The Kimota Anthology (50 page)

Rebecca looked at herself and laughed.

“I’m real.” she said, as if she didn’t quite believe it.

She kissed Daniel: a real woman’s kiss; soft and teasing.

“Do you want a coffee?” she said, heading for the kitchen as if she’d lived in the house all her life.

“Later,” he said, “I want you to come and meet my oldest friend. His name’s Tim.”

Daniel took Rebecca’s hand, and led her out of the house. As they stepped over the threshold, they noticed that the Sensible Shoes were gone.

“You’re not sorry, are you?” Rebecca said.

“I’m not sorry,” Daniel smiled,“Sometimes you have to take chances.”

[Originally published in Kimota 9, Autumn 1998]

THE ABRIDGED NOSTRADAMUS

by Peter Tennant

Jerry had decided that nobody was home and was on the point of leaving when the door swung open. Standing in front of him was an elderly man dressed in a grey cardigan and grey flannel trousers, his face as dreary and washed out as the clothes he wore.

“Sandford Milligan?”

The man nodded, reluctantly it seemed to Jerry.

“Mr Milligan, my name is Jerry Perlmann. I’m a journalist.” He flashed his press card and offered a hand which was pointedly ignored. “I’ve come about the book.”

Sandford Milligan winced, as if he’d developed a sudden stomach pain. “I see.”

“Could we talk?”

Milligan hesitated for a moment and then stepped aside, his body language conveying a weary resignation. “You’d better come in.”

Jerry stepped into a hallway that was badly in need of decoration, paper curling away from the wall and threadbare carpet underfoot. The smell of boiled cabbage hung heavy in the air. Obviously his writing hadn’t made Sandford Milligan a wealthy man.

“How’d you know about the book?” asked Milligan. “It’s been out of print for over forty years.”

“I’m an SF nut. I collect pulp novels from the fifties and early sixties. I found a copy in a second-hand bookshop a couple of years ago. When recent events started I made the connection and decided to look you up.”

“I’m surprised you found me.”

“Your publishers still had your address on file.”

Milligan shrugged. “I couldn’t afford to move.”

He ushered Jerry into a sitting room that looked no less shabby than the hallway. The furniture seemed very much the worse for wear, chair legs crisscrossed with scratch marks, the material faded and worn. A tray bearing a plate encrusted with grease lay on the floor in front of a desultory coal fire. At the older man’s invitation they sat on a badly sagging settee, its floral pattern adorned with unsightly stains.

“You’ll have to excuse the mess,” said Milligan. “I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

In the corner stood a television set, its screen aglow, the sound turned down so that it was barely audible. Every TV set in the world would be turned on today. It was the most important day in mankind’s history.

The screen was filled with an image of the vast alien craft that had hovered over New York for three days now, its underside bristling with weapons’ arrays. In the United Nations building directly underneath the alien warlord Gartok was relaying his people’s demands to the governments of the world, Those demands would be rejected. Before the end of the week mankind would be at war with the Munktare. All of these events had been foretold in
Millennium Mayhem
, a pulp SF novel written by Sandford Milligan and published in 1951.

Of course alien invasion had been a staple of the genre ever since SF’s early days. What made
Millennium Mayhem
so remarkable was the number of correspondences between events in the book and what was now taking place in reality. Milligan’s description of the alien Munktare, their spacecraft and weaponry, the actions they took, all tallied perfectly with what was happening now, Even the words of Gartok’s public pronouncements were the same as in the book. Only the names of the people involved were different. It was impossible to believe that all this was simply coincidence.

“Perhaps you could explain to me how the book came to be written?”

“It was all so long ago.” said Milligan. “I really don’t want to talk about it”

Jerry gestured at the television screen. “With respect Mr Milligan, I think that you have to talk about it.”

Milligan sighed. “When I was a young man back in the fifties I used to have vivid dreams about things that were going to happen, premonitions of disaster. Usually they meant nothing, but sometimes they turned out to be accurate.

“The events in
Millennium Mayhem
came to me in a series of dreams over a period of six weeks. I saw no point in going public at the time. I’d been ridiculed in the past and the alien invasion was so far in the future I didn’t expect to be vindicated. Instead I decided I might as well make some money out of my talent, so I wrote the book. That’s all there is to it.”

He waved a dismissive hand at his surroundings. “I didn’t make much money, as you can see.”

Jerry grinned. Somebody was going to make money now, money by the truckload. He could see all sorts of angles, The first thing was to get Milligan to sign a contract.

He pointed at the television screen. “But now that you’ve been proved right there’ll be opportunities for...”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll all soon be dead.”

Jerry frowned. Given what he knew Milligan had less reason to feel pessimistic than anyone. Millions were going to die but mankind would win through in the end, as it always did. Life would go on.

“After the war...” he began.

“You don’t understand,” said Milligan. “The book is a lie. My publishers had me rewrite the last three chapters. They wanted a more upbeat ending.”

He reached down by the side of the settee and retrieved a stack of yellowing sheets of paper filled with black type.

“If you want to know what really happens…”

The television screen was suffused with a red glow.  

[Originally published in Kimota 11, Autumn 1999]

EDITORIAL

by Graeme Hurry

Way back in the ninties The Preston SF Group was host to numerous guests and had a newsletter called
Kimota
to provide attendees information about the guests and future events. There had been various editors (Lawrence Dean, Dave Windett, Andy Greenwood and Dave Young) before I took over. At the end of the year there was a bumper issue with stories, articles and quizzes.

Then in 1994 I took it one step further as a magazine and made it into a small press venture inviting external writers and selling to anyone who would buy a copy. The main aim was to publicise the PSFG. Well, there were 16 bi-annual editions before the pressure of work and the need to read through piles of stories got too much for me.

The main reason for ending the magazine was the amount of money required up-front for the printing and then the inevitable storage of unused copies in the attic - still many copies of many issues if anyone is interested.

So when I bought a Kindle for my mother's Christmas and played about on it I hatched a plan to carry on
Kimota
on the Kindle. The initial costs would be far less and the contributors could be paid in royalties after I was paid. This ebook is the first part of the plan. Many of the old
Kimota
stories have been reproduced in Kindle format. The next stage is a magazine -
Kzine
containing crime, science fiction, horror and fantasy stories (and mixtures of these genres hopefully).

Hopefully you can get an idea of the type of story I'll be putting into
Kzine
from this selection. Have a look at the
Kzine
website (
www.Kzine.co.uk
) and look out for the magazine on Amazon.

Thanks for your time.

Graeme Hurry

APPENDIX A

List Of All Kimota Stories per issue

ISSUE 1

The Bone Garden by Conrad Williams

Mick by Caroline Dunford

A Room Of My Own by Kevin Rattan

Deep Blue by Stephen Laws

ISSUE 2

Video Nasty by Caroline Dunford

Stretch of the Imagination by D.F. Lewis

Johnny Never by Suzanne J. Barbieri

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral by William Meikle

ISSUE 3

Eating Out With Mr. Benn by Caroline Dunford

Tell Me Where The Lost Years Are by David Longhorn

Blizzard by Suzanne J. Barbieri

Remember, Remember by Kevin Rattan

The Grateful Dead by Kim Padgett-Clarke

Fallen Angel by Peter Crowther

The Murder Mystery by Peter Tennant

The Flute And The Glen by William Meikle

ISSUE 4

War Story by Caroline Dunford

The Closing Hand by Chris Kenworthy

Singing Rock by Gary Kilworth

Oggy by Linda Markley

The Pond in the Woods by Martin Owton

Command Performance by Paul Finch

The Fortune Teller by Peter Tennant

Expressed From The Wood by Simon Clark

ISSUE 5

Odd Man Out by Alan Frackelton

Views From Two Windows by Anthony Cawood

On the Edge of Reality by Davina Marsland

Andy by Jason Conway

Breaking The Surface by Joel Lane

Cold Comfort by Mark Chadbourn

Lethal Infatuation by Mark Gale

The Death Of A Man by Peter Tennant

Hobyahs by Stephen Bowkett

The Idiot Stick by Steve Dean 

Trouble Dolls by Suzanne J. Barbieri

ISSUE 6

Liam Brown's Amazing Story by Caroline Dunford

Last Supper by Dave O'Neill

Teddington by David Longhorn

God's Favorite Creatures by Julie Travis

Joe by Kim Padgett-Clarke

A Matter of Blood by Martin Owton

Eugene by Paul Finch

The Earthly Paradise by Peter Tennant

ISSUE 7

God's Children by Anthony Barker

Horizon by Caroline Dunford

Foreign Parts by Conrad Williams

The Star Stallion by Katherine Roberts

Simple Balet by Nick Royle

July by Paul Finch

Phlon Xi by Paul Pinn

Alice Through The VDU by Peter Smith

The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge by Peter Tennant

The Fires of Summer by Steve Lockley

ISSUE 8

The Queening of Proxy D by Mark Asheton

True Love, Once Removed by Debbie Moon 

Concenting Adults by Hugh Cook

The Last Train in the Station by Joel Lane

Breathless by Mark Gale

A Time To Work by Michael O'Connor

Walking The Web by Cherith Baldry

Alternative Hospital by Neal Asher

Where There's Life by Paul Finch

The Green Belt by Steve Dean 

Wee Robbie by William Meikle

ISSUE 9

A Pool of Ants by Christine Goody

Beyond The Help Of Mortals by D.F. Lewis

Amygdala by Dave Sutton

Sira (or Through A Window) by Derek M. Fox

Malatesta by Dom Dulley

Different by Jason Conway

Kid's Stuff by Kim Padgett-Clarke

Preacherman by Mark Gale

Dare Devil by Paul Finch

Home Comforts by Peter Crowther

The Geller Effect by Peter Tennant

The Healer by Stephen Bowkett

Meek by Steve Savile

The Shoe Box by Suzanne J. Barbieri

The Stranger by Trevor Mendham

ISSUE 10

Time's Change by Barbara Davies

Stuck in the Middle by Craig Jones

Picture His Horror by James A Tucker

The Lover by Jason Rogerson

Foaming at the Mouth by Jill McGroarty

His Masters Voice by Joel Lane

The Gurnard by Neal Asher

The Haircut From Hell by Paul Finch

The Invaders by Peter Tennant

The Bones by Peter Tennant

Juju by Peter Tennant

Salems Parking Lot by Peter Tennant

Hell Queen by Rafael Kimberly-Bowen

Fast Food by Stuart Young

ISSUE 11

When Nature Ceases to Smile by Cathrine J. Gardner

Novie's Ark by Dave O'Neill

Party Girl by David J. Howe

A Church with no Windows by Holly Day

The Butterflies of Sanity by Jason Gould

The Slave Game by Jenny Barber

The Grass is always Greener by Martin Owton

The Fly Dumpers (aka Tower of Babel) by Pamela Jorgenson

Corporeal by Paul Finch

Scrapings by Paul Joyce

The Abridged Nostradamus by Peter Tennant

The Venom Sucker by Riaz Hussain

What I Done For the Devil by Simon Woodward

The Angel's Kiss by Steve Lockley

ISSUE 12

Dream Syphon by Dee Delamere

So Deep in my Heart by Geoffrey Warburton

Visions Of The Fall by Joe Rattigan

Idle Hands by John Travis

Fly on the Wall Documentaries by Jonathan Taylor

Ring of Doom by Mark Gale

Vincent's Last Picture by Martin Owton

The Simulator by Paul Finch

The Last Room Down The Hall by Paul McAvoy

Collision by Peter Tennant

Rosmary's Afterbirth by Peter Tennant

How The Stone Was Moved by Peter Tennant

Love Eternal by Peter Tennant

Good Vibrations by Simon Kewin

Game Over by Stuart Young

ISSUE 13

The Fungus Communion by Alexander Glass

Agnes in Wonderland by Annemarie Allen

The Stranger In the Garden by Cherith Baldry

Way Back When by David Price

Phone Home by Debbie Moon 

Boxes by Hugh Cook

Despair Fish by Iain Darby

Triple Glazing by John Travis

The Torbeast's Prison by Neal Asher

Stasis by Nicola Caines

Turn on the Taps by Pamela Stuart

Always The Past by Paul Edwards

ISSUE 14

A Hollow Footstep by Catherine Gardner

Downsizing by Chris Bauer

Claws to Rend, Teeth to Tear by Craig Jones

The Lazarus Factory by David Hudson

Limbo Larry by Hugh Cook

The House In The Woods by Joel Lane

Crumple Zone by Mark Jones

The Necromancer's Tale by Peter Tennant

The Keening of Tabitha Sunday by Sean Russell Friend

Deep Inside by Steve Dean

Spectacle of Nothing by Stuart Carter

ISSUE 15

A Totally Ordinary Young Woman by Hugh Cook

The Terror and the Tortoiseshell by John Travis

The Happy Clapper by Jonathan Taylor

Tiger Tiger by Neal Asher

Ordeal by Bistro by Paul Finch

Burning Angels Down by Paul Joyce

The Wedding Job by Paul McAvoy

Blade by Phil Emery

Still Lives In Motion by Simon Woodward

ISSUE 16

Invaders by Catherine Gardner

Lines by Christopher Harman

Seven Minutes by Christopher Mennell

Canopic Nights by Jill McGroarty

Curtain Call by Joel Lane

Perpetual Motion by Julie Travis

Eleanora by Paul Edwards

The Chattering by Steve Mosby

The Nine Billion Shares of God by Stuart Carter

Long Distance Call by Stuart Young

Tsunami by Tim Groome

Beholders by Trevor Mendham