film producer. And yet she displays a professorial knowledge of esoteric mythologies with a specialty in supernatural animals.
- Are there any hints in previous chapters that might foreshadow Kerri’s extensive familiarity with such arcane information?
- Should Kerri be surprised that Darren — or any of the film subjects in survivalist mode — transmogrifies into a werewolf or something similar? How else might she react? With annoyance? Fiendish delight? Something else?
What is a Bewildering Stories Challenge?
