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    The Shipwrecked Mermaid
    The Shipwrecked Mermaid
    The Shipwrecked Mermaid
    Ebook78 pages1 hour

    The Shipwrecked Mermaid

    By Blaze Ward

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The tsunami rang the planet like a bell. Seattle still stood. The rest of the Pacific Northwest, however…
    Rick Pine cooks in a prison work camp during the cleanup and dreams of opening his own bistro when he gets out.

    He discovers that allies and those who can help his dreams come from the most unlikely of places.

    For those who like their science fiction with a twist, as well as the chance to explore the expanded universe of The Collective, pick up The Shipwrecked Mermaid!

    Be sure to read the novel "Imposters", inspired by this short story.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKnotted Road Press
    Release dateJun 5, 2015
    ISBN9781513039268
    The Shipwrecked Mermaid
    Author

    Blaze Ward

    Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the Alexandria Station universe (Jessica Keller, The Science Officer,  The Story Road, etc.) as well as several other science fiction universes, such as Star Dragon, the Dominion, and more. He also writes odd bits of high fantasy with swords and orcs. In addition, he is the Editor and Publisher of Boundary Shock Quarterly Magazine. You can find out more at his website www.blazeward.com, as well as Facebook, Goodreads, and other places. Blaze's works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors. His newsletter comes out regularly, and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans, and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!

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      Book preview

      The Shipwrecked Mermaid - Blaze Ward

      The Shipwrecked Mermaid

      The Shipwrecked Mermaid

      Blaze Ward

      Knotted Road Press

      Contents

      The Shipwrecked Mermaid

      Bonus Material!

      Prologue - Imposters

      Chapter 1 - Imposters

      About the Author

      Also by Blaze Ward

      About Knotted Road Press

      The Shipwrecked Mermaid

      It hadn’t been The Big One,

      thank

      God

      .

      Sure, the planet had rung like a bell. And the tsunami it spawned had been bad, but Seattle still stood. The old timers said that the ’64 quake had done way more damage, up and down the coast.

      Up here near Burlington, the wave had only been five to ten feet tall at most in places. Deaths had been in the hundreds, not hundreds of thousands. Well, for humans. The transportation infrastructure was seriously screwed up. Beef costs were going to go through the roof. Gonna be working with pork recipes for a while.

      Rick looked down at the little pond before him and took a drag on his cigarette. This was the last one in the pack, so he was dedicated to enjoying every last puff until it was gone. He only got a break from the kitchen when the recovery crews disappeared back out onto the line, until the next crew needed to be fed. He was going to enjoy this smoke,

      damn

      it

      .

      It would be full dark soon. Recovery efforts would drop to nothing. The field kitchen would go insane for about three hours, and then everyone would go to sleep.

      He looked back beyond the kitchen tent, across the parking lot, at all the tents set up and waiting for inhabitants. Several fire pits had been dug on the far side of the space, away from his kitchen. After dinner, there will be a little stretch of time with people hanging out, relaxing, winding down. It was almost like a really big camping trip with the guys, except he was the only

      serious

      cook

      .

      Rick figured he’d get about four hours of sleep tonight before he needed to crawl out of his bag and start prepping for breakfast.

      When he got out of prison, he was never, ever, cooking oatmeal, ever again.

      No

      ,

      sir

      .

      Breakfast would be eggs and potatoes, with sausages and bacon and gravy and a biscuit. Maybe a salad instead of the starch. Something good. Something memorable. A reason to get out of bed. Followed by a jolt of the darkest, bitterest coffee available. Shock them fully awake and toss them out the door. Get ready for the

      lunch

      menu

      .

      Rick’s cigarette finally burned down to nothing. He pinched it out to make sure and stood up. Back

      to

      work

      .

      Hey, jailbird, the voice came from behind him, "ready for the

      dinner

      rush

      ?"

      Rick turned and stared up at the man who had snuck up on him. Such as it is, Harcourt, he replied quietly, "such as

      it

      is

      ."

      Deputy Sgt. Gustav Harcourt smiled down at him. Rick was a big guy at six-foot-one. Kinda skinny, but in good shape. Harcourt was a giant. Six feet, seven inches. Two hundred and seventy pounds of former college defensive tackle who kept himself in good shape. Yoga and running, when all his friends lifted weights and pummeled the machines. Coal black skin, with perfect teeth, a nearly-invisible Cheshire Cat in the gloom.

      And what do you have planned for dinner, this fine autumn evening? Harcourt held a canvas bag in one hand, the kind you took to the grocery store, since they charged you now for disposable ones. The future was getting weird.

      Rick shrugged and brushed sand and leaves off his butt. Macaroni and cheese, dirtied Irish-style with chopped bacon, he said as he started back

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