Mark Gagnon
Bio
My life has been spent traveling here and abroad. Now it's time to write.
I have three published books: Mitigating Circumstances, Short Stories for Open Minds, and Short Stories from an Untethered Mind. Unmitigated Greed is do out soon.
Achievements (1)
Stories (457)
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Generational Disconnect
The official-looking sign posted on the door read, “Safe Driving for Seniors.” In many states, the term seniors could apply to high school seniors, but not in Florida. The attendees in this room were all past retirement age and had one thing in common besides age — they had all received a ticket for unsafe driving. The instructor was in his early twenties and displayed the confidence of youth. He was given this assignment because no one more senior than him wanted to do it.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humans
Earthbound
In late Spring of 1997, I was assigned a 3-day local tour of the Washington metro area. This job was perfect because first, I was very familiar with the locale, and second; I could go home each night instead of staying in a hotel. The only downside was the location of the pickup hotel, Georgetown. If any of you have ever visited this part of Washington, you’ll understand why no driver enjoys navigating a 45-foot bus through its narrow streets and gnarled traffic. Sometimes one has to take the bad with the good.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Interview
A Good Deed
It was well after midnight; it was snowing, and my flight was the last to arrive. By the time my luggage came to me, delivered on a clunking conveyor belt, there were only five passengers left in this wannabe airport. To add insult to injury, I had to schlep my bag with the freshly damaged wheel through the snow from the terminal to the rental car center on the opposite side of the parking lot because the shuttle service had stopped for the night. At real airports, shuttles ran until the last flight arrived, but not here in Hicksville.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Fiction
Angie’s Cave
Peter was born in the mountains of rural Virginia, where he spent his childhood days exploring the tree-covered hills and grassy valleys surrounding his home. As he reached his pre-teen years, he became fascinated with the multitude of caves tucked away all around the area. Peter’s parents supported his newfound interest, placing only one restriction on his explorations. He must never, under any circumstance, enter Angie’s Cave.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Horror
Continuum
We have brought you, the members of Earth’s Ruling Council, here to tell you the truth about the origin of your species. We hope you will help us in a struggle that will involve your race soon. Humanity is not what you perceive it to be, as you will come to appreciate.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Fiction
Cloud Walker
Some people call me a cloud walker, and from a layperson’s perspective, that makes perfect sense. People will look out an airplane window and see me, or others like me, bounding from cloud to cloud like a water bug dancing from lily pad to lily pad. What the casual observer cannot see is that I never make contact with the clouds or anything else. People like me have the unique ability to solve extremely complex equations in our heads at such a rate that we can negate the effects of gravity by locating where the gaps in the gravitational field are occurring. Cloud walking isn’t my unique talent, though. My specialty is the ability to cancel other people’s cloud walking ability.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Fiction
Our Family Photograph
Believe it or not, I remember posing for this picture all those years ago. I suppose the day stuck in my mind because we never wore our Sunday clothes unless there was a special event happening. Of course, back then, anything that didn’t involve chores could be considered a special event as far as I was concerned.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Families
A New World
The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. He was happy to share the special view with his sister, especially during the hard days that made her cry. This view, in particular, always brightened her soul.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Futurism
4001 A.D.
“Papa, come see what we found! You have to see this right now,” said Ben with every ounce of excitement his seven-year-old voice could project. Jack was replacing the missing thatch on the roof of his adobe two-room home, and really didn’t want to climb down, but he’d never seen his youngest son so excited. Last night’s wind and rain storm had done extensive damage to his house and barn, but he knew he would get no peace until he looked at this wondrous discovery.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Futurism
Men vs Socks
Last week, a group of people gathered in the hotel lobby where I work. They were waiting for their ride to a company Christmas party. The women were dressed in elaborate evening wear, covering just enough of their bodies to stay legal, but not enough to hide much else. The men wore the usual suit or sports coat and slacks. Some had ties, while others sported open-shirt collars. What many of the men were not wearing were socks.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Styled
Distortion
Wayland strode purposefully along the nearly deserted city street. The lack of fellow pedestrians worked to his advantage and disadvantage. He should be able to spot a tail sent by the opposition, but there was no crowd to blend into should he need to duck out of sight. In his line of work, every plus came with at least one and usually multiple negatives. The game, as Wayland liked to call it, generated an adrenalin rush he found intoxicating.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Fiction
Da Funk
Humans stink. If you have to spend time in an enclosed area with people who haven’t washed for four or five days in a row, you can confirm this statement for yourself. Maybe that’s why most other animals have a keener sense of smell than we do. They know where coming long before we reach their location because of our unpleasant odor. Hence the reason soap was invented. Also, soap is the reason Jason became the richest man on the planet.
By Mark Gagnon3 years ago in Humans
