In Pursuit of the Sun and Other Short Stories

By Stephen Britt Lockamy

"In Pursuit of the Sun" is an introspective romantic comedy that explores addiction, growth, and the comically neurotic depths one can reach on their path to finding love and acceptance. The opening story spends the weekend with Alvy, an aging New York comic and recovering alcoholic, who has an unspoken connection with a stranger on the street on his way to an AA meeting. Alvy soon learns that the mystery woman has been hired as a host at his radio station, and he must prepare for their impending introduction, and his own potential re-immersion into the dating world.

"Honey, the Country Singer" is the comedic tale of a man who befriends Honey, a real-life cowboy, but thanks to a hilarious misunderstanding regarding his name, the man discovers this old country singer wants to be more than just friends.

"Blue Bungalow" follows Sam—the only cat in the alley with an allergy to humans—as he works up the nerve to introduce himself to the old lady who lives in the blue bungalow on the hill. The courageous Sam hopes the lady might finally be able to give him the love he deserves—from a distance.

"Ferrucio and Fermi" is a loose adaptation of the Greek creation myth, "Ages of Man." Ferrucio's father, Fermi, has dinner with his son, who has recently been released from prison. Fermi scolds Ferrucio when he serves himself a second helping. Fermi tells Ferrucio of their heritage, encouraging his son to turn his life around, and Ferrucio must choose to learn from the mistakes of his ancestors if he wants to live a virtuous life.

"An Excerpt of The Critical Mind" is an introduction to a psychological thriller that focuses on consciousness and control. Following the attempted suicide of his wife, Elijah Mosely’s intuition leads him on an investigative journey, desperate to prove to police that his wife, and potentially many others on the island, are under the hypnotic control of the sinister psychologist, Dr. Marcus Rydell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Britt Lockamy
• Release date: Nov 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005560126

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In Pursuit of the Sun and Other Short Stories

Stephen Britt Lockamy

Copyright © Stephen Britt Lockamy, 2021

All Rights Reserved

Published 2021 by Smashwords

First Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Information

Dedication

Table of Contents

In Pursuit of the Sun

Honey, the Country Singer

Blue Bungalow

Ferrucio and Fermi

An Excerpt from The Critical Mind

About the Author

In Pursuit of the Sun

We were sheltered by the scaffolding along East 58th when I first saw her. She was sunlight beaming ahead of me in a sea of bobbing black umbrellas. Over her shoulder, she twirled her own that was the blue of a sky it wouldn’t see. The contrast had caught my attention, but it was her eyes that held it.

When the horn of a frustrated taxi had swiveled her on her heels in the center of Second Avenue, it was me she had seen on the corner as it passed. For a moment, it was only the two of us in the whole of New York. Myself, dripping with disease, and her, beaming beneath her own blue sky, bathing me in pools of the deepest emerald. There was a lostness about them—a commonality. I’ll remember to tell her this: How, when I stepped forward to speak, there was a roar of rolling steel and rubber that rushed between us like the crashing of a wave, and of the sickness I felt when the crowd had drowned her on the other side.

I scurried through a maze of traffic, cursing the truck’s interference as I splashed up the sidewalk. Is this stalking? I’ve never stalked before. There was a connection—I swear it—of which I’d typically avoid with the repulsion of a magnet, but our poles had aligned in the gaze. I felt something—but I