– excerpt from speculative fiction published in Overland, “False Documents” issue, 2018

 

SUMMARY REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE BY THE PROCUREMENT
GROUP OF THE LOST VOICES OF FRESH KILLS LANDFILL AUTHORIZATION
ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2082

APPEAL FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO CONTINUE MANUSCRIPT
ACQUISITION

Example F:

TIME FLIES, MONEY GOES FAST

– 9 marbleized covered notebooks taped together in packs of three (numbered 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18), total number unknown, dated by month 1983 to 1985, a story about the life of a New York City taxi driver on and off the job

Note: These notebooks are all dialogue; conversations between drivers and their fares, and among themselves and others. There is no description.

Excerpt:

“That day I made $450.”

“Every day you make that much?”

“No, just that day. When I made $450.”

“I got to get me a cab license.”

“And I should have made $249 more.”

“You made $450 and someone beat you out of $249.”

“$249 more. It was that much more to Washington. I didn’t know it.”

“You went all the way down to Washington?”

“Yep. $749 round trip to Washington. That’s by the book, but I didn’t have it on me at the time so I didn’t know.”

“You told me you made $450.”

“That day I did.”

“And the trip to Washington was $749.”

“That’s right, by the book. But I didn’t have it on me.”

“It don’t add up. $450 and $249 ain’t $749.”

“I made $500 that day.”

“You said you made $450?”

“He’s got so many lives he don’t even remember what he told us two minutes ago. Yesterday he said he was taking college classes.”

“Yesterday I was taking college classes.”

“Just yesterday or today too?”

“Just yesterday. I don’t take them every day.”