john a frochio

It all began when I reached out to fix a flaw in the mirror. “Hey, Sid,” said my reflection. I leaped back. “What do you think you’re doing?” “I was trying to fix something on your shirt.” “It’s on your shirt, you idiot. I’m just a reflection.” “Oh.” I looked down. “Of course. I wasn’t...

The eye never has enough of seeing. Ecclesiastes 1:8 Megan’s mind wasn’t focusing. What was wrong with her? She was crossing a busy intersection. The WALK light flashed like a beacon of warning. She had only so much time before the light would change. Keep moving. Focus. Work was getting...

He hung in space like an antique mirror ball, frozen in a confident stance, glimmering as though dusted with a child’s glitter. A crowd gathered in front of the floating man. The little girl with blond curls named Anna went as close as she could to the floating man and stared at him for a long...

This is the story of an elf named Rob. He used to be a happy elf, enjoying his important duties as an elf patiently sitting on a shelf and overseeing the children so the naughty ones could be either weeded out or reformed. He used to feel like he was making a difference. Not anymore. Each day he...

On the evening it began, the Internet was acting strangely. Backgrounds were darker. Icons jittered nervously. Response was slow, like a plodding zombie. Judy could barely read the latest inspirational and politically charged memes from her Facebook “friends.” Feeling out of touch with the...

“It?” “Yep! That’s what I call it,” said the disheveled old man who sat cross-legged on the cement floor rocking back and forth. “Don’t know what it is. Don’t know what to do about it. Just puttin’ up with it.” The new IT support tech, Barry Monroe, scrawny in a Megadeth T-shirt, jeans and...

A Martian Christmas, With Ghosts by John Frochio They saw the water carriers again. Against the Martian reddish desert sand and rocks, the mirage was hazy. The illusion was of several human-like figures marching solemnly across the sands, each bearing two large urn-shaped containers full of...

An Aberration of Apparitions by John Frochio “This ain’t gonna be your usual Disney-type attraction,” explained Charles, self-appointed leader of the motley group. “It’ll be better!” said Arielle, dark-haired, skinny, wide-eyed. “The latest in 3D imprint AI technology,” said Brady, a wiry and...