Free Short Story by Andy Zach

Here’s a new thing for my blog readers: a never before published free short story by Andy Zach, also known as me, myself, and I.

What is the Free Short Story Named?

With no further ado, I reveal to you, my free short story entitled:

The Resurrection Bureau

I just turned three hundred, when I found out the day I was going to die.  Taking immediate action, I got my personal history chip and jumped into my flyer.  I flew to the closest teleportor, paid my fare, and then popped fifty thousand light years to the galactic core.

As always, the core system was jammed beyond belief. Millions of sentients comprising thousands of species crowded the multiple square kilometers of the teleport terminal. I wasted nearly five minutes in line to get to the correct conveyor path to the Bureau of Resurrection.

Compared to the crowded teleport terminal, the Bureau was quiet as a tomb. No more than a hundred sentients stood in front of me. I queued up behind them.

Break Point

To while away the time, I set my internal chronometer on using my tongue activated controls on the inside of my teeth. The first person took over a minute to process, startling me into near apoplexy.   And only four processing agents worked the queue.

Adjusting my telescopic vision, I studied the process from the end of the fifty meter line. The person handed their personal memory chip to the agent. The agent scanned it—and then wasted nearly thirty seconds talking to the person!

Disgusted, I watched other agents as well. They all had this unnecessary interaction. At this rate, I’d have to wait twenty five minutes! Sighing, I resigned myself to the waste of time. I had to get registered at the bureau and get my resurrection permit. I couldn’t live without it!

To calm myself, I thought fondly of my personal AI. We had bonded soon after I left the crèche and it was my closest companion.  While I was on this emergency trip, it managed my business and work. It wouldn’t be as inefficient as these clerks!

Abruptly, I noticed the internal conveyor had moved me halfway to the agents. Only had ten more minutes to wait. I was so excited, I nearly hyperventilated!

The Back Story of the Free Short Story

I hope you enjoyed my short story. I wrote it as an exercise for a fiction writing class. As a comic urban fantasy author, I found it delightfully ironic to take a fiction class after publishing Zombie Turkeys.

The Next Story

Tomorrow I’ll publish a second short story from this class, also based upon The Resurrection Bureau.