Category: Fiction

Mike Williams series: A courtroom drama in space

Mike Williams had seen a lot of TV in his life. As a kid, he would often join his friends at Sesame Street in the afternoon. In his teens, he had watched an unimaginable amount of courtroom dramas. He was fascinated by the charisma and eloquence of the lawyers. How the right speech could turn the jury and win the case. The fierce lawyers never seemed to have problems with wet palms.

At the door to the council, Mike and Morgan Freeman met up with Carl. Carl the lion, Mike thought and then, I wonder if that would be offensive to him? It probably would. I should note not to call him that.
‘You seem prepared, Mike Williams,’ Carl greeted him.
‘Not at all.’
Carl looked like he didn’t know how to respond to that answer. But at least his whiskers didn’t curl. Instead, he turned to Morgan Freeman.
‘Ready to defend the lawbreakers, Lay’tek?’
‘You make us sound like criminals!’ Mike interrupted.
‘But you are?’ Carl sounded confused.
‘What kind of law? Alien law? How does that apply to us?’
Morgan Freeman cut them off.
‘Save it for the hearing, Mike, you’re going to need it.’
Somehow he made it sound reassuring and not condescending. Must be the Morgan Freeman look, Mike decided. Damn well chosen.

Continue reading “Chapter 5: Not like a TV-show” →

Mike Williams series: A courtroom drama in space

Mike Williams had never won anything in his life. He was never costumer number 1.000, had the winning ticket or the lucky numbers. It wasn’t because he never competed in anything, sometimes he would answer a quiz or participate in a draw, but he never got picked and he never had the right answers.
His grandma always won at the local bingo game, she would bring home a turkey or a box of tissue, but the times Mike had joined her, he left emptyhanded.
To his defence, Mike obviously was an optimist, because he would still buy a lottery ticket from time to time.

‘We only have limited time to prepare before the hearing,’ Morgan Freeman said. ‘But I think it can be to our advantage, that you know as little as you do. In that way, you will seem more genuine.’
‘I’m not sure I agree. You see, I like to be prepared. A lot. Before making a phone call I always take notes on what to say and how to say it. I sort my shopping list into categories to make the shopping more efficient. I never leave the house without gum and bandages, for Christ’s sake!’

Continue reading “Chapter 4: Not a lucky number” →

Mike Williams series: A courtroom drama in space

Mike Williams had a very forgettable face. People always seemed to have trouble remembering him. Not his name but him as a person. ‘Excuse me, have we met?’ they would say and not ‘I know I have seen you somewhere before!’. At social events, people would introduce themselves even though they had already met.

In high school and college, he was that kid everybody forgot. He simply got lost in the crowd because he wasn’t outstanding in any way.
In school, Mike had never failed a test, but he never got a full score. He didn’t seem to struggle as some of his classmates did, and he never had to repeat a year. But he was never top of his class either. Mike Williams seemed to be a very average student.

The other kids didn’t talk to him very often, not because they didn’t want to, but because they forgot. Years later when flipping through their yearbook, people would look at their class photo and think ‘who was that kid?’ and ‘I never got to know that guy’.
You could say, that Mike was used to not being recognized. Therefore, he was quite puzzled when a humanoid lion with glasses and a clipboard said: ‘Welcome aboard, Mike Williams.’

Continue reading “Chapter 2: Not a familiar face” →