(John) Hayden Howard wrote his fictional short story We Specialists in 1967: three years after a horrific crime had been reported in the newspapers. Sixty years later, that case–and its reported “bystander effect”–is still discussed in countless psychology classes.
While Hayden couldn’t possibly have known that specific case would still be discussed sixty years later, it’s obvious it impacted him at the time. I know I never forgot the story from my own psych classes in the late 1970s. Imagine my surprise when I found something similar among Hayden Howard’s yellowing manuscripts.
I nearly missed the association with his character’s futuristic name: Kitty G-3, because he makes no mention of any news story. As with Hayden’s usual subtle style, he simply tells a story and lets readers experience their own “ah-hah!” moments.
For those of you unfamiliar with the original crime and hate spoilers, of course avoid Googling it. You can read John Hayden Howard’s sci-fi story in Reawakened Worlds Vol 1 before exploring the related news story. In the meantime, I’ll share no more details of the original crime previously mentioned!
Let’s focus instead on the underlying message in Hayden’s story:
Even in the distant future, no matter how high-tech that may be, I hope people will learn to all look out for each other. That, I’m sure, is the message Hayden meant to convey in We Specialists. That we can’t make excuses for not helping strangers, even if the government (as in his fiction story) were to attempt to box us into specific roles. That we should never become so desensitized to violence that we focus only on ourselves or on rules or laws.
Yes, this brief short story is one of violence. I’m not a fan of anything truly gory, but I’d give this short story a PG 13 rating for violence, as he focused more on the ridiculousness of allowing ourselves to be confined by roles that exclude helping others. Showing that ridiculousness, his last line referring to a Homicide Specialist is a real kicker.
About John Hayden Howard:
John Hayden Howard was well-known in the 1960s for his science fiction writing (see the International Science Fiction Database) but also had published many mysteries and detective stories, in magazines including Ellery Queen’s (originally called Ellery Queen) mystery magazine. Perhaps Hayden saw “We Specialists” as a bit of a crime and sci-fi genre merge. Here’s where you can find the story (one of eight):
To read descriptions of some of his other stories in Volume One, see my former posts on:
The Tragedy of Henry Diddoh: a 1950s Frankenstein-ish story in Reawakened Worlds
Gremmie’s Reef: in Reawakened Worlds Vol 1
Hayden Howard: Short Stories with Creative Wordplay (featuring “Ten Rounds for the All-Time Champ”)
More stories to come!
Volume Two of Reawakened Worlds, MORE Dystopian and Sci-Fi Short Stories, is slated for release in September, with pre-ordering soon! Here’s a sneak peek at the cover of book 2! Contact me (or Subscribe) to know the moment it’s released. And as always, I’d love to read your comment below. Let me know if you’ve read Volume One and how it grabbed you!
