So That a Marigold Might Live Free
Page 5
The Dusty Dead’s Revenge
Albino and ugly Maggie Turner vows to avenge her brothers. The village of Dry Acre does nothing to bring her brothers' murderers to justice. Even Maggie's father does little to stop the killing of his sons. So Maggie shapes the symbols of her family's dark magics in the dust, and in doing so, releases a swarm of wrath that sentences her to ever onward step a dark and blighted path.
The Warden’s Mark
Wilson waits for his freedom while monsters growl within the prison’s walls. Unnatural darkness shrouds the prison since the murder of his prophet Luke Turner. He smiles though his cellmates plan his murder. For his prophet's tattoos snake upon his skin, promising that death will be but a short sleep before he awakes a free man. Wilson's faith cannot suspect that prophets keep unspoken motives.
Manifold & Sundry
The Old Town Butcher
Chuck Wuebbles has lost much since his relocation into Old Town. All of the possessions Chuck earned as a younger man have been noted in the Administrators' black notebooks, to be liquidated to pay for the care Chuck's age will inevitably demand. Yet the Administrators have not taken all. Chuck still possesses his old skills; and with a knife and cleaver, Chuck vows to keep one final freedom.
Cat-Tooth Magic and Dog-Eared Miracles
Kate no longer runs in the field with her loyal dog Gyp. Gyp worries for Kate's exhaustion. Gyp sees how the color fades from his beloved master. He knows how Kate sweats through sleepless nights. Gyp suspects a terrible sickness gripping Kate, and he fears the family cat Isis holds a terrible secret from him, one which Gyp is determined to learn no matter if he has to shake that cat apart.
Rooms Without Furniture
The stoning sickness has entered Mark Pence's home, banishing his father into the attic's secluded shadows. Stiffening as his limbs turn heavy and his skin morphs into stone, Mark's father warns not to open their door to the knock of that fool who travels the land promising healing. Only, Mark cannot forget how his father languishes in the attic, and his family's faith has never been so tested.
Glorious Gardens of Teetering Rust
Brandon Tuggle slumbers and toils upon the world's sharpest acres. During the day, he mans the salvage crane and stacks refuse into teetering piles. During the night, he traces maps in his dreams. His skin is scarred by the salvage yard's sharp corners, and lonely Brandon wonders where all his uncles have gone. It takes a surprise visit from Mercy before Brandon can see a color other than rust.
The House on Maple Street
A reunion with his life’s only true love, Maxine, relieves Gerald Hollenkamp from his years of regret. Time, however, cannot be paused for the sake of memory; and Gerald fears he has lost his true love for good when Maxine’s weakening mind places her in a retirement home. Yet a magic remains, and with a glamour masking his gray beard, Gerald has a chance to remain beside his Maxine.
The Tent in the Gymnasium
Hudson Keel cannot control his imagination, and so he fears that the tent of singers and storytellers which rises each year in his school holds a secret his classmates cannot fathom. Hiding a pocketknife in his sneaker, Hudson takes his first step into the tent and is surprised to learn that his imagination is a treasure, instead of the curse his mother and his classmates regard it to be.
Novels
Mr. Hancock’s Signature
The dead walk in Monteray. The corpse of a nearly forgotten farmer named Hancock arrives via train. Ian Washington remembers Mr. Hancock and vows to return the body home. Yet Mr. Hancock's body will not rest while Ian works to reopen a cemetery, and the corpse staring each morning upon the doorstep forces the town to choose between the isolation of their fear or the hope of their fellowship.
The Sisters Will Dance
Blaine Woosely claws his way back to the living. He has cleaned his blood of his addiction, and an unexpected, family farm home rewards his efforts. Only, the country acres isolate Blaine when a sharp-toothed monster hunts to bring Blaine back to dark. The sad history of Blaine's blood brings magic to the country home's new master, but in the end, only Blaine himself can break his chains.