Mark Gagnon
Bio
My life has been spent traveling here and abroad. Now it's time to write.
I have three published books: Mitigating Circumstances, Short Stories for Open Minds, and Short Stories from an Untethered Mind. Unmitigated Greed is do out soon.
Achievements (1)
Stories (451)
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The Secret
My name is Walter and today, January 1, 1980, is my 104th birthday. This makes me the oldest living resident of Rye, New Hampshire. Of course, Rye only has a population of 5,400, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. What makes this day a big deal is I am about to tell a secret that I have been safeguarding for 94 years. The person I’ve chosen to share this secret with is 10 years old, the same age I was when it was told to me.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Unstoppable
The two brothers stood atop a rock outcropping two hundred feet above a section of Maine’s coastline, anxiously expecting the events that were about to unfold. At the base of the cliff, the coast road wound its’ way around a picturesque cove. Strategically placed at either end of the cove were a succession of signs that read:
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Autocross
Anyone who is a car enthusiast and even those with only a passing interest will eventually put the peddle to the metal just for the rush. Drive along a deserted country road loaded with curves and switchbacks, top-down, radio playing, and you can’t help yourself. You just have to see how the vehicle handles the curves. Feeling the G force try to force the car out of its lane while you use all your driving prowess to maintain a line, is what driving is all about.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Wheel
If Only. Top Story - November 2023.
Jake is a busy guy. Every time he starts a project or just thinks about starting something, he gets interrupted. Most of the time they’re annoying minor interruptions: phone calls, a knock at the door, text messages from work, the list goes on and on. If only he had a little alone time, he could complete some half-finished projects. No phone calls, texts, or people, for one day. Is that too much to ask? Unfortunately for Jake, his unfinished business list just came due all at the same time.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Journal
Secret Squirrel
“Come in central, this is Fuzzy One. Do you copy?” “We copy Fuzzy One. Do you have anything to report?” “Only that I’m really bored. I’m your number one secret squirrel and you assigned me to this clown! My investigative talents are being wasted here.”
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Stop–Edit–Continue
A hot topic of conversation in today’s society is called cancel culture. It’s prevalent in every country and every society. Lately, every other month, a new atrocity is brought to light. Schools were supposedly set up by religious organizations to help indigenous children transition from a past culture to a new social structure. What these schools were in reality were concentration camps.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Journal
People Watcher
I have been a professional people watcher for the last 150 Earth years. My planet sent me here to observe and report on humans. Using direct observation will determine whether to add Earth to the Interplanetary Consortium or quarantine it. I take my work seriously, and this assignment has been the most difficult I’ve ever undertaken. When the posting was first assigned to me, I felt that in 25–50 years tops I would have my report complete and be ready to move on to my next assignment. Boy, was I wrong!
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Futurism
The Room
Isaac spent every day of his seventeen years in Southwest Florida. His parents never traveled outside of Florida. When Isaac was younger, he thought every state had palm trees, flat swampy areas, and alligators. When the temperatures dropped into the fifties, it was winter coat weather. He had heard about snow and even seen pictures of it on television and in the movies but had no idea what it felt like. Ice skating and skiing were bizarre sports he could barely comprehend. In true Florida tradition, his sports were baseball, football, swimming, and fishing.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Vocal’s Lost Communities. Top Story - November 2023.
For those who are unaware or have never counted them, Vocal has 48 communities available for writers to post their work in. The most popular of these by far are Poetry with 40,097 writers and Fiction with 31,637 writers. These numbers come from Vocal’s website and I’m sure they fluctuate from week to week, possibly day to day. These two groups generate most stories published on the site. What I found fascinating is how many Top Stories these two communities garner in a thirty-day period.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Chapters
Tick…Tick…Tick…
OK, I signed up for this job, so I have nothing to complain about. In fairness, though, I volunteered shortly after basic while I was in the middle of AIT (Advanced Infantry Training). The idea of running around Afghanistan with a rifle wasn’t my idea of a good time. So, when a couple of sergeants with a cluster of ribbons on their chests came into our training area and asked for a few volunteers, my hand shot up. I didn’t even know what the job was, but I figured it had to be a step up from being a grunt. That’s how I ended up in the Army’s Bomb Disposal Unit.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Serve
Warning Signs. Top Story - November 2023.
So many red flags, yet Peter ignored them all. There was a yellow symbol glowing brightly on the dashboard. The weather forecaster implored people to prepare for an imminent storm. A “No Trespassing” sign bearing skull and crossbones symbols guarding the entrance. Everything seemed trivial until it was too late to avoid his current predicament.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Chapters
