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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Boomtown
Everyone is listening to a man standing at the podium and venting at the city council. Billy “Big Bang” Morgan, president of Boomtown Fireworks, had reached the limits of his self-control. These pompous city council jackasses were actually determined to break with tradition. Drones instead of his company’s fireworks were going to be providing entertainment at this year’s 4th of July celebration. He could not let this happen without a fight.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humor
What’s Wrong with Bad
Many non-native speakers have said that English is by far the hardest language to learn. It’s not sentence structure or other formatting nuances that confuse people. It’s all the various ways the same word is used. The word “bad” is a perfect example. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, bad means poor, unfavorable, spoiled, or dilapidated. This would be a simple word to learn if it was used as described in the dictionary, but is it? Oh, hell no!
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humans
Monolith
My body felt as though it had been slowly baked on hot tiles. The pain forced my reluctant brain to reengage with the world. The unrelenting sun’s rays penetrated my closed eyelids. I grudgingly opened one eye just a slit and saw it—the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Inside my sluggish brain, the title song from that movie, “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, began playing. It’s a tune that will repeat itself over and over in my head for the rest of the day. Most annoying!
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humor
The Long Con
Why are we so gullible? It’s not caused by some misguided gene. We have been conditioned from birth to be an easy mark. “From birth, really”, you might say. Sure, and it’s our parents’ fault. “How can that be”? Well, the explanation is really quite simple.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humans
It’s in Our DNA
When speaking about hypocrisy, everyone’s favorite targets are politicians. Maybe the, say one thing but do the opposite breed is much maligned because they accurately reflect, “We the people,” and our true nature. I’m sure by now many of you are thinking, “That’s not right, or he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” so let me offer a few examples.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Journal
Earworm
1959 was developing into a historic year for the U.S. and the world. America had added two more stars to its flag, as Alaska and Hawaii became the forty-ninth and fiftieth states. Fidel Castro wrested power away from the corrupt Cuban government and installed a communist dictatorship. The cold war between the Soviet Union and the U.S. along with Europe, was going strong. Yes, 1959 was the precurs0r of what would become world-changing events.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Psyche
New Beginning
The old man sat in a lawn chair intently observing his 3-year-old great-grandson explore the mysteries of their backyard. Spring had finally blossomed, and both plants and animals were emerging after a long and unusually harsh winter. He had seen many such transformations in his long life, but this one felt significant for some inexplicable reason.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Families
Hello My Old Friend
Hello Darkness, It still amazes me how our relationship has developed over the years. When we first met, you terrified me. I was just a child and didn’t understand how you could exist everywhere I went, and everyplace I looked. You slept under my bed. You hid in closets patiently waiting for me to open the door. When I closed my eyes, I saw you. When I awoke from a bad dream, you wrapped yourself around me. I tried to convince my parents that you were bad and they needed to protect me from you. Instead of offering me solace, they sent me back to my room, where you waited for me uncomplainingly.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Horror
The Trail
Harry is a creature of habit. He rises every morning at 6 a.m. without the aid of an alarm clock, even on his days off. He eats toast and strawberry jam for breakfast and is ready to start the day by 7 a.m. It was probably this strict adherence to schedules that earned him a divorce. Yes, even his daughter, who had once worshiped him, drifted away out of frustration over his inflexibility. Harry knew his lack of imagination and spontaneity put people off. It didn’t matter. Routines and schedules were predictable, dependable, and above all, safe. He wasn’t about to drift away from that security.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Motivation
The Devil’s Herd
It didn’t take long for Zack to realize he was in way over his head. Petty Larceny was his forte. Shoplifting, purse snatching, and breaking into a car or two kept him in spending cash and put food in his stomach. It wasn’t a noble life, but he got by—until now.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Fiction
On Another Planet
My name is Ashton Throckmorton, IV. All my chums at the Yale Club call me Ash. I made my money the old-fashioned way—I inherited it from my daddy, which is exactly how he came by his money. My great, great grandfather started the family business, and my great-grandfather grew it into the money mill it is today. Now it’s up to me to enjoy the profits—a tough job, but someone has to do it.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humans
