KEITH BURKHOLDER - SHORT-STORIES

​Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, New Delta Review, Poetry Quarterly, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Birmingham Arts Journal.  He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).​

​The Spirits of the Lake Come to life one by one

Ashes of the dead from different people have been scattered in this certain lake near the foothills of the Appalachians in eastern Tennessee.  The spirits remain here.
However, one by one the spirits have come out of the lake to explore the wooded area nearby.  All the spirits have done such an event here.
This event has taken place here for some time.  Normally, only a few spirits have come from out of the lake.
However, now all the spirits have.  It is unique to see them all come out of this lake and frolic about in the forest.
People have seen such spirits in the woods.  However, the spirits would disappear once approached by an onlooker.
The spirits are not dangerous or cause any harm to people.  They just love to come to life and see the forest around where they live now.
Death is unique and this lake is a place where they remain.  However, their spirits remain here, and this forest is interesting for them to see.
People are not scared of these spirits.  They come and go as they please and this does not phase people who hike in the woods nearby.
The lake will always be their home.  The lake is where they were buried by loved ones.  This is how it will always be for the dead here.
This is how the dead live and thrive in this lake and forest nearby.  This is the way it will remain for them.
I wish the dead well in their spirited existence.  They mean well and will always be a part of the life of this world in eastern Tennessee.  Take care, and may your spirits continue forward as time carries forward.
 ​

​A New Planet Developed due to the Big Bang Theory

​A new planet has been developed due to the Big Bang Theory.  It is a world that is new to everyone on planet Earth.
                This planet has yet to be studied by scientists on planet Earth.  It is located between Mars and Earth.
                This planet is about the size of planet Earth.  What life will want to live there?  This is a question that is hard to answer.
                There are beings in the universe that want to go elsewhere.  This may be the world for them to travel to and live.
                This planet has attracted outsiders there.  It is a world where anyone can go to.  However, it does have a sensor in its magnetic field to disallow criminals and bad people of the like.
                This planet only accepts people without a criminal record.  The sensory on this planet’s magnetic field is powerful and this is how it will always be when it comes to allowing other life in its domain.
                This planet continues to evolve in space.  It is a place where people have come and lived.  Again, no criminals allowed there.
                Over time, this planet should be named and become more established in the solar system.  This is how it is now and may the future continue well for it as time carried forward.

​Venus Flytrap that takes him to a different universe

There is this Venus flytrap that is powerful in stature.  It can engulf a human and take that person to a different universe.
                This Venus flytrap is seven feet tall and powerful.  People have never died when going to this universe that is free of war and destruction.
                The universe people go to after being devoured by the Venus flytrap is their own secret.  However, it is a world where goodness thrives.
                People must like being with decent people.  This is where these people go to which is in a different universe from that they used to.
                This man has been engulfed by the Venus flytrap.  He has now entered a different universe from what he is accustomed to.
                The world he is now in is something that is positive.  It is a world where goodness and being decent is not taken for granted unlike planet Earth.
                As time passes, this universe becomes a home to this person.  He does not ever want to go back to Earth ever again.
                Planet Earth does not match up to this world he is a part of now.  He loves the freedom and the no war or destruction realities here.  This is home and may it be this way until the day he passes away 
​

​Mental Illness and Creativity and dreams about time travel

​ John is mentally ill.  He is very creative, and his illness really makes his imagination go.  He loves being a creative person.
                He has always dreamed about time travel.  His imagination goes too far away places that are from the past mostly.
                He loves to dream this way and his imagination goes far.  He has always wondered what it would be like to time travel and see the past.  He has read about the past in history only in textbooks in school.  He would love to see the past firsthand.
                Time travel is complicated and can be hard to understand.  This is something that John understands greatly.
                He would love to see how Europe looked many years ago in history.  He would love to see how other parts of world were in the past as a time traveler.
                John is mentally ill, and his mind works differently than most people.  This is the case, especially, with writing.
                He loves to write, and this means a lot to him.  Writing is something that comes naturally to him.  This makes him happy inside.
                John always dreams about time traveling.  He wishes there were time machines that were realistic in our world.
                Science fiction is interesting to him.  He loves how his creativity works.  However, mental illness is his reality as well.
                People vary in creativity.  John is very creative, and this means a lot to him.  He dreams as much as he can.
                Could time travel ever become a reality in our world?  This is a question that is hard to answer.  John has no answer to this.
                He will continue to write and be as creative as possible.  This means the world to him and it will continue to be this way.
                John will keep writing.  He will always dream and have his creativity work for him.  He loves being creative and this will always please him.
                Take care, John, and may your imagination continue to grow.  This is all John can do and hope for as time passes, and the future awakens him with its beckoning call.
 
               
               
 

​The Invisible Planet in the solar system

​There is this one planet in the solar system that is invisible to the naked eye.  It located between Earth and Mars.
                This planet has not been in existence for the length of time as the other planets.  However, it is a place where goodness reigns supreme.
                People from this world love to see other planets.  They love to interact with them and try to maintain good relations.  However, no one can come to their world because it is invisible.  It wants to remain this way to maintain a place without destruction or wars.  Maybe one day their mode of thought will change, but for it will continue to be invisible.
                This planet may someday make itself visible.  However, now it wants to remain the way it is now.
                This planet is a place where there is no destruction.  The people here want their world to remain good and stay that way as well.
                This is the only invisible planet in the solar system.  It goes around the sun like the rest of the planets.
                The solar system varies in planets and their sizes.  The planets also vary in personality and views as well.
                No one should be afraid of the beings that come from this invisible world.  They are friendly and love to have peace around them whenever possible.
                The life from this world is amazed at how much tension and destruction that occurs on planet Earth.  However, planet Earth also has peace loving individuals as well.
                This invisible world will continue as it is.  It is a place that may open its world to other visitors but in the meantime it will remain invisible.
                The other planets respect its privacy and how it functions in the solar system.  Again, the beings from this planet will always be friendly and peace loving.
                There is nothing more to say about this world.  It is a place that is different than other planets and that is a great thing to this world.
                Time will continue forward, and this planet will continue to exist as it is.  Take care now and respect this world all you can as time continues the future calls us with its beckoning call.
 
 

​The Dawn of a new planet in the solar system that has been created

​ There is this new planet that has been created by the Big Bang Theory.  It is a world that is now located between Venus and Earth.
                A new race of people has been developed there.  This new breed of people only desire peace in their world.  They will interact with other planets, but they don’t want to have a military or law enforcement in their world.  Peace is something that is severely lacking especially on the planet Earth.
                This planet is new to the solar system.  The life from this world continues to evolve as each new day passes.
                The Big Bang Theory is an interesting phenomenon.  It was this theory that developed this world as it is now.
                This new planet has a lot of meaning to it.  It wants to only have decent people living there.  Planet Earth is nearby and has a lot of crime and problems in that world.
                This new planet will associate with other planets but only invite the good to come to it.  It believes that only good people can make a world stay good as time continues.
                This world also has people living for long periods of time.  It is not unheard of for people to live over 125 years.
                The goodness that exists here allows for people to live longer.  A place with no crime and disasters allows less stress and allows the lifespan to be long in this world.
                This planet looks so new and alive to everyone here.  Again, it was added a little while ago as one of the new planets in the solar system.
                The solar system is incredibly vast in size.  This planet will fit right in and be looked upon with awe from others in the solar system.
                People love change in their lives.  This planet is a change of pace.  It is a world that only believes in goodness of others.
                This planet wants to have its own world and it will do so.  It wants a world where cooperate with one another and no wars or destruction take place.  Unfortunately, badness happens a lot on their neighboring planet of Earth.
                As time passes, other people from the solar system will get used to this planet’s way of life.  It is a peaceful world and wants to remain that way.
                If good people go there, this should continue.  People need to understand this is how this world functions.
                I wish this world well as time continues forward.  This is how their world will continue and remain.  Keep an open mind and try to spread goodness here every step of the way.
 
 

​A Journey Through a Galaxy

​This space traveler is about to embark on an adventure through a galaxy.  It is said if he goes through this galaxy, he can travel to a different dimension in our universe.
                He will be able to leave our present-day universe and travel to a time far into the future.  He can always come back to the present-day universe when needed.
                This future universe is a lot different.  Through time people have decided to change their ways in life.  This is especially evident on planet Earth.
                Planet Earth has gone through some destructive wars.  However, in the future pacifism is very popular and so is doing good for man.  People seem to be nicer and want good for the world in general this far into the future.
                Now is the time for this space traveler to leave Earth and go to this different dimension.  He knows where this galaxy is in space.
                This galaxy is just outside of Earth and will allow him to travel to this different dimension.  He can see life differently once he goes into this dimension.
                Space travel is not for everyone.  However, this space traveler loves space as his domain to roam and explore.
                He has always loved traveling in space.  However, this time he will travel through a galaxy that leads him into the future of the universe at a very different time.
                This space traveler has left Earth some time ago.  He has left the planet and its atmosphere and is traveling in space now.
                He sees the galaxy ahead of him.  He will enter its domain and he should leave the present-day universe and go into one that is in the future.
                He is excited about this venture.  He wants to see a different life and a different time in the future.
The world he will be going into in this different dimension is Earth a thousand years into the future.  He will be amazed by what he will see and witness there.
This space traveler over time has reached this galaxy.  He will now enter its domain and in a brief period leave the present-day universe.
He will see that the universe will be different and planet Earth will be different in its own regard as well.  Planet Earth will be a lot different in one thousand years.
He has entered the galaxy and will now venture into a different dimension.  He is excited about doing this now.
He has ventured into the dimension and is already a thousand years into the future.  He will see planet Earth soon and will see how different life is.
Planet Earth is in his view.  He will make his way to this planet.  He is excited to see how planet Earth is in this dimension.
The planet Earth is different in many ways.  People now want pacifism to exist and war to not happen.  The previous wars on Earth lasted many years and took many lives.
He has now reached the vicinity of planet Earth.  He will now venture into the domain of the planet and land on it soon.
Planet Earth has changed a lot in one thousand years.  People are more aware of other’s feelings and wars do not happen often if at all.
People are getting tired of tensions and they want better lives for themselves.  This is evident on Earth this far into the future.
Humans are living considerably longer this far into the future.  Health care is affordable for everyone and this makes life for humans greater.
This space traveler will now venture past the atmosphere and go toward land.  He can see on his radar where he can go to do this.
The landing area is down below, and he will continue to travel toward it.  He can see a wide area to land with no problems at all.
The space pod he is traveling in is equipped to landing safely and lightly.  This is appealing to the space traveler.
He will now be landing on Earth soon.  He looks around him and can’t believe how futuristic Earth looks now one thousand years into the future.
He now lands down on Earth.  He has landed in a perfect area away from distraction and any kind of trouble.
The world around him is so different.  It is futuristic to the point where he doesn’t really recognize anything from the present.  Earth has changed a lot in one thousand years.
He has landed and will get out of his space pod.  He made a great landing in a meadow nearby a town on Earth.
He is in the United States of America.  He has landed in the state of Georgia.  He has landed outside of Macon in this state.
The location of his landing is full informed on the radar.  He is glad to be in the United States this far into the future.  He will go to this town and explore to see how the future looks from this perspective.
He has since gotten out of his space pod.  He is out of his space pod and on the ground.  He will now close his space pod and make it disappear.  It will reappear when he comes back to this location.  He has a small device that can make his space pod appear and disappear.
The future is amazing to this space traveler.  So much has changed since the present.  He will now leave this area to explore Macon, Georgia this far into the future.
This was a much different town a thousand years ago.  It still has a southern charm to it but very futuristic.
The pace of the world has changed.  Technology is even more amazing now.  This is how the world continues to evolve.
This space traveler is about a mile away from Macon.  It is short walk to this town and he is eager to meet people from this period.
Humans always evolve and change over time.  This is no exception in this town or anywhere around planet Earth in this dimension.
He will walk to Macon now.  He is happy to be outside of a smaller town.  Nearby Atlanta would be overwhelming to him due to its size and population density.
The world has changed in ways he never thought imaginable.  Technology has taken over in ways that he never could imagine.
It seems like no one here can get away from technology.  However, he continues his walk to Macon.  He noticed this while walking.  He walked past some people that were glued to headphones or even their cellphones.  In the present, people took some time away from technology.  However, now it is the opposite.  Again, he is one thousand years into the future.
After some time, he has made his way into Macon.  Cars look different and people look different in the way they dress.  It is certainly different in the future.
People eat differently too.  Restaurants have areas where people don’t even interact with a cashier.  They pay online or through an ATM like device to get their meals.
The space traveler notices that cars do not run on gas.  There are even cars that fly in the sky.  Cars have gone electric in the future.
Planet Earth is doing what it can to save on resources.  This is evident in the future.  It is amazing how things have changed now.
Public transportation has changed.  There are scooters that one can rent to travel in the air here in Macon.  Also, buses do not run on gas anymore here.
This space traveler is amazed at how conservation of resources is so great in the future.  People also try to be nicer to one another as well.
Conservation of resources exists heavily in modern day Earth, but it is greater in the future.  People really watch themselves during this era.
The planet seems cleaner than it is in the present.  This impresses the space traveler a lot as he walks through Macon.
He continues to walk through the town.  He sees restaurants and coffee shops.  They look more modern than he would see in present day Earth.
He thinks to himself and wants to get a scone and latte at one of the coffee shops.  He wonders how these would taste at this point in the future.
He goes into what looks like a Starbucks.  He is happy to be here and wants to people watch a while as well.
This coffee place is in fact a Starbucks.  The service is the same as he remembers it.  This makes this space traveler happy inside.
He goes in line to get what he wants.  He wants to get a latte mocha and a scone.  He will then find a seat to sit and enjoy this.
The logo on the building is different than he remembers.  Then when he came inside, he saw a Starbucks logo.  He is glad to be here now.
The line goes quickly, and he is ready to be served.  Instead of being served by a human he is greeted by a robot.  Humans and robots work here.
This is something he never saw in present day Earth.  He doesn’t mind being served by a robot.  The robot only takes the order and a barista does get the coffee and makes it.
The process of getting his latte mocha and scone is fast.  He is instantly served and then he pays for everything.  The future is different now.
He has his order and is ready to sit down and relax.  He likes coffee shops and likes to people watch and think to himself in them.
He can’t believe he is so far into the future.  He is in a different dimension of the universe.  The future feels fantastic to him.
He looks around him and likes what he sees here.  He likes the fact that people do look different and the same as he knows them.
The fashion sense is a lot different, but the same human lives exist.  He continues to enjoy his latte mocha and scone.
As time passes, he finishes his latte mocha and scone.  He wants to explore more of this smaller town now.
He will now leave here and go outside.  It is still nice outside and it is a warm day here in Macon, Georgia.
This space traveler over time explored more of this town.  He enjoyed all that he did see.  He met different people and ate a few different restaurants.
He spent the rest of the day here and enjoyed his time deep into the future.  He wants to go back home to the present.
He has since left Macon and has gone back to his space pod.  He left here safely and is now traveling in space back to the galaxy he left.
He should make it back to the present soon.  He will leave this dimension and go back to the present.
After more traveling he is now traveling in the present universe.  He can see present day Earth and is traveling toward it.
I wish this space traveler well in the future.  He is heading home to Earth and had fun while in futuristic Earth.  He is eager to be home in the present and can’t wait to see the world again as he knows it.  Take care, my good man, and this was a great journey for you.  It was adventurous and fun and may all your endeavors in the future be great and exciting every step of the way.