Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Lucky Sextet 1
    Lucky Sextet 1
    Lucky Sextet 1
    Ebook91 pages1 hour

    Lucky Sextet 1

    By Lesley L. Smith

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    For every good fortune, there's an equal and opposite misfortune. Quantum Computing expert Ella Hote and her friends battle the temptations and consequences of her luck machine in six short stories.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLesley L. Smith
    Release dateJun 3, 2022
    ISBN9781950198597
    Lucky Sextet 1
    Author

    Lesley L. Smith

    All right, I confess! I love physics. I blame my misspent youth reading science fiction by the likes of Asimov, Heinlein, and Clarke. Not surprisingly, I also love science fiction. I grew up in Missouri, in a family of overeducated overachievers. Following in their footsteps, I've earned far too many degrees including an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Elementary Particle Physics and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. Hmm? I may have a split personality. The evidence shows I've authored or co-authored many scientific articles, and am a longtime member of the American Physical Society. I'm also a founder and editor of the speculative fiction ezine http://www.electricspec.com and a longtime member of the Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers of America. Both sides of my personality live in Boulder, Colorado where I do physics by day and science fiction by night. Please visit me on the web at http://www.lesleylsmith.com.

    Read more from Lesley L. Smith

    Related to Lucky Sextet 1

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Growing Close

      Aug 25, 2020

      Growing Close
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Barn Door

      Aug 11, 2022

      As front doors go, it was imposing. Old and large, it was in keeping with the rest of the farmhouse. Failing to find a bell, I reached for the brass knocker. It was reluctant to move, but I got a couple of knocks out of it. I stepped back and waited.

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Soul On Sale

      Aug 10, 2022

      I was waiting for the call at the telephone booth. I’d been waiting for fourteen or seventeen minutes and finally, I decided to leave. It was pointless. I only had a 20-dollar bill on me and no coins for the slot. Hard rain was coming, some type of s

      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Ann Beattie

      Sep 15, 2017

      I’d started to visit Olivia more often because it was obvious she was lonely. The ALS lady who’d been moved to Hopkins had been Aunt Olivia’s closest friend, leaving aside Merton Hillstead, who actually went home. Even the friendly paperboy who somet

      23 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Do-Over Romance

      Aug 5, 2024

      A Do-Over Romance
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2022

      It was an unusual birthday. Colorful banners blanketed the backyard. Kids chased each other through the grass. Adults talked. It all went downhill from there. My little sister was turning five. On her birthday cake, painted in frosting, was a fat, pi

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere

      Dec 2, 2021

      The Girl I Knew Somewhere
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      It’s All In The Details

      Oct 25, 2019

      It’s All In The Details
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Juggler’s Wife

      Jun 9, 2020

      The situation in itself is not unique. There was a man who hated his job and wanted a new one. There was a man who was sick of his boring job and wanted an exciting job instead. This man was depressed, but he saw a way out. He thought this way out wa

      24 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Temporary Arrangement

      Oct 2, 2023

      A Temporary Arrangement
      19 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Puppy Love

      Mar 19, 2021

      Puppy Love
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Sound Of Crickets

      Jul 10, 2022

      The Sound Of Crickets
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      We Don't Talk About That Here

      Nov 4, 2021

      We Don't Talk About That Here
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Identity Crisis

      Feb 2, 2019

      Identity Crisis
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Bathroom

      Jun 10, 2024

      Content Disclosure: Sexual Innuendo The garage light flips on like a flashbulb, freezing me in a mug shot. “Del, you out here?” my wife says sleepily as she steps down the cement riser. She looks at me standing before the window; then her attention i

      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Why Do My Eyes Look Like Nipples?

      Aug 25, 2021

      Jem Clarke is in his very, very early fifties, is five foot zero inches tall and has never left the family home in Cleethorpes, which he still shares with his parents... ‘It’s a shame there’s not a nicer word for nipples,’ my Great-Aunt Jessie once t

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      After “The End”

      Oct 10, 2022

      I walked down the road with a hunched back and a wet cigarette in my mouth—the fire had died a while back. My hands were tucked into the pockets of my jacket, and my hair fell over my face, limiting my sight. But I wasn’t really seeing where I was go

      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Escaped Jaguar

      May 9, 2019

      The Escaped Jaguar
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Peeping DEBS

      May 3, 2023

      As it’s quiet,’ said Grace, my charity shop colleague, ‘may I pop to the bookshop to get some fuses?’ ‘Fuses? When did the bookshop start selling fuses?’ ‘They don’t sell them, silly. Lovely Chris has a spare box that he’s brought in for me. I’ve run

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      If The Hat Fits

      Aug 18, 2020

      If The Hat Fits
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Lol

      Dec 29, 2021

      Lol
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Just Passing

      Aug 17, 2020

      Zoe cracks the curtain in the bay window and watches as he bounces from one foot to another in the cold. Tap, tap, tap, he goes at the letterbox. But she shouldn’t even let him in. He’s trouble. He throws his arms out and shouts through the glass: “S

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      More Fool HER

      Feb 10, 2021

      More Fool HER
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Animal Angels

      Apr 25, 2019

      Animal Angels
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes

      Jul 26, 2022

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      LOVE Is The Word

      Jan 3, 2023

      LOVE Is The Word
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A moral DILEMMA

      Feb 14, 2024

      There was a woman acting suspiciously in the charity shop the other day. In fact, she could not have been acting more suspiciously if she’d put on a mask and a striped top, and come through the door with a large bag marked Swag. I was serving a coupl

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Lucky Sextet 1

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Lucky Sextet 1 - Lesley L. Smith

      LUCKY SEXTET 1

      Also by Lesley L. Smith

      Conservation of Luck

      Temporal Dreams

      Neutrino Warning

      Kat Cubed

      Reality Alternatives

      The Quantum Cop Series:

      Book 1: The Quantum Cop

      Book 2: Quantum Murder

      Book 3: Quantum Mayhem

      The Space Operetta Series

      Book 1: A Jack By Any Other Name

      Book 2: A Jack In The Dark

      Book 3: A Jack For All Seasons

      Lucky Sextet 1

      By Lesley L. Smith

      Quarky Media

      Boulder Colorado

      Lucky Sextet 1

      ISBN: 978-1-950198-59-7 (e-book)

      Copyright © 2022 Lesley L. Smith

      Published by Quarky Media, PO Box 3332, Boulder, CO 80307

      www.quarkymedia.com

      Lady Luck © 2018 Lesley L. Smith

      The Luck Of The Draw © 2019 Lesley L. Smith

      Lucky In Love © 2019 Lesley L. Smith

      Lucky New Year © 2020 Lesley L. Smith

      Lucky Equinox © 2021 Lesley L. Smith

      Lucky Halloween © 2021 Lesley L. Smith

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Making or distributing electronic copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement and could subject the infringer to criminal and civil liability.

      Table of Contents

      Lady Luck

      The Luck of the Draw

      Lucky In Love

      Lucky New Year

      Lucky Equinox

      Lucky Halloween

      Message from the Author

      Conservation of Luck Chapter One

      This was the first short story I wrote in the Conservation of Luck world. It takes place soon after the events of Conservation of Luck, so, Ella has discovered her power but is still figuring it out. As usual, her big heart gets her into a situation…

      Lady Luck

      On my way into the coffee shop, I tripped over the homeless woman. It was my fault; I was looking at texts on my phone instead of where I should be going.

      When I disentangled myself and met her eyes, she grinned and pointed at her hat on the sidewalk. She was sitting with her dog on a blanket right smack in front of KC Cafe. They both seemed pretty elderly, she with gray hair and he with white fur around his nose. They hadn't been there yesterday.

      Uh, sorry for tripping over you, I said. Are you new to the neighborhood? The Plaza was pretty fancy and snooty--I was guessing they wouldn't be here long. They'd get run off by the police.

      Yep. She nodded.

      What's your dog's name? I asked. He's cute. Border Collie?

      Yep. Lucky, she said. But he's hurt. She made a gesture, and he stood up on three legs, holding the fourth up like it was injured.

      I frowned. That was sad.

      We can't afford to go to the vet.

      I couldn't read her. Was Lucky really hurt? Or had she trained him to stand on three legs so they could get more money? I stared at Lucky. He was very cute in any case.

      I'm a retired English teacher, Geraldine, she said.

      Hi. I'm Ella. Are you homeless? I asked. Don't you teachers get some kind of pension? And what about social security?

      She chuckled mirthlessly. Stolen and gutted. Don't you follow the news?

      No. I had two jobs, so I was too busy for such things. Uh, yeah, sure. Of course.

      Well, apparently, not closely enough. What can I say? She held out her hands, palms up. Lady luck's a bitch. She pointed at her hat again. Pointedly.

      I looked down at the ten-dollar bill clutched in my hand--my entire food budget for today. But I had basically fallen on her.

      And Lucky might be injured. I did not like to think about a dog being so poor he had to stay in pain, possibly lame. It was depressing.

      I dropped my ten in the hat.

      God bless, Ella.

      Same to you, Geraldine. I turned and marched next door into Qubyte, Inc. One of my jobs was a quantum computer developer. Yes, you'd think I'd get a good salary for that, but I'd just graduated a couple of months ago with my Master's degree, and Qubyte Inc. had a very complicated pay and promotion structure. Entry-level didn't pay great, and I hadn't been there long enough to get a raise yet.

      The administrative assistant sitting at the big desk in the lobby said, Hey, Ella.

      Hey, Avery, I said, walking past her.

      Did you see that old bum outside KC Cafe? she said. With a dog? She's probably a drunk. Or a drug addict. I have half a mind to call the police.

      I stopped. The last thing Geraldine needed was the police hassling her and Lucky. Please don't call the police. She seems nice, and I think her dog is injured.

      You talked to her?

      It was kind of an accident, I said. She's a retired English teacher.

      Avery looked horrified. Jeez. I wonder what happened to her?

      I shrugged. She said Lady Luck was a bitch, I said. Bye, Avery. I gave her a little wave and headed back to my lab.

      I knew Lady Luck wasn't a bitch. I knew she could be persuaded to do what I wanted. I'd built a quantum computer that could control luck. Sort of. The user of my q-computer had good luck, but it was at the expense of the luck of the people around him or her.

      I actually used my q-computer once to cure a young woman of cancer, but basically, it took thousands of people getting bad

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1