Showing results by author "Bob Bello" in All Categories

EPISODE 31: In 2018, a young South Korean receives an express package he never ordered. It contains a female mannequin with a set of dresses, ready for a clothing store display. Assuming this is a birthday prank by his colleagues, he accepts the gift, yet his buddies at work don’t even know when his birthday is. The question is, who sent it and why? (Standalone version) Available also in print, illustrated by the author. The eBook is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

SYNOPSIS: In 2140, a 13-year-old space cadet searches for her unknown father on Mars. When she finds out that he is a grumpy old widower, she tries to befriend him. The plan is to make him marry her single mom, yet it turns out he had never met her. As if that is not enough for a grand mess, the man doesn’t want to hear about other women because he’s still in love with his late wife. However, that must change. (This standalone story is available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.5, illustrated by the author.)

EPISODE 6: In 2038, a New York student of cybernetics falls in love with a Russian girl, who works at the public library. She had just won the Green Card Lottery, sold everything to move, and now is secretly homeless. He asks her to be his valentine and offers her a place to live. However, trouble soon strikes, and now they must flee to the ends of the world. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.1, illustrated by the author.

EPISODES 145 & 146: In 1922, a young Algerian wants to travel the world and explore its wonders before history changes everything in the postwar era. His family’s wealth and prestige aren’t enough for him. Little does he know that destiny would bestow upon him a kind of happiness that only a chosen few can handle. (PG-13)

SYNOPSIS: In 2185, a human starship on a terraforming mission in the Orion Nebula suffers an unpredictable disaster. Crash-landing on a partly habitable alien planet, the crew realizes they would need more than mere extraterrestrial diplomacy to survive.(This standalone story is available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.6, illustrated by the author.)

EPISODE 5: In 1943, a mysterious woman visits a Creole teen with a proposition that will change both their lives to an extent only one of them comprehends in full. Whether the visitor is a US Navy Intelligence officer or a German spy, the teen agrees to help her carry out the undercover mission of their lifetime. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.1, illustrated by the author.

In 2176, a Chief Scout of the Kartu Space Forces falls in love with a local widow, who is left behind with her son during the evacuation of their planet. After the invaders mine her world for rare ‘fuel ore,’ they leave on to the next one. When her people return from self-exile, they arrest her for aiding the enemy and betraying her own race. Now only a miracle can save her from the death penalty. Also available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 15, illustrated by the author.

EPISODE 29: In 2016, a coma patient wakes up to a life he can neither recognize nor easily relate to. Not even his wife can adjust to this new reality they are stuck in. Seeking a fresh start, he moves alone to Canada, where destiny surprises him with something he had never imagined even in his wildest dreams. (Standalone version.) Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.3, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

EPISODE 32: In 8377, King Iktur of Etua annexes planet Xenelo to avenge the assassination of his father, and pronounces himself Emperor of the Triad Galaxy. Known for his cold heart, he suddenly falls in love with a poor girl who sings at the market. He offers her the crown, but she refuses to marry him, so he swears he will do anything for her love. Anything. (Standalone version.) Available also in print, illustrated by the author. The eBook is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

In 2048, a Japanese college student meets a Russian girl on a dating website. Ira is only seventeen, so he sails with his amphibian minivan to meet her on the Island of Sakhalin. On their first date, a meteor explodes in the atmosphere, poisoning the air within minutes. Their only option is to dive with his vessel, but how long can they survive underwater? Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, illustrated by the author.

In 1926, a young Scotsman meets an Irish girl, who mysteriously appears in his backyard like sleepwalking. She claims to be from another time, presuming this is some Dreamworld. A few days later, she appears again, but this time older, and then once again, already a teen, aging in a matter of a month. He falls in love, they marry, and she bears him four sons, three of whom die at war, and then she disappears again, only to deepen the unsolved mystery.

SYNOPSIS: In 1993, a young Italian dramatist and his wife arrive at an island resort, where they meet an old Impressionist and his granddaughter. Surprisingly, the teenage girl looks like the author’s first fiancée, who has been missing since 1982. The same night, the artist and the girl disappear, as if only to create a much greater mystery that cannot remain unsolved forever. (This standalone story is available in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol. 5, illustrated by the author.)

EPISODE 35: In 2000, a 17-year-old Texan girl runs away from her grandparents to join a steampunk band in England, having no idea what the future has in store. Her big plans are to make a new destiny for herself, but can anyone cheat fate? (Standalone version.) Available also in print, as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.4, illustrated by the author. The eBook is not illustrated to save on file size (1mb vs. 300mb).

SYNOPSIS: In 2019, a small boat of Syrian refugees arrives at the coast of Cyprus with wounded passengers on board. Taken to an emergency rescue camp, among them is a young man who begs one of the female doctors to save him from his coming persecutors. She sneaks him out of the camp at night, only to witness something that had never crossed her mind. (Standalone version.)

SYNOPSIS: In 2100, an Italian astronaut arrives at a classified star system to test the livability conditions of an earthlike planet. His private space agency is determined that humanity will eventually need a new home. The voyage is 25 light-years one way, but to him, it feels only like one night of sleep in stasis of suspended animation. The mission is a great success and now he is ready to return and bring in the first colonists as part of Noah’s Ark Project. (2016)

SYNOPSIS: In 2012, an inventor discovers that time travel is possible, but only mentally and only within the duration of one’s life. However, when a user of his device accidentally oversteps the ‘death boundary,’ the military takes over, turning it into a reconnaissance machine. Evidently, knowing the future poses more than just a threat to national security. Available also in print as part of the STARCALL Anthology, Vol.2, illustrated by the author. The eBook version is not illustrated to save on file size (1 MB vs. 300mb).