Available from Amazon.com
These Symptoms is a chapbook collection of nine stories that embodies the theme of transmogrification (def: “to change in appearance or form, especially strangely or grotesquely; transform”).
Some of these stories have appeared in: Danse Macabre, Literally Stories, MacroMicroCosm, 101 Words, Boston Literary Magazine, Clever Magazine
…It was true what Cashdollar had told him—he was on the cusp of a clinical trial, but there was still much paperwork to complete before Cashdollar could secure the proper clearances from the review boards to begin his work. Even so, he couldn’t bear to stand by and watch while his old friend suffered. Besides, there was little doubt that Cashdollar’s animal work had been a resounding success.
Doesn’t my Hippocratic oath command me to treat my patients to the best of my ability? Screw the paperwork!
—from “Purgare”
… Sydney no longer sported a purple Mohawk. His head was now shaven and inked completely with tattoos. In fact, every inch of his head was decorated. Both of his cheeks contained a large hole with a metal ring. The holes exposed his gum line, teeth and tongue; the latter was split down the middle. At the sight of their fear, he grinned at them; two vampire fang implants were visible. A ring of metal spikes protruded from Sydney’s neck. But Sydney’s ultimate statement of evolution was the horns he’d had implanted into his skull, giving him a devilish appearance.
—from “Evolved”
…
in keeping with the spirit of the experiment only a single observer should be involved. Otherwise, who knew what theoretical holes might be poked in the experimental design if two observers were present?
“Ha!”
Levinson chuckled to himself as he conjured up this odd thought.
The cat will be both alive and dead up until the moment I open the lid. But of course, when I open it, I’ll observe a dead cat. All of its nine lives will have been extinguished. Al fine. Das ende. The end.
—from “Levinson’s Cat”
