Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Alexandru Ioan Despina

Alexandru is a native of Ploiesti, Romania and has a double major in Geography and English at the University of Bucharest. He has since traveled extensively and published more than twenty short stories, eight of which have won prizes or other distinctions. He writes a monthly column in two Romanian science fiction magazines.

“Beyond Lethe” is an account by one Howard Philips of his curiously repetitious life. Every day seems to resemble exactly the day before, no matter what Howard can do to change things. He finally sneaks a peek at a neighbor’s painting and sees in it the image of a machine he doesn’t remember...

Does the story overstep Bewildering Stories’ guideline about plots that end “But it was all a dream”? Possibly, but Lethe is the river of the afterlife, and it carries the waters of forgetfulness.

Alexandru Ioan Despina’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Alexandru. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!