Deadline

In the first of these five intense short stories, "The Maransky Nature Blot Test," the character (or maybe the reader) endures a new kind of ink blot test.

In "The Curious Events Surrounding Thomas Pilsen," a man more than absorbed by his fantasies takes a cab to the airport. Along the way he becomes a mobster, and after he arrives he remembers an alien invasion, discovers a spaceport, and finds himself on the way to a mine on an alien planet.

In "Spider," Dorothy is brought into the hospital, the victim of an accident. While in the hospital bed with her head in a fixed position, she sees a spider that takes her back to a childhood regret. The rest is just payback.

In "Running with the Wolves," a post-apocalyptic tale, a character describes his life with the wolves. There are lessons here for humans, but not a lot of hope that they will listen.

And in the title story, a writer is late publishing his short story of the week. Or is he? Follow along as the deadline nears.