Table of Contents
The man in the shadows calls his name.
Something hits him hard from behind. He hears two quick popssome part of his brain tells him it is gunfire, but it doesnt sound nearly as loud as hed imaginedand glass breaking. Yoko whips around, screaming.
Im shot, he gasps.
No, says a voice in his ear. Youre not. Not this time.
He realizes then that the thing that hit him was a man, another lurker who must have sprung out of the darkness and tackled him like an American footballer, right before the gunshots started. The pain and breathlessness arent from bullets in his chest, but because this big man is lying on top of him, covering him with his body. Protecting him. Who are you? he grunts.
A fan, says the voice in his ear. For forty years, ever since I was a boy. Its an honor to meet you, Mr. Lennon.
John has just enough time to think: that doesnt make sense. Im only forty. Then blue lightning flashes and his mouth floods with acid and his stomach drops ten miles into the earth and all of itthe Dakota, the madman with the gun, Yokoit all disappears.
from But Im Not the Only One by Chris Pearson
Also Available from DAW Books:
Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
The fifteen tales included here range from chilling to humorous, from fairy-tale settings to high-tech situations. What they share is originality and critters. From an ongoing conflict between chickens and killer bunnies, to a raccoon ready to defend its own at any cost... from a look at a true book wyrm to the adventures of ninja rats... from a Siamese cat in league with a super squirrel to a story about the white bull of Tarayoull find tales about both the creatures you see around you every day, and those you should hope never to meet. With stories from Jody Lynn Nye, Anton Strout, Fiona Patton, Nina Kiriki Hoffmann, Richard Lee Byers, P.R. Frost and others.
The Trouble With Heroes, edited by Denise Little
This anthology is all about the other side of heroism. From what its like to be Hercules wife, to the trials of H. P. Lovecrafts house-keeper, to the perils of being a giant apes girlfriend, to the downside of dating a shapeshifter, to getting too up close and personal with the Greek gods, here are the behind-the-scenes stories that give heroism some entirely new twists. So before you start daydreaming about days of old and knights so bold, take a look at what it could really mean to live out the fantasies in stories by author such as Jean Rabe, Nina Kiriki Hoffmann, Phaedra Weldon, Laura Resnick, Peter Orullian, Janna Silverstein, Kristine Katherine Rusch and others.
Spells of the City,edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg
Cities can be magical places to visit, with so many things to see and do. But what if there are true magic-workers and magical beings in the cities of our worldunder bridges, lurking in alleyways, hiding in subway tunnels, or perhaps living in the apartment next door? So venture now where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge... Harry the Book will be happy to place your bets in a spellbinding alternate New York... while a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when hes forced to live by his creators rules... and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold. And these are just a few of the denizens youll meet in a multitude of urban centers that have been touched by the fantastic, in stories by Timothy Zahn, Mike Resnick, C.J. Henderson, Linda P. Baker, Michael A. Stackpole, Brian M. Thomsen and more.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A Timely Introduction, copyright 2010 by Jean Rabe
The Authentic Touch, copyright 2010 by Word Fire, Inc.
Timeless Lisa, copyright 2010 by Robert E. Vardeman
Been a Long Time, copyright 2010 by Matthew P. Mayo
Unsolved Histories, copyright 2010 by Greg Cox
Limited Time Offer, copyright 2010 by Dean Leggett
The Shaman, copyright 2010 by Annie Jones
A Portrait of Time, copyright 2010 by Kelly Swails
But Im Not the Only One, copyright 2010 by Chris Pierson
Its Just a Matter of Time, copyright 2010 by James M. Ward
Time Sharing, copyright 2010 by Jody Lynn Nye
Two Tickets to Paradise, copyright 2010 by Vicki Steger
The World of Null- T, copyright 2010 by Gene DeWeese
Bruck in Time, copyright 2010 by Patrick McGilligan
Memories of Light and Sound, copyright 2010 by Steve Saus
A Night to Forget, copyright 2010 by C.A. Verstraete
A Passion for Time Travel, copyright 2010 by Donald J. Bingle
No Mans Land, copyright 2010 by Allister Timms
By Our Actions, copyright 2010 by Michael A. Stackpole
Spoilers, copyright 2010 by Linda P. Baker
A Timely Introduction
If it was truly possible to vacation in time, I would visit early America on the off chance Id meet Benjamin Franklin. I always thought it would be great to share a meal with him and talk about politics and electricity. Maybe fly a kite together. George Washington could join usIm still curious about the whole wooden teeth thing. And Id like to chat with Thomas Jefferson about his recommended authors. After all, Jefferson wrote one of my all-time favorite quotes: I cannot live without books.
So early America for me.
But just for one of my timely sojourns.
Then theres Rome in the time of CaesarI could spend a week or two there. I studied Latin in high school and have kept up with it enough that on a good day I just might be able to make it through a marketplace to sample the wines and wares. Ive no interest in watching whatever bloody act would be taking place in any arena.
Or maybe Id go back to see the very first football game ever. I am a football junkie. That would be a seriously delicious kick, especially if I could get a seat on the 50-yard line.
I think Id even give prehistoric Africa a try, just to see the dinosaurs. Real dinosaurs, not the skeletons on display in museums or the cinematic ones of Jurassic Park and the like.
Yeah, now that Im thinking about it, if I was going to take a vacation in time it would have to be for the dinosaurs.
Up close and personal with a stegosaurus first, then a meet-and-greet with Ben Franklin.
Fortunately for you, the authors in this collection went to all manner of interesting places not on my lista veritable whirlwind tour across the globe and through the centuries. They opened my eyes to some interesting possibilities.
Allister Timms took a risky vacation during World War I. Robert Vardeman went looking for a costly work of art, Jody Lynn Nye discovered a classic romance, and Vicki Steger found paradise. Greg Coxs traveler found danger, Chris Piersons found John Lennon, and Michael Stackpoles found Jesus.
Each vacation in this anthology will stir your imagination and make you think about your own possible Timeshares journey.
Where would you go?
Or, more precisely, when would you go?
Enjoy the trips Timeshares offers up in this collection.
Me? After reading all of the tales Im thinking paradise might not be so bad. Maybe I could take John Lennon and Leonardo da Vinci with me.
