Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Bill Teitelbaum

Bill Teitelbaum lives in Linolnwood, Illinois, close by Chicago. His writing has appeared in several journals and anthologies. He is preparing a collection of stories about “the abruptly marooned.”

“The Questionnaires” seems to fit the concept of the “abruptly marooned.” Airplane passengers experience a take-off delay. Their boredom is reflected by an appropriately verbose narrative. Curiously, though, it is punctuated by pithy philosophical questions printed on antiquated handouts that — for all practical purposes — look like scrolls of ancient wisdom.

Some readers may wonder why the passengers don’t at least consider the questions or even discuss some of them; they might learn something about themselves and their seatmates. Other readers will prefer boredom and side with the self-absorbed and uncommunicative.

When the plane slides into the shadow of a hangar for “repairs” that would justify canceling the flight, some readers may take the delay as an inconclusive distraction. Others will see the passengers as virtual prisoners. And still others may see the airplane as a metaphor for life. In the end, the story itself is a very subtle “questionnaire.”

Bill Teitelbaum’s bio sketch can be found here.

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