On "Dali's Clocks" by Dave Hutchinson (9379 words) ***

"Dali's Clocks" reminds me of a story by Robert Abel. In that story, a man sets off for regions in the Far East, discovers a mystical drug, and never returns, unable to enjoy life in its "regular" sense any longer. The writing is powerful, the situation intriguing. In this story, a man with a friend in pharmaceuticals has a similar drug experience, introduced to him by the said friend. But the drug turns out to be something deeper than that, something that is really aiming to change the nature of the world and of humanity. I'm not sure I share Hutchinson's view of creativity. I happen to think all people are creative, just in different ways, which means the will to be creative is not something we need to foster in people nor is it something that would bring world peace (creation of a new deadly weapon, after all, is its own form of creativity). Still, the concept here, of a drug that could alter civilization is intriguing, and I'm left to ponder what medical advances we've already experienced might fit into this same category. Read the story here at Daybreak Magazine.