The Adventures of Mister Callis

The Adventures of Mister Callis focus on the actions and musings of the eponymous Mister Callis: An assassin, an arsonist and all round extraordinarily bad man. These adventures exists as a handful of short stories occurring at various points in his life. There are so far four completed instalments: Fire in The Night, Smoking the Kipper, Baker’s Dozen, and Seeing a Man About a Dog.

“Somewhere out there in the gathering velvety dusk, a city is on fire. Burning with great crimson and orange flames that dance like merry little children. Somewhere out there a man in a tattered weather cloak stands in the lee of a tree as the gathering storm whips about him. Cowled and cloaked he can only smell the ash on the damp wind, a warm, dry smell delightfully counterpoised amidst the clean smell of cold rain.

The coals of a crudely rolled cigarette flare like a dying star. The man knows about the fire. He smiles a guiltless smile. He knows about the fire. By his hand and his hand alone was it wrought and birthed. And here in the lee of a gnarled and ancient ash tree stands the man. The poetry of it all is not lost on him. Thousands will die this night, all because of him.

And he couldn’t give a damn. That is, after all, exactly what is supposed to happen.

Mr. Callis has, in his time, been called many things. Revolutionary, murderer, hand of fate, mad, instrument of justice. But he knows the truth. He knows himself to be nothing more than a chain smoking arsonist with financially malleable morals.”