Author
Philip Apps
You Always Have to Ask
"So Bill," she said, and leaned in close so I could hear her over the noise of the bar, "How about we get out of here?" I felt her hand on my shoulder and I was thinking about it, when Doug came by. I'd seen Doug around in the neighborhood, and we'd chatted a bit--nice guy,…
Homework
"Daddy?" "Yes, Maggie?" "What's the difference between an android and a robot?" Maggie was eight years old, with hair in tight black curls and an inquisitive mind. It was often a struggle to keep up with her. "A homework question?" he asked. "Yes," she said. "Science class."…
The Two Elizabeths
"So, what are you reading these days?" he asked, as we sat down for lunch under the portrait of Henry XVIII. It was an easy question, but I paused a little to think. It was always best to think when you were meeting with Guillermo Smith-Rodriguez--head of the department and my…
The Converse
"What do you think happens to people in a dream when the dreamer wakes up?" she asked. He thought about the question, and looked at her. She was pale and slender, with long black hair, dark eyes, and an accent he could not quite place. They were sitting in a favorite cafe of…
The No-Sick Box
"Daddy?" "Yes, baby girl." "What's a no-sick box?" Professor David Anderson broke away from his reading to look at his daughter, Margaret. "Where did you read that, Maggie?" "It was in the paper. See?" She handed him a copy of the Sunday New York Times magazine he had given her…