Wings
Flash Fiction Stories
by
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Awareness quickly returned when “Pride” blasted from the pulpit. Well, pondered Mo, they couldn’t accuse him of a lack of that. According to the priest, that’s what got Lucifer in trouble with God—a little humility would have solved the devil’s problem. But where would Mo find that? He could fake humble, he supposed. Look how he’d bowed to the Saudi king. But even Mo sensed his limitations.
Father Martini paused. Mo felt the shepherd’s eyes focus on him.
“Wrath or rage,” said the priest, “creates violence and hate. Dante equated vengeance, fueled by wrath, as justice perverted to revenge.”
Mo swallowed. Revenge was a specialty in his administration. If he could he’d blast every whistle blower with a drone. But on the other hand, he figured; a little theatrical anger and an occasional sacrificial lamb served a greater need, too. Screw due process. Why worry if the motivation for revenge was real or contrived? Mo wondered who would be his next victim.
The entire audience, filled with America’s most powerful movers and shakers, shifted in its seats when the priest shouted, “Greed!” Mo smiled. Guilt permeated the air and swept through the hall. Why not, he wondered. Avarice, disloyalty, betrayal, bribery, shit—half of them, including Mo, committed treason every day; when the Constitution was evaded, spat upon, or just plain ignored.
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About the Book
David Brandin loves tales that end with an unusual twist. In his collection of thirty-eight flash fiction stories, he cleverly intertwines satire with political incorrectness to deliver one of-a-kind political, historical, science fiction, and fantasy tales that each come to a surprising conclusion.
Divided into four sections, Brandin’s stories begin by exploring political scheming as a president struggles with a church sermon on the seven deadly sins; a poorly qualified candidate defends his nomination to an ambassadorship; and asylum is claimed under unusual circumstances. As Brandin continues into historical and fantasy tales, eclectic characters are brought to the forefront as a statistics professor attempts to beat the odds on airplane bombs; an attempt is made to reengineer the wings of chickens; Chicago politicians struggle with a plan to reduce gang warfare; and a robot wonders whether sex is possible. In his final section, Brandin chronicles the life story of a small boy cursed by Lord Shiva.
Wings is a collection of unique short stories that delivers satire, humor, and surprise endings as a group of wide-ranging personalities try to overcome life’s most challenging obstacles.
About the Author
David Brandin is a retired mathematician and computer scientist who served as President of the Association for Computing Machinery and as Vice President and Director of Computer Science and Technology at SRI International. He is a Master Scuba Diver who studies classical piano and lives on the central coast of California.