David Barr Kirtley

Science fiction author and podcaster

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Stories
  • Books & Magazines
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact

“Transformations”

By David Barr Kirtley

“Transformations”

“Transformations”
– Realms of Fantasy, December 2007


    “You mean, you can change into like, a robot?”
    “Yes.”
    Alex bounces with excitement. “Show me!”
    “I thought you wanted to go to the mall?”
    “Screw the mall!”
    The light turns green. Carrus pulls a U-turn. “All right, but we’ll have to find someplace more isolated.”
    They head out of town and into the woods, then wander the dirt backroads. Finally Carrus finds a long gravel drive that dead-ends beside a grassy field ringed with evergreens. He says, “Okay, get out. And back up. You don’t want to be too close.”
    Alex exits and dashes to just inside the treeline. Carrus runs a scan of the area to make sure no one else is lurking about. Then:
    His passenger compartment folds in on itself as roof joins with seats. His chassis splits behind the doors and arches up. His rear half extends and divides into two legs that raise his front half aloft. His hood folds down to become a chest. Black arms unfold from beneath red doors that now hang off his shoulders like armor plates. His head rides up from deep within his bowels to rest atop his shoulders.
    He towers over Alex, who races from the embrace of the trees to shout an ecstatic, “Holy shit!”

    
Carrus is a robot who can turn into a car. He befriends a boy named Alex. But nothing ever stays the same. The world is a place of constant transformations.

    
This issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine was edited by Shawna McCarthy. It also includes fiction by Graham Edwards, Richard Parks, Sandra McDonald, Joe Murphy, and Von Carr.

 

An illustration by Rob Johnson of David Barr Kirtley's short story Transformations.
Illustration by Rob Johnson for Realms
of Fantasy
magazine. Used with permission.


Roger Barr

My grandfather Roger Barr passed away early this morning at the age of 98. He was my mom’s father, and was my last surviving grandparent. He was being cared for by my uncle Steve (his son) and aunt Denice — both medical professionals — and was still sharp and good-humored in his final days. Yesterday […]

David on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter
  • Deviant Art
  • Goodreads
  • Amazon

David Barr Kirtley

David Barr Kirtley is the host of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, for which he’s interviewed over four hundred guests, including George R. R. Martin, Richard Dawkins, Paul Krugman, Simon Pegg, Margaret Atwood, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. His short fiction appears in the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories.
Content © 2025 David Barr Kirtley unless noted. Site by Sunray Computer.