the map-colourer and the travelling salesman

The map-colourer's new client wanted a map in which the same colour was not to be used for any two adjacent regions sharing a common border. The map colourer's problem was that he only had four colours, and he didn't want to start colouring in and then find he needed more colours to satisfy the client's request. So he called the travelling salesman who was the only source of coloured pencils in

the time is right

When the time is right, the People will see the truth and deny the lies and the deception. When the time is right, the People will no longer tolerate the greed and gluttony and destruction. When the time is right, the People will break the chains binding them to death and madness. The People will throw off their shackles; they will rise up and shout in one bold voice, “no more!” And then we’ll

they never learn

In the last desperate years of a dying civilization, a child was born. Well, actually quite a few children were born, rather a lot in fact, and that was the problem. Too many people, not enough leadership. Too much advertising, not enough truth. In the end, the inevitable could not be staved off: a fact about which the planet herself was pretty relieved. The demise of that particular species had

a man named Manny

A man named Manny lived in a Manhattan mansion manifestly too large for one man. Somehow Manny managed to maintain the mansion with its manicured lawns in an appropriate manner. But Manny worked in a low-paid manufacturing job and the mandatory mortgage repayments were like a manacle around his neck. One day, muttering a maniacal mantra, Manny grabbed his keys from the mantelpiece, got in his car

le Club Nosferatu

It was 3:00 am and they were hungry. Where could they go in the City to feed? There were hardly any people out and about and all the restaurants and take-away joints were closed. So after some debate they decided to go clubbing instead. When they got there the music was pounding loud enough to burst the eardrums of a beggar sleeping in the alley out back. He clutched his skull and wailed

the thing of fortunes

"You know what they say about fortunes? They come true in strange and bitter ways... in unexpected, unpredictable ways... particularly if you seek to tell them or know them... And most especially the thing of fortunes is..." © Copyright S R Schwarz 2007. All rights reserved.home (refresh screen)

sorry doesn't help

Kevin was scared. And worried. And confused. He hadn't meant to go so far, and now he was lost, and dad was going to be angry. Kevin didn't want to go back into the dark room under the stairs, and dad was going to say "warned you and warned you" and mum was going to say "he didn't mean it" and dad was going to say "for his own good" and mum was going to say "he doesn't understand" and dad was