You are listening to a Clark's World magazine podcast. I am your host and narrator,

Kate Baker. Welcome to our July 2023 issue. Issue number 202. This is our sixth story

for the month and we hope that you've enjoyed these stories as far. If this is your first

podcast, welcome in. I hope that you enjoy all the stories that we bring you thus forth.

If you've been here a while, welcome back. Thank you for your ongoing support. Just by

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So our story is titled Time Lock and is by Davian A. Davian A is a Singaporean writer whose

short fiction and poetry have appeared in over 40 publications, including Strange Horizons,

Biabolical Plots, Space and Time, Mysterion, and the Transcendent Four anthology. His poems

have been twice nominated for the Reasling Award and once for the Ignite Award. When

not working on writing, he engages in LGBTQ advocacy, plays keyboards on his church's worship

team, runs a Kienu Reeves fan site and occasionally practices the oboe to the light of his parents

and the chagrin of his neighbors. So my dear listener, sit back, relax. Let me tell you

a story. It's been hours, but it's still dawn and you're sick of the time lock your

next door neighbor insists on running for every party these days. Across the lawn, their

house lies silent in the golden black mist of early sun, colored streamers blowing

idly from tree branches and a sortment of party junk scattered upon the grass amongst

the combatose forms of yesterday's guests. Gate is open. You walk in. The bodies might

be dead, blissed out, looks on their faces from whatever cocktail of drugs gets passed

around at these things. You could rob this place clean and no one would know, except

of course they would know. Your yours is the only house too close to theirs to escape

...