Mark Gagnon
Bio
I have spent most of my life traveling the US and abroad. Now it's time to create what I hope are interesting fictional stories.
I have 2 books on Amazon, Mitigating Circumstances and Short Stories for Open Minds.
Stories (292/0)
The Great Debate
There have been many memorable debates since the beginning of humanity: Brutus v. Marc Antony, Lincoln v. Douglas, and Kennedy v. Nixon have all earned their place in history. None has been more contentious than the battle between Grandma Parker’s custard pie with a graham cracker crust and meringue topping versus newcomer Mildred O’Connor’s blueberry pie with a buttery pastry crust and lattice top.
By Mark Gagnon3 months ago in Fiction
Weapon II
https://vocal.media/chapters/weapon-d23ba09q6 Here is the link to part one of this story. I hope you enjoy it. The brain-renting sound stopped as suddenly as it had started. Dead birds and shattered dishes were the only physical evidence from the attack. People wandered about in a semiconscious daze clutching their heads and pounding their foreheads with clenched fists in a futile attempt to reduce the pain racking havoc in their brains. Out of an overabundance of caution, I had fitted a pair of noise-canceling hearing aids before leaving the embassy, which lessened but not eliminated, the sound's brain-scrambling effects. Unfortunately, Sergei and Li did not have the same protection.
By Mark Gagnon3 months ago in Chapters
Almost a Victim
During my time on Vocal. I’ve published several computer scam stories, Click on Accept, and Gone Phishing to name a couple, but I’ve never experienced what it felt like firsthand. That is no longer true. Today has been a very eventful day, to say the least. Like with most stories, the best place to start is at the beginning.
By Mark Gagnon3 months ago in 01
- Top Story - January 2024
The Problem with TraditionsTop Story - January 2024
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of tradition is The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice. A long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Journal
Great Story—Stupid Decision
Have you ever noticed how all the best stories ever written are based on some really stupid decisions? Why did Don Quixote think he was doing the right thing by charging a spinning windmill? Did Captain Ahab actually think he had a chance in a fight against a massive whale while riding on a wooden ship and using a metal tipped pole as a weapon? Everyone loves Alice in Wonderland, but seriously, she was clueless. What child whose brain is even partially functional would follow a talking rabbit into a dark hole in the ground?
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Writers
Weapon
Prolog The definition of sound can be “(a) Oscillation in pressure, stress, particle displacement, particle velocity, etc., propagated in a medium with internal forces (e.g., elastic or viscous), or the superposition of such propagated oscillation. (b) Auditory sensation evoked by the oscillation described in (a).”[4] Sound can be viewed as a wave motion in air or other elastic media. Here, sound is a stimulus. We can also view sound as an excitation of the hearing mechanism that results in the perception of sound. Sound, in this case, is a sensation.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Chapters
Transference
Everyone talks about the heart as though it’s more than a pump. My heart aches for you. I love you with all my heart. You broke my heart. Blah, blah, blah—the euphemisms go on forever, no matter how unrealistic they are. It’s the brain, not the heart, which controls emotions and everything else in the body, including the heart. So, when I learned I needed a heart transplant, I thought go for it.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Fiction
Woman Defiantly Pleads Not Guilty
Phoebe Oakley, a petite 44-year-old female, represented herself in court today. The charge was reckless endangerment with a handgun during a road rage incident. Ms. Oakley, (a.k.a. Anne) claimed her actions were well within reason, considering the circumstances.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Criminal
The Visitor
I’m an aviation enthusiast, so you might think that this assignment would please me. My job gives me access to a Gulfstream G350, one of the most prestigious private jets on the market, but you would be very wrong to think that. True, aircraft have fascinated me my entire life and I have even flown a couple, with an instructor’s help, but watching this plane line up for its final approach fills me with disgust. The loathing is not for the G550, but for the man it transports to my town for periodic visits.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Criminal
Odditorium
An unusual caravan of travelers slipped into town under the cover of night. It wasn’t until the next morning that the residents noticed a new encampment along the river bank which ran through the center of town. People were brimming with curiosity as they made their way to the campsite. Signs lined the pathway, depicting odd-looking creatures of all shapes and sizes. An enormous banner hanging between the two main tents welcomed one and all to the Odditorium.
By Mark Gagnon4 months ago in Criminal