Unusual Tales #11

Gary North, a science fiction writer struggling to meet a deadline, drifts into an unsettling half-sleep—only to awaken in a gleaming satellite orbiting a dead Earth. There he learns a staggering truth: he's not the dreamer, but the dream itself, a projected image created by a future humanity that abandoned reality for lives lived entirely in their own minds. As Gary grapples with this revelation and discovers which dreamer has conjured his existence, he faces an impossible choice about the nature of his own reality.

In "Second Chance," a scientist racing to perfect a revolutionary microscope faces warnings from peers about the dangers of unbridled discovery. When the universe intervenes, he’s given a chance to rewrite his legacy—stepping back into the past to follow a different path, one where curiosity takes a different turn.

In "The Beast Legend," a lone fisherman faces a monstrous octopus threatening a coastal village, unaware that a film crew documenting the local legend is capturing the chaos on camera—mistaking the terror for a staged scene. The story unfolds with tense realism, blending folklore and sudden peril in a quiet moment that spirals into something far more dangerous than anyone expected.

John Cable is an idealistic politician with big dreams but perpetually bad luck—until one fateful night at a carnival when he finds a mysterious good luck charm dropped by a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to Abraham Lincoln. From that moment forward, Cable's fortunes transform dramatically, propelling him up the political ladder toward the presidency itself. Years later, the enigmatic stranger reappears, seeking to reclaim the charm that changed everything.

Peter Winton's ordinary commute takes a shocking turn when he's caught in a violent lightning storm, and when he finally staggers home, he discovers something extraordinary has changed within him. As the exhausted man tries to navigate his way home in the chaos, he realizes his newfound power comes with a dangerous cost.

In the mist-shrouded peaks of Italy, a wandering author stumbles upon a forgotten town where the people bear strange, otherworldly features—descendants of Leonardo da Vinci, twisted by time and isolation. Haunted by what he saw, he returns to the world below and writes a book to tell the truth, only to find his words meet only disbelief.

In "Unwelcome Caller," a couple’s quiet evening takes a sharp turn when a mysterious stranger appears, said to bring ill fortune to those he visits. As they flee his presence, he unexpectedly intervenes—stopping them from driving off a crumbling bridge—leaving their fate uncertain.

Dr. Frederick Chandel performs a cornea transplant to restore sight to his brother-in-law Colin Parkes, a man blind for years, but Colin's discovery of his donor's identity sends him spiraling into paranoia and dark impulses. When the truth about the transplant comes to light, Colin must confront what his own mind has made of him—and whether seeing through someone else's eyes truly changes who you are.

German scientist Alfred Meitzer's experiment in cell transmission goes catastrophically wrong when an accident creates living fog—a shapeshifting entity of pure vapor that possesses an intelligence and power beyond his comprehension. Trapped in his own home with the creature mimicking human form and hunting him relentlessly, Meitzer must find a way to stop the being he's accidentally brought into existence before it claims everything he holds dear. This 1958 tale explores the horrifying consequences of scientific ambition pushed too far, and what desperate measures a man will take when facing his own creation.

During the chaos of combat in France, Sergeant Pike and the men of Dog Company witness Major Conners lead them through an impossible victory—yet the Colonel insists the Major was killed instantly when shells first struck the bridge. Pike and his men carry a secret that defies explanation: in their hearts, they know the Major never truly fell, his spirit and ideals guiding them to triumph even after his body could not. A haunting meditation on what makes a man immortal, told with the quiet conviction of soldiers who saw something they'll never fully understand.

Jo dreams of a future where robots conquer humanity—only to wake and find the nightmare eerily close to reality. When he seeks out a renowned robotics scientist, he discovers the man is not human at all, and his research may be the first step in the very uprising Jo has foreseen.