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[charleswhite]

Title: The Shrink
Genre: Literary Fiction
As I watch Leah Houston stroll across my Persian hand-knotted wool rug, I’m haunted by the feeling that my days as a shrink are numbered, part by health, part by ennui. My new patient’s body exudes a metallic smell, like freshly sheared copper, and there is a dark stain on the front of her creamy North Face jogging top. “What brings you in today?” I ask with practiced cool, though the area where I had my new pacemaker implanted two days ago itches and burns.
Leah wriggles in the leather armchair like an eel trying to throw a hook. “I’m seriously sleep-deprived, Dr. Noland, and when I do drift off, I’m plagued by horrible nightmares.”
Suspicion rises cobra-like from my memory basket of troublesome clients. “Any idea why?” I ask, leaning back in my Charles Eames lounger and glancing at her intake form—mother deceased, father receiving chemotherapy, insomnia, bulimia, recently returned from Medellin, Columbia. I wonder what she was doing there the previous two years, given my Columbian wife’s awe of Ingrid Betancourt, the liberal anti-corruption candidate who finished seventh in the 2022 presidential election.
“I was hoping you might be able to prescribe something.” Leah turns her head as she speaks, but I catch the concealed eyeroll, hear the suppressed sigh. As if it’s my job to dispense medication at her command.
For me, pills are a last resort. “Let’s talk a bit first. Quick fixes are not what I’m about.”

[VickeyThomson]

Title: He Who Does Not Exist
Genre: Fantasy

He walks in from the top doors of a lecture hall down to the podium. Everyone is turning, staring, they can’t believe it’s him. He’s wearing a dark pinstriped suit. He makes his way to the bottom of the stairs, turns, and faces the class.

“So you are my class of honor students, honor demons as it were. I am the devil. Boo!

“I know you were expecting something different; but, here is the big thing. We need to move in the shadows. We can’t be flashy. We can’t let everyone know it’s us. Sometimes that works in our favor, but, usually, it doesn’t. Usually, you need to work quietly in the background and have no one know you are or were there.

“So let me explain, how this class is going to work because you are the best of the best. You are the ones who are going to be in charge of the new demons, who harvest souls. It will be your job to train the newly promoted demons on how to get souls. As in, they will be helping people – go to hell! Well, to be honest, the people were probably already going to go to hell. Your trainees just make it so it’s a little more likely.

“So how this class is going to work is I will have you start describing the infamous deadly sins. I figured that was as good a place to start as any,” said the devil.

With that he moves into the thoughts of one of the students, Penny, who is sitting there quietly taking notes, very studiously.

He gets into her thoughts and says, “Hi, yes I am quite capable of being in your thoughts and as you will soon learn you can do it too.”

“Now, here is the best part, no one knows when we’re here. When you are here, inside someone’s mind, not only will you be able to read the mortal’s thoughts, you can kind of influence them. I’ve chosen you, Penny, because you were having quite a few thoughts while taking these notes and you seem very serious so I figured it was only fair for me to make a personal appearance.”

The devil now addresses the class