From the Desk of William Pauley III
The days are getting shorter. So short, I’ve given up sleeping, just to get things done. Still, it’s not enough time. There’s never enough time.
It’s 6:27pm on the Saturday I’m supposed to send out this damn newsletter and I’m just now starting to type it all up.
But that’s okay, because I’ve enjoyed my day very much. I’ve walked around Louisville for hours on the most beautiful day of the year (so far) with two of my favorite people in the entire world. I even got to spend some time with the pooch. I call that a win in my book.
Book? Oh, that’s right. I’m supposed to be writing a book. Hmmm. Well, none of that happened this week. I did, however, redesign the website and even made a detailed schedule of Substack posts for the rest of 2024. Big plans!
But no—no actual writing was done.
That gives me less than 12 days to write my next story before the deadline hits, and I already know I won’t be starting tomorrow either.
Shit. Not enough time.
Anyway…
Here are the seven dreams I didn’t have this week (in no particular order):
DREAM #1: I see her there, say nothing, be nothing. She stands and the air around me disappears, I’m choking, gasping. She walks, I spin, gasping, gasping. Seeing nothing but light, she wanders, bathing inside it, I slide forever into her shadow. I’m comfortable. I’ve accepted. She walks, I spin, gasping, gasping. She walks, I spin, gasping.
DREAM #2: Progress is subjective. They define it differently, as a fact. They want to understand every part of everything. They want to know how it all works. They want to replicate and create and destroy, all at once and immediately. They wish to become god and to kill gods. We’ll all be different soon. Evolution, created.
DREAM #3: She’s lovely, but sometimes we don’t speak for days. There are moments I feel sick knowing she’s out there and I’m in here, curled up, fingers bleeding, working for this. She breaks the silence every now and then, asking me to look at the moon. In different cities, we still share the same sky.
DREAM #4: Sometimes I wake in a paralyzed state. I see things around me that are both real and unreal, though it’s hard to tell one from the other until I am completely awake and functional. Nightmares. It gets me wondering if I’ve ever been fully conscious at all. There are closed doors upstairs that need exploring.
DREAM #5: Last night we sped like a bullet shot from a cocaine straw straight into the hellish town of Nashville, Tennessee. We drank Mexican Coke at a place called Nervous Charlie’s and spent the evening bathed in devil music. The lights of the city hung dangerously close. Nashville was on fire. Goddamn the smoke was brutal.
DREAM #6: I’ve been crushed by a wall. Sometimes I feel the collaborative effort of others as they try rescuing me from tragedy [little hands reaching into the rubble and tossing whatever bricks they can to the side]. Sometimes I don’t feel anything at all. I don’t know which is worse, feeling the weight… or the abyss.
DREAM #7: I stand under artificial light, absorbing energy, feeling more awake now. I spend nights alone, cramming information into my brain. When she comes downstairs in the morning, I spew information into her face and she bats it all away, then curls up on the couch. I open the refrigerator and try my damndest not to crawl inside.
SHADOWRUN (SNES)
Last Week / This Week
WARNING: “Strange Weather” is coming February 15th, 2024. Are you ready?
I redesigned the DOOM FICTION website! Have you seen it lately?
Last week, on Storytime!, we read about a newlywed couple who went to war with their own apartment in “Heirs of the Abyss.” What? Haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet? No worries! It’ll be available to stream for free for the rest of the weekend. Check it out here.
On this Monday’s episode of Storytime!, we’ll be checking out an excerpt from my novella ‘Fight Tub,” the story of the man who became his bathroom. Yes, you read that right. You won’t want to miss it! Be sure you’re subscribed so you’re notified the moment it drops:
Check out this excellent reader review of The Ballad of Old Joe Booth! Thanks, Hannah! Pick up a signed copy here.
Paid subscribers now have access to The Brothers Crunk, available in both digital ebook and audiobook formats! Check it out here.
You know, I’ve been doing this gig for about 20 years now and I’m only just realizing it might be possible to make a living off of these weird little stories. If you enjoy these posts every week, *please* consider a monthly subscription. It’s only $5 and it gives you instant access to the Doom Fiction library. Tons of audiobooks, short stories, exclusive articles, art projects, you name it. All for the price of a cup of coffee! Once I have enough subscribers, I’ll have all the time in the world to create even more weirdness for you. So, save the weird! Become a paid subscriber today!
For an extensive list of exclusive perks for paid subscribers, click the following links:
Oddities Theater
Ga-Ga: Glory to Heroes is a 1986 Polish science fiction film, directed by Piotr Szulkin.
Synopsis: In the 21st century, prisoners aboard penitentiary space ships explore unknown worlds. (IMDB)
Resident #3
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to DOOM FICTION to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.