All That Remains – Michael Gardner

Podcast / Science fiction / Story   Leave a comment

The boy doesn’t have a name, but Father calls him Progeny. He was born underground, and grew up in near darkness. In the tunnels. Walking the spaces between compact earthen walls, buttressed intermittently with wooden beams, glow worms the only luminescence. His eyes are good. He sees shapes where Father sees shadows. He sees shadows where Father sees nothing. He walks now, very quietly. Now is the quiet time. It is a rule. He hunches …

An additional question for Michael Gardner

Q: Can beautiful things be funny?

A: I think funny moments can be beautiful, so beautiful things must be funny.

As an example, I was trying not to laugh at my daughter the other day who was doing her best to avoid going to bed. I failed in my attempt to be stern, and ended up laughing at her antics, which made her laugh in return. I was wondering where she got her cheeky sense of humour. And in that moment, I realised she was growing up in front of me, becoming her own, unique person. I couldn’t help but think that sharing such a moment in her life was beautiful. As well as being funny.

Michael Gardner’s story “All That Remains”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 21 August 2020.
Subscribe now for e-mail updates!

Further about Michael Gardner

Michael Gardner is an economist by day, a writer of fantasy and horror by night. He lives in Canberra, Australia, with his patient wife and two wonderful kids. The experience of fatherhood continues to find its way into his stories. His work has appeared in Writers of the Future Volume 36, Aurealis, and of course, Metaphorosis. He is also a two-time finalist for the Aurealis Awards. You can find out more about Michael and his work at www.michael-s-gardner.com.

Michael Gardner’s story “All That Remains”
in Metaphorosis Friday, 21 August 2020.
Subscribe now for e-mail updates!

It came from Michael Gardner (yet again)

Authors / Origin   Leave a comment

Michael Gardner’s story “Nana Naoko’s Garden” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 12 October 2018. My own Nana is a fantastic gardener. The garden she had when I was a kid was amazing. A huge, sprawling garden filled with trees, shrubs, flowers and neatly manicured lawns. It had so many elements that seemed magical, including a fernery along the back of her house, a small bridge and goldfish pond, vegetable patches that my Papa tended …

Nana Naoko’s Garden – Michael Gardner

Fantasy / Story   Leave a comment

I pushed the little girl on the rope swing, guessing she couldn’t be more than seven, knowing she was my mother. The swing groaned as it arced forward, then back, the rope twisting against the bough of the mulberry tree. We were on the periphery of a country garden that surrounded a large, off-white homestead. Beyond the house were barren paddocks — dry grass, sheep, the odd gum tree. I knew this place from Nana …