Does anyone know this story? I think I originally read it in a short story collection of the author's works, but I for the life of me cannot remember the title or author. The only other thing I remember about it was the man in the story called his little creations "feminals," or something like that. I think I read it about 12 years ago, but I believe the book was older.
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10I would guess this would be grounds for termination or at least probation.– releseabeCommented Sep 28, 2020 at 2:37
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Hi, welcome to SF&F! Do you remember when you read this? Also check out the other suggestions for good story-id questions.– DavidWCommented Sep 28, 2020 at 2:50
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I think I read it about 12 years ago, but I believe the book was older.– Jackie421Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 3:05
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@Jackie421 for future reference: you can edit your question to add additional details you remember. Not really necessary now, since I see you got your answer. Welcome to Science Fiction & Fantasy!– SQBCommented Sep 28, 2020 at 9:58
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5Replace "miniature" with "virtual", and this is almost exactly the plot of an episode of Black Mirror (the one that starts as a Star Trek spoof). I wonder if the writers of that episode were aware of this story?– Darrel HoffmanCommented Sep 28, 2020 at 17:27
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1 Answer
"One-Shot Beamish and his Wonderful Feminals" by Jay Sheckley
They were six inches tall and slim as a thumb. They were feminals -- female animals. They were friendly, high-strung, healthy, and completely, voluptuously human. They were a mix of Italian, Japanese, and Swedish. And they loved him.
Like the feminals she had innocently engendered, Allison Lüstgren, 25, had long hair the color of butter. Further, she sported plush full lips, an oval face, and improbably Japanese eyes. Each evening, while Donald Beamish grated cheese for his miniature sextet, his mental Betamax slowly replayed his one time alone with Allison.
Found with a search for feminals in Google Books, which led me to Don't Open This Book!, which the Internet Archive has available to borrow. It looks like it may have also been printed in the May 1982 issue of Gallery.
answered Sep 28, 2020 at 3:19
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Thank you so much! I never thought to search Google Books. I'll try that next time! Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 5:58
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@Jackie421: It works best if there is a nicely unique term. Unfortunately, it often gets snarled by a lot of non-fiction books they have on there. Fortunately for me, you remembered the "feminal" term. :) Commented Sep 28, 2020 at 13:07
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