God's Little Red Pen
Christopher Ell
language
(Single-Cell Publishing, Nov. 27, 2015)
In what passed for once upon a time to an entity of the infinite persuasion, God noticed some of his celestial flock had become listless, disengaged, and even a wee bit crabby...God's Little Red Pen is an original short story that wraps a humorous "what if?" into the grand "how & why?" by showing us an alternate take on creation where an exasperated God, looking to break his celestial flock out of a collective funk, enlists the help of his angels to work on his newest pet project: a little thing called "The Universe." From matter to mammals to math, every idea is up for the making so long as it passes one simple test; serve a purpose or be X'd from existence by God's little red pen. (Sorry, Mr. Jackalope.)While not everyone is thrilled about the whole affair (just ask the seraphim in charge of geology), one plucky angel's creations will either make her a legend...or land her a first class ticket to purgatory. Often funny, sometimes sad, and maybe a teeny bit thought provoking, God's Little Red Pen is a quick and quirky look at the big bang, where even a deity can be surprised by the imagination of his own creations.