Virtualities: A Collection Of Virtual Reality Science Fiction Stories

Winterland (5850 words) After Bryce's daughter tells him she can't remember last summer, or any summer, he starts to notice discrepancies in the world of his cozy little town. How long has this winter lasted? And why does he feel so cold all the time? (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet, Feb. 2013.)
Vacation Violation (1050 words) Saul had a wonderful life for a twelve-year-old, with a loving family and a comfortable home, and summer vacation was coming, so why was he tormented by a recurring nightmare? (This dark science fiction short short story first appeared in Barbaric Yawp, volume 14, number 3, July 2010.)
Reality Check (1400 words) How can we tell what is real? We only know reality by what our senses tell us, but what if our senses are being manipulated or bypassed? Ted thought he had it figured, but he was wrong. Or was he? (A slightly different version of this story was first published in Barbaric Yawp, volume 12, number 13, July 2008.)
Capital Punishment (5100 words) Some crimes are truly despicable, but how much punishment is too much? Who is to judge? A story of unrelenting horror and cruelty. (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Cemetery Moon #11, Sept. 2014.)
Troubleshooter (2100 words) A science fiction ghost story. Abe Leonard didn't know how he came to be inhabiting his wife's computer but he adapted, though he could never think of her as a widow. He could watch her, but when he started interfering with the commands she entered she went for help. (This story first appeared in The Fifth Di... Sep. 2014.)
The Spirit Of The Game (4960 words) A Thanksgiving Day dinner with a dysfunctional family: the daughter, who has been away at University; the son that never grew up, who earns a living play-testing video games; the widowed mother, out of shape and out of touch; and, in spirit, the father, dead for thirty years, but it's not a happy reunion. (A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet Vol. 6 #2, Summer 2007.)
Levels (10,370 words) A science fiction novelette wherein Detective Frank and his rookie partner are confronted with a headless corpse in a locked motel room. When similar murders occur in other places it seems he will have to accept a supernatural aspect, but nothing is as it seems and he’s in for a wild trip that will take him places he never imagined. (This story originally appeared in Buzzy Mag.com, May 2012.)