EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE (AND OTHER STORIES)
By Interstitial
Synopsis:
A mixed bag of short-short stories variously involving love, sex, mind control, strange new technology, magical objects, mysterious creatures, and luggage mix-ups; all varying across the spectrum from light-hearted to romantic to downright worrying.
EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE (AND OTHER STORIES)
By Interstitial
INTRODUCTION
In the forum ‘The Garden of MC’, the esteemed moderator S.B. runs a series of monthly thematic challenges. Recently, the theme was ‘Suspicious Baggage’, involving tales about luggage mix-ups, and for some reason this sparked my interest.
N.B. I don’t want anyone to think I’ve got a thing about baggage—but quite a few luggage-related scenarios were suddenly playing out in my mind… and they wouldn’t go away, dammit.
So here’s a series of short-shorts of varying degrees of E and MC; scenarios, sketches and vignettes, rather than full stories; fairly light hearted in the main. In order:
- Finders Keepers: in which a man discovers a very strange and powerful object in the case he’s mistakenly picked up.
- Lost: in which the contents of a case trigger long buried desires.
- Accessorised: in which we introduce a whole new line of designer lifestyle accessories.
- Travelling Light: in which travel offers precious escape.
- People Watcher: in which a woman ‘accidently’ picks up the very suitcase she secretly needs.
- The Case of the Case of the Case: in which we learn of the mysterious case of the case within the case…
- Emotional Baggage: in which suitcases have feelings too.
- Backwaters: in which a traveller mislays a very important item.
- The Man from Santiago: in which Lupa Proseda, slightly demented writer of erotic fiction, meets a strange man in the baggage hall in Rio.
And a bonus story, just for fun, which has nothing whatsoever to do with luggage. Please do not read this if you are of a nervous disposition…
- Revenge of the Sea Cucumbers: in which we confront the day of reckoning for mankind at the hands of strange telepathic sea creatures.
As usual, all these stories are true.