Is it dishonest to have someone “pilot” your dates? In this work philosophical short story fiction, Simone works for Connect2, a dating service that allows “pilots” to be inside the mind, and control the body of, paying customers that are on dates. By piloting hosts to be the best versions of themselves, they are able to help their clients have successful dates that lead to long term relationships. However, things go wrong when Simone is piloting Alexis, a long-time client who ends up on a date with someone she knows in real life. Simone pilots Alexis through a sexual encounter with her friends, and gets fired from her Connect2.

What would be in the personalized room of your greatest terror? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Winston’s father suggest he read 1984 because he shares the same first name as the main character. Winston reads the book, and its themes of War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, and wonders what would be in his Room 101; the room that contains are greatest fear? Years later he is serving in the Middle East with a military contractor and find himself in a tense situation with a little girl, holding a baby with a bomb strapped to her chest, and realizes his greatest Room 101 fear has come true.

What if there are infinite possibilities, but not for you? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the billionaire Lathar Jackson visits Ethereon Flux to try out their groundbreaking technology, the ability to observe, and send paying customers to, better parallel universes of their lives. Every choice we make creates a parallel universe where that choice was made and, for the right amount of money, Ethereon Flux will allow you to see them, and move into the best one. However, when Lather is hooked up to the machines, they realize he isn’t generating parallel universes; in short, he isn’t exercising free will. He is not actually making choices! Ethereon Flux detains Lathar for study as the government has concerns that it might not be allowed to punish criminals that were deemed not to have exercised free will. After doing more and more absurd things in an attempt to unsuccessfully prove he has free will, he dies in the facility.

How does our mind make meaning of fragmented childhood memories? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator recounts his childhood association with foul-mouthed Dave, a “spaz” who was frequently sent to the “Spaz Box” by teachers. The narrator does a meta-analysis of his childhood memory of watching Dave get violently attacked by his older brother. He also does an analysis of his childhood memory of Dave saving (or was it pushing?) a little girl who broke her arms in a fall. Through a review of his childhood memories, the narrator attempts to piece together the truth, while also understanding that even his most vivid memories may be incorrect.

How should we treat the unhoused (zombies)? In this philosophical short story fiction, Chad is a new employee in the city parks department. On a rainy day, a park-goer reports a zombie has locked himself in the park restroom and refuses to leave. In this world, zombie’s do not eat brains or attack people, but carry a disease that causes them to continue thinking, speaking, and functioning, after death as their body slowly decays around them. The Court has said zombies have the right to urban camp at night in parks when there are insufficient shelters, but they are not permitted to stay in the parks during the day. As part of his duties, Chad heads to the bathroom and meets the zombie John Smith, who has locked himself in the stall. He is trying to stay out of the rain as rain causes his skin to decompose faster and, ultimately, will cause him to discontinue sooner. Despite the horrible smell of rotting flesh and grotesque deformities of decay, Chad speaks to John with empathy and John agrees to leave the stall and move on.

When is it okay to lie to your child? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, Peter is on the phone with his wife, who is at the veterinarian’s office with their dog, Bingo. Bingo has swollen a plastic object which is stuck in his stomach and may not pass. Their young son, Max, is frantic with concern about the family dog, however, the father is concerned about the almost $1,000 bill that will come with a potential surgery to remove the item. Peter leaves the final decision in his wife’s hands, but lies to her son and tells him they are going to do the procedure and that it will be quick and painless with a vacuum cleaner type object to pull the item out. Peter decides to stick to his lie and distract his son by offering him a soft drink as a treat.

How does our limited life span determine our choices and our view on the preciousness of life? How would these views change if we lived forever? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a traveling salesman sits at the bar after a long day drinking bourbon. He is approached and cleverly pitched a new product he has discovered on a distant rim planet, Life. The product stops the aging process. The first batch is free, and the salesman returns eight years later to get into the distribution business.