The Woman Who Fell Backwards and Other Stories by John Walters

Author:John Walters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: short stories, time travel, science fiction, alien invasion, dark fantasy, fantastic devices, post apocalypse
Publisher: Astaria Books
Published: 2020-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

The Yearbook Entry

To Lisa Barrenger the peace on Earth that commenced when World War III had ceased meant nothing. She still went to work at the defense facility the same time every day, hid her Jim Beam or Southern Comfort in a thermos on her cleaning cart, swiped her security clearance card through the slot, and then made the rounds of the offices, dusting shelves, wiping desks, emptying rubbish bins, vacuuming floors, and bleaching toilets. She worked alone, sometimes in silence and sometimes listening to music, usually 80s rock, on a tiny MP3 player. She used to hate her job and envy those who had better ones – but that had long since passed; she was used to the routine and went about her duties with, if not happiness, at least acceptance.

One night she had paused to do some clandestine sipping when an alert chimed and a message appeared on the nearby computer monitor: HELLO, LISA BARRENGER.

She studied the bottle in her hand, put it back in the cart, and moved to the other side of the room.

Another alert chimed, and another monitor said, HELLO, LISA.

She looked around. She didn’t believe in ghosts, so obviously someone was playing a trick on her.

But as far as she knew she was alone on that floor of the building.

DON’T BE AFRAID, the monitor said.

Lisa called out, "Who’s there?"

No answer. The building’s silence, which she had learned to appreciate, suddenly seemed threatening. "Who is it?" she repeated.

YOU KNOW ME.

"No I don’t. Whoever you are, go away."

I’M TED APPLECUTTER.

"That name I’ll never forget. Where are you, you pompous son of a bitch?"

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE HAVEN’T SEEN EACH OTHER IN MORE THAN FORTY YEARS.

"That’s right, and it’s still too soon. Now come out so I can see you face to face."

I CAN’T.

"Right again, because old lady or not, I would kick your ass and then spit in your face."

WHY?

"I had such a crush on you in high school; I would risk being late for class just to catch a glimpse of you in the hallway. I knew I didn’t stand a chance, but you were the big famous all-star basketball player that everyone looked up to. I never even had the courage to speak to you, except once. It was the end of the year, time to graduate – my last opportunity, and I wanted you to at least sign my yearbook. With my heart pounding I timidly approached you at a moment when you were apart from the other jocks. You snickered, and not only signed it but wrote a note as well. For days I couldn’t bring myself to read it. When I did, I threw that yearbook into a closet and didn’t look at it again for years."

I DON’T REMEMBER.

"Of course not. Why should you? Who was I? Nobody, right? Many years later, after I was grown and had left home and had a daughter of my own, I was going through my old things and I came across that yearbook.

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