J. Otis Haas
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Space Case
Achievements (24)
Stories (120)
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Turtledown
Life was good in Turtledown. Jacques and Jacqueline lived in a cul-de-sac on Nesting Lane near the center of the development. All the houses in the neighborhood had started with the same template, but homeowners in the community were encouraged to dream big and customize to their hearts’ content, resulting in a variety of expressive structures standing proudly all around. The business district featured an award-winning shopping mall and a beautiful lake with innumerable recreational activities available was just a short, pleasant drive away.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Fiction
The Mournful Eyes of the Octopus
When a 35 year old father of two dropped dead from a stroke in front of the octopus tank, the aquarium closed early for the day. With a pang of schadenfreude Jack was able to get a jump-start on his cleaning duties, though there wasn’t much to look forward to if he finished ahead of schedule, save a few extra hours of solitary darkness and some extra, pointless screen time alone in his apartment.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Fiction
The Red Dragon and the Black Cat
Wrathmongous the Humongous spun through the sky a league above the ground. Craning a sinuous neck, he admired how the iridescent scales on his back gleamed like rubies in the sunlight. The blazing solar rays refueled his reserves of Manna, the ephemeral elemental force which powered all Magic in the world. The great dragon turned his massive head to the impossibly distant flaming orb and stared directly into the cosmic furnace, absorbing all he could get, distracted only by the nagging ache in his side.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Fiction
The Black Cat Surprises
In their ceaseless attempts to make sense of the chaotic universe they live in, humans delight in assigning labels to things. Identifying and classifying various aspects of the world features into many creation myths from around the globe, Adam naming the animals in the garden of Eden is only one example. Always craving simplicity, humans love if a concept can be simplified down to a matter of black and white. Binary concepts are often the preferred way to see things.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Petlife
A Tissue Floating in Mercury
Sixty years after he disappeared into the sky, Kristen was shocked to find Jack sitting on the foot of her bed, yapping away like he always did. He had turned the light on when he came in, snapping her out of a pre-dawn doze she would have awakened from soon, facing another day of pain, deep aches and stabbing knives dulled by an artificial nurse who always chimed sweet tones while applying the ointment too roughly where the cannula irritated her nose.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Fiction
Through the Golden Door
The sense of motion and regular clattering from below let Liam know he was on a train before he even opened his eyes. He had no memory of boarding for a trip and no idea of where, if anywhere, he was supposed to be, or where he might be going. Laying there, comforted by the rhythm of the conveyance, Liam wondered if he was dreaming within a dream. The distant sound of the locomotive’s steam-whistle far ahead broke his reverie.
By J. Otis Haas3 years ago in Futurism
A New Dawn
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Dawn sat, cross-legged on the splintery floor and began the ritual. She rolled out the piece of sheepskin, affixed it to the boards with an iron nail driven through each corner, and regarded the hand-made ouija board. The alphabet, numerals, and the words “Yes” and “No” were inscribed in her blood on the leather. The cutting had come easily, as it always did. The difficulty had been in keeping her hand steady as she used the stigmata of her other palm as an inkwell. She placed an inverted shot glass on the board to use as a planchette.
By J. Otis Haas4 years ago in Horror
My Father’s Ghost on a Dusty Windowsill
Ghosts are real. You know this to be true if you’ve ever smelled your grandmother’s perfume in a crowd, caught sight of one of your late friends' doppelgängers from a distance, or opened a box of bittersweet keepsakes. Whether or not ethereal spirits roam the earth I do not know, but I can state with certainty that our memories are haunted houses.
By J. Otis Haas4 years ago in Families
A Rabbit’s Dream of Saffron . Top Story - June 2022.
As a myopic, bookish child, much of my time was spent mired in fantasy. When not absorbed in volumes of myths and ghost stories, I investigated what of the world I could, searching for evidence that the wonders I read about were not merely entertaining fictions, but rather messages from the past alluding to the mysterious true workings of the Universe. Now, nearing my 45th birthday, I see, for many people, that “growing up” means turning away from such endeavors, as it is seen as unbecoming to dream too much as an adult. I was never in danger of such a fate.
By J. Otis Haas4 years ago in Families
Chronicles of the Golden Dragon
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. However, after heavy rainfalls, the raging river that bisected the jungle would surge up its banks, and huge blue ones, covered snout-to-tail in lapis-lazuli scales that glimmered with an oily sheen, would fly in from the north and congregate at the rusting ruins perched over the roiling torrent. When the river ran swiftly enough the ancient structure would glow with mysterious lights and hum and crackle from within. This was clearly what drew the dragons, and so Zoe’s people were fearful of storms. When the ruins glowed, The Mouth of the Mountain, deep within the cave they called home, would open and lightning-like arcs in its maw would spark over the bones of all those who had been foolish enough to venture within.
By J. Otis Haas4 years ago in Fiction
The Hitchhikers Who Hide in the Punctum Caecum
You have a blind-spot. This isn’t a criticism, it’s a fact. If you’ve ever been stargazing and discovered some distant celestial object that fled from your field of vision when observed head-on you’ve experienced this phenomenon. You may have been encouraged at some point to draw a dot on an index card and find it yourself, goaded into a little game to teach you a thing or two about perception.
By J. Otis Haas4 years ago in Horror
