Schrödinger’s Ghost by H.R.R. Gorman is a story that quickly pulls the reader in, and very much lives up to its name.
She walked forward, then stumbled over something warm and alive. At her feet was a crumbling husk about her size with fingers cracking off and skin peeling from the muscles beneath. This creature, though inhuman and monstrous now, gave June a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This person was June, just as much as she herself was June. She felt this body’s agony, felt a mental connection to the flaming body’s horror that she couldn’t explain.
Schrödinger’s Ghost by H.R.R. Gorman, featured in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology (p. 292). Crone Girls Press.
Q (Crone Girls Press): What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Author): In 1961, a B-52 bomber crashed near Goldsboro, North Carolina. It was carrying two live nuclear warheads, and one of them almost went off. When the bomb was recovered, the switch was set to “ARM”, and only one, low-voltage safety had kept it from exploding. This (and the obvious “what if”) was the basis of “Schrodinger’s Ghost.”
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: I write horror because it works very well as a vehicle for theme. By exploring monstrosity, we can also get a contrast with what it means to be “human.” In “Schrodinger’s Ghost”, I use a sci-fi flavored ghost to show this.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: I’m usually a “Twilight Zone” sort of horror guy. My goal is to be thought provoking, mostly because that sticks with me longer as a reader. Beyond that, I love Southern Gothic; Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” will probably inspire every single item I ever write for the rest of my life.
Q: The world has been through some turbulent times in the past few years. How have current events changed (or not!) your approach to the genre as a writer?
A: I’ve always been interested in history, but the past few years have been absolutely defined by disease. In my opinion, America in the 1950 and 1960’s were a deceptively but absolutely pants-poopingly scary time when it comes to healthcare. There were so many horrifying experiments and just sheer, unethical behaviors conducted by so many people in power at the time. Even though laws were instituted to curb that, we’re still living in a world in which that had happened. We’re still going to have to deal with the fallout of living in a world where doctors once irradiated the bejeezus out of sick people just to see what happened, not to cure them. Regardless of where you stand on the (unfortunately) political spectrum of how to deal with disease, these sorts of events are in our society’s living memory. I just kind of want to poke around in that sort of feeling, is all.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I just put my first self-published novel out there (American Chimera). I’m working on some more long projects now, and I’m hoping they’ll see the light of day soon enough!
About The Author
H.R.R. Gorman likes to stay up at night reading and writing dark fiction. By day, H.R.R. Gorman makes drugs. Don’t worry—it’s something chemical engineers are legally allowed to do as long as it’s for the Dark Lord of Big Pharma. He lives in North Carolina with his nuclear engineer spouse and vicious attack Pomeranian.
You can find more about him on his website, and on twitter.
Be sure to check out their story in Tangle & Fen: A Dark Fiction Anthology
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