By Keech Ballard
The Goddess Empress died from toxic shock fumes. The neurotoxin found in her blood was not delivered orally. The food, wine, and dessert tasters were free of infection and therefore executed.
A large colony of oversized mice living in the palace walls gained access to the Imperial bedchamber through a narrow crack. The duty architect was therefore executed.
Some of the mice tested positive. The colony was gassed, sucked dry, their mummies incinerated. No direct link between infected mice and the usual suspects could be established.
The Goddess is dead!
Long live the Empress!
I prepare to meet my doom.
About the Author
Keech Ballard
Keech maintains an ominous presence somewhere (out there) in the desert southwest of the human mind. Keech has concocted a strange brew of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry since the crisis began.
A few of these manqué misfits are available as podcasts. Recent examples of Keech's mood swings may be found at Ellipsis Zine, Outlander Zine, Antipodean SF, and Kalonopia Collective.
Our weekly podcast features the stories from recently published issues, often narrated by the authors themselves.
Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.
Laurie Bell lives in Melbourne, Australia. She was that girl you found with her nose always buried in a book. She has been writing ever since she was a little girl and first picked up a pen. From books to short stories, radio plays to snippets of ideas and reading them aloud to anyone who will listen.
Emma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Margaret lives the good life on a small piece of rural New South Wales Australia, with an amazing man, a couple of pets, and several rambunctious wombats.
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Juliette Cavendish was born in Liverpool UK and is of Welsh and Norwegian heritage. Juliette has an interest in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Science and writes in both Science Fiction and Contemporary Fiction genres. Juliette was fascinated with space as a
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
Ed lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.
Sarah Pratt is an avid fiction writer and a Marketing Consultant.
Timothy Gwyn is a professional pilot in Canada, where he flies to remote communities. During a lull in his flying career, he was a radio announcer for three years, and he is also an author.
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.