The Midnight Lunch Truck

ERO starts fast and grisly... No, I am not describing an amorous scene but it could well be. Mercy! There is a Deniz Washington, and a Lileth: who is not the author of a scientific textbook, or the female protagonist of 'Neatherland Omnibus' or 'Otherworldly Affair'. Lileth Barker has more cause for concern than a drive-by of the day, as fellow lawyer Washington recounts it. When there isn't enough mineral makeup to climb on, only liberal tension between Lileth and her colleague, our protagonist opts for a midnight walk through Lafayette Park. She is full of optimism that an exploration of nature, and the possible comeliness of dusk winds that surround it, may abet the erosion of her renegade thoughts. The dusk winds are not comely but they do erode the concerns of her rebel flesh. What they do not erode are Lileth's findings: that deprived citizens of lean-tos, members of the abyss of poverty and abandonment, can leave one profoundly changed, even if that abyss were simply Lafayette Park. Energized by dark winds, this Amazon Short does deliver what it promises: a lawyer in jeopardy. Authentic dialogue plants crucial clues that in concert reveal contemptible and odious characters (not always the hobos). Author E. Robert Orn builds a darkness and dilapidation that walks us into invasive psychosis that is worrisome because, in the dregs of neo-society, that neurosis may not be delusional.

This Amazon Short had GREAT potentual but somewhere along the storyline towards the end the author wrote as if he didn't know where to go once the park scene was written. Sad becuase this could have been a great story with a little more effort. And the "sexual" thoughts fo the main person in the story at the beginning were totally unnessassary and detracted FROM the story rather then added to it---confusing and predictable but still towards the end a good story.

The words listed above are rarely associated with short form literature, but in this case they all apply. Mr. Orn's ability to paint settings and characters with words is truly remarkable.

Ordinarily one might ask, how is it possible to tell a story and still develop character to the extent as what might be found in a full-length novel? He does so by making all that magnificent prose essential to the story and it takes the reader into the mind of the character so well that the chilling situation at the end almost seems personal. I don't think I will ever look at vagrants the same again.

The character of Lileth is so well portrayed that I think I would recognize her if I saw her on the street. Any potential writer who may wonder at how to develop a character or describe a scene should look at this story, because here it is done to perfection.

Though taking place at dark, the story is vibrant with impressive prose and the writing skill is evident throughout the story. Absolutely scintillating!

The Midnite Lunch Truck by E. Robert Orn is distinguished by the author's unique grotesque inventiveness in addition to his superb plot construction. Mr. Orn charges the reader as witness, and in doing so, entangles the mind to a confused, horrified, helpless state.
Great read, this E. Robert Orn.

Robert Meacham- Amazon Short contributor and poet.

Aren't all government-programs-run-amok rather disturbing? But wait, this is no government program - or isn't it? Either way, it works. It works very well. This story starts driving down a fairly straight road, then takes a sharp, left turn and ends up in the section of the city where we've always been warned against going. Unlike other stories with similar theme, there is no redemption to be found here, though, only horror. Very fitting to the Serlingesque genre of which E. Robert Orn references.

Orn builds wonderful elements of foreshadowing - giving little hints that something is askew - all the way from when the protagonist hears about G Dray Gon's fate to when she leaves her office for a midnight stroll through DC (the thought of such may be a bit of a premise stretch, but that is the only weakness I could find in the story, and it's easily overlooked) to the penultimate and oddly logical end.

He develops a sense for his characters quite well, to the point where we can nod and say, "yeah, I know someone like that." That is very very important to the short story format as it creates credibility. The Midnight Lunch Truck is not a story for those who are squeamish and timid. But for those of us who grew up on the staples of The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and Circle of Fear, it is supremely satisfying.