Courtney glanced around. Most of the patrons studiously ignored her, some whispering, perhaps assuming they’d just witnessed some kind of lovers’ quarrel. Only one person, a man sitting by himself, perhaps waiting for someone to join him, studied her curiously. A busboy came toward the table with a dustpan and brush and began to attend to the broken glass. A waitress appeared and started toward her, and Courtney fled, picking up her little clutch bag and exiting through the open French doors, walking amongst the patio crowd. The drinks had already been paid for, so nobody would come rushing after her.
Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she hurried to the corner of Montana Avenue. Her pulse throbbed in her temples and tears burned at the corners of her eyes. Oh, my God. Ohmygod.
She faltered, the strength going out of her as she leaned against the wall outside a hideously trendy boutique. Her fingers hurt from pinching the balloon so tightly between them. She held it in front of her eyes, staring at it, studying it. Did it look a bit flaccid now?
Her lower lip trembled.
Slowly, she moved it up to her ear, and realized that she could still hear the hiss, a slow, quiet seeping sound that was present despite her best efforts, her tightest grip.
Courtney bolted. Eyes wild, she ran along Montana Avenue, past Kismetix and half a dozen other shops. Perfectly made-up wives and daughters arm in arm, chins in the air, stared at her and made way as she rushed along, desperate to be rid of the balloon.
It had been true all along. She had wanted to hurt James, to deprive him of his prize, and now she had taken possession of it. It belonged to her. That meant she would reap the benefits, and suffer the consequences. The ground seemed to tilt underneath her and she whirled in a circle, a scream bubbling up the inside of her throat.
No, no, please no. Not me.
A tan, middle-aged brunette stepped out of Jamba Juice, right next door, and held the door for her little boy, who was busily sipping away at the straw in his drink. Inspiration seized her. Skin prickling with fear, breathless, wild with desperation, Courtney strode over to them and dropped into a crouch right in front of the boy.
“Hey, little buddy. Want a balloon?” she said, thrusting it toward him.
On instinct, the boy reached his free hand out for the dirty string.
“Thanks, but I don’t know if—” the mother began.
But the boy had already tightened his fist around the string. Elated, heart unclenching, Courtney let go of the balloon’s punctured throat and stepped back. The hiss seemed loud to her, but the mother and son didn’t seem to notice. The woman cast an odd look at Courtney, and a slightly distasteful glance at the dirty string in her son’s hand, and then thanked her, just to be polite, as she guided her boy a little farther along the sidewalk.
Courtney fled, walking as fast as she could without breaking into a run. Her heart seemed to pound against the inside of her chest and her face still felt flush, but the rush of terror began to subside. Fucking James. Never mind Wilkie; the thief hadn’t understood what he was doing. But James . . . without even realizing it, he had nearly killed her.
Killed. She froze, catching her breath, raised a hand to her eyes. Jesus, what had she done?
Courtney turned and saw that the mother and son had stopped in front of Kismetix. The woman knelt in front of her boy, their Jamba Juices on the sidewalk, while she tied the dirty string of the balloon around his wrist so he wouldn’t lose it. Already it sagged a bit in the air, but they didn’t seem to have noticed.
The boy had dark hair, like his mother, and he grinned as he looked at her, cocking his head, making strange faces, just monkeying around the way little children did. He couldn’t have been more than four.
What am I? Courtney thought.
“Wait!” she called, running after them.
The mother rose, she and the boy both holding their juices again, and turned to see what the fuss was about. Courtney raced up to them and the woman gripped her son’s wrist, taking a protective step in front of him.
“What’s wrong—” the mother began.
“I’m sorry. It was a mistake. You have to give it back,” Courtney said, the words streaming out too fast, frantic, a jumble. “Please, I’m sorry, I know it’s weird, but I shouldn’t have given that to him. It’s not for him.”
The woman scowled. “Excuse me? What the hell are you trying to do? That is so completely not cool.”
“I know, and I’m—”
“Just go away,” the mother said. She turned her back on Courtney, and marched the little boy along beside her. “Come on, Justin.”
“No, listen,” Courtney began, grabbing the mother’s shoulder and trying to turn her around.
The woman spun, slapping her hand away. “Don’t put your hands on me, you psycho. Back off, right now. If you wanted the stupid balloon, you shouldn’t have given it away, but you did. My boy is three years old. You can’t be all nice and give him something like that and then take it back. Go and buy a new one!”
The little boy tugged on his mother’s blouse. “It’s okay, Mumma, she can have it.”
Courtney’s breath caught in her throat and she reached out.
“Forget it,” the mother said. “It’s the principle of the thing. What’s fair is fair.”
By now other people had slowed to watch the spectacle unfolding on the sidewalk. Someone had a cell phone out, no doubt getting video of the confrontation. It would be online in minutes, but Courtney barely registered the whispers and the looks of disgust and disapproval from the onlookers.
She lunged for the balloon with one hand, reaching for the boy’s wrist with the other.
The mother swore in disbelief and threw her Jamba Juice at Courtney. The plastic cup and straw bounced off of her, bright green slush splashing Courtney’s clothes and neck and face. As she reached up to wipe the stuff from her eyes, the woman shoved her hard, and Courtney fell backward, sprawling onto the sidewalk.
“No, please, you don’t understand,” she pleaded.
“You don’t put your hands on my son, you crazy bitch,” the woman said, but already her voice was retreating.
Courtney jumped up, calling out, still wiping at her eyes. She blinked to clear her vision, but more people had gathered on the sidewalk. Several of them whispered her name. A man and two women came out of Kismetix to stare.
“Out of the way. Please!” she cried, trying to push through them, but the people wouldn’t move.
Someone spoke to her from the crowd, then, a quiet voice, telling her calmly that the police had been called, that she needed to go. Numb and hollow inside, she could only stare over the heads of the people gathered around her. Stare at the red balloon, bobbing happily in the air, wilting even as it receded into the distance. The balloon vanished around a corner as the mother and son walked out of sight.
As kind hands turned her around and got her walking away from the crowd, it occurred to her that she had gotten what she wanted. She had taken away James’s most precious possession. She had hurt him.
I win, she thought, her mind and heart brittle. I get to live.
Then the tears came, in great, wracking sobs.
I get to live.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Enormous thanks are due to Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi at CZP for their patience, good humour, and the loving attention they give to all of their books, as well as all of the original editors of the stories appearing herein. Gratitude always to my agent, Howard Morhaim, my manager, Peter Donaldson, and to Allie Costa and Lynne Hansen, who make a pretty amazing support team. Special thanks to Neil Gaiman for his kind words and advice regarding the final story in this collection.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Of Saints and Shadows, The Myth Hunters, The Boys Are Back in Town, Strangewood, and the upcoming Snowblind and Tin Me
n. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including the Body of Evidence series, Poison Ink, Soulless, and The Secret Journeys of Jack London, co-authored with Tim Lebbon. His current work-in-progress is a graphic novel trilogy collaboration with Charlaine Harris entitled Cemetery Girl.
A lifelong fan of the “team-up,” Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. He has co-written three illustrated novels with Mike Mignola, the first of which, Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, was the launching pad for the Eisner Award-nominated comic book series, Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead, The Monster’s Corner, and Dark Duets, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot.
Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com.
PUBLICATION HISTORY
“All Aboard,” “Under Cover of Night,” and “Breathe My Name” were first published as part of the Bram Stoker Award-winning collection Five Strokes to Midnight, edited by Gary A. Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble.
“Put On a Happy Face” first appeared in Blood Lite 3, edited by Kevin J. Anderson.
“The Art of the Deal” first appeared in Lords of the Razor, edited by Joe R. Lansdale.
“Quiet Bullets” first appeared in Son of Retro Pulp Tales, edited by Joe R. Lansdale and Keith Lansdale.
“Thin Walls” first appeared in Death’s Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner.
“Mechanisms” first appeared in Hellbound Hearts, edited by Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan.
“The Secret Backs of Things” was first published online at Horror World by editor Nanci Kalanta.
“Nesting” first appeared online in Horror Literature Quarterly.
“The Mournful Cry of Owls” first appeared in Many Bloody Returns, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner.
The original text of “The Hiss of Escaping Air” was published by Peter Crowther at PS Publishing as a limited edition chapbook to coincide with FantasyCon 2008 in the UK. It has been revised considerably for its appearance in this volume.
THE INNER CITY
KAREN HEULER
Anything is possible: people breed dogs with humans to create a servant class; beneath one great city lies another city, running it surreptitiously; an employee finds that her hair has been stolen by someone intent on getting her job; strange fish fall from trees and birds talk too much; a boy tries to figure out what he can get when the Rapture leaves good stuff behind. Everything is familiar; everything is different. Behind it all, is there some strange kind of design or merely just the chance to adapt? In Karen Heuler’s stories, characters cope with the strange without thinking it’s strange, sometimes invested in what’s going on, sometimes trapped by it, but always finding their own way in.
AVAILABLE NOW
978-1-927469-34-7
GOLDENLAND PAST DARK
CHANDLER KLANG SMITH
A hostile stranger is hunting Dr. Show’s ramshackle travelling circus across 1960s America. His target: the ringmaster himself. The troupe’s unravelling hopes fall on their latest and most promising recruit, Webern Bell, a sixteen-year-old hunchbacked midget devoted obsessively to perfecting the surreal clown performances that come to him in his dreams. But as they travel through a landscape of abandoned amusement parks and rural ghost towns, Webern’s bizarre past starts to pursue him, as well.
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978-1-927469-37-8
THE WARRIOR WHO CARRIED LIFE
GEOFF RYMAN
Only men are allowed into the wells of vision. But Cara’s mother defies this edict and is killed, but not before returning with a vision of terrible and wonderful things that are to come . . . and all because of five-year-old Cara. Years later, evil destroys the rest of Cara’s family. In a rage, Cara uses magic to transform herself into a male warrior. But she finds that to defeat her enemies, she must break the cycle of violence, not continue it. As Cara’s mother’s vision of destiny is fulfilled, the wonderful follows the terrible, and a quest for revenge becomes a quest for eternal life.
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978-1-927469-40-8
ZOMBIE VERSUS FAIRY FEATURING ALBINOS
JAMES MARSHALL
In a PERFECT world where everyone DESTROYS everything and eats HUMAN FLESH, one ZOMBIE has had enough: BUCK BURGER. When he rebels at the natural DISORDER, his marriage starts DETERIORATING and a doctor prescribes him an ANTI-DEPRESSANT. Buck meets a beautiful GREEN-HAIRED pharmacist fairy named FAIRY_26 and quickly becomes a pawn in a COLD WAR between zombies and SUPERNATURAL CREATURES. Does sixteen-year-old SPIRITUAL LEADER and pirate GUY BOY MAN make an appearance? Of course! Are there MIND-CONTROLLING ALBINOS? Obviously! Is there hot ZOMBIE-ON-FAIRY action? Maybe! WHY AREN’T YOU READING THIS YET?
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THE MONA LISA SACRIFICE
BOOK ONE OF THE BOOK OF CROSS
PETER ROMAN
For thousands of years, Cross has wandered the earth, a mortal soul trapped in the undying body left behind by Christ. But now he must play the part of reluctant hero, as an angel comes to him for help finding the Mona Lisa—the real Mona Lisa that inspired the painting. Cross’s quest takes him into a secret world within our own, populated by characters just as strange and wondrous as he is. He’s haunted by memories of Penelope, the only woman he truly loved, and he wants to avenge her death at the hands of his ancient enemy, Judas. The angel promises to deliver Judas to Cross, but nothing is ever what it seems, and when a group of renegade angels looking for a new holy war show up, things truly go to hell.
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THE ’GEISTERS
DAVID NICKLE
When Ann LeSage was a little girl, she had an invisible friend—a poltergeist, that spoke to her with flying knives and howling winds. She called it the Insect. And with a little professional help, she contained it. But the nightmare never truly ended. As Ann grew from girl into young woman, the Insect grew with her, becoming a thing of murder. Now, as she embarks on a new life married to successful young lawyer Michael Voors, Ann believes that she finally has the Insect under control. But there are others vying to take that control away from her. They may not know exactly what they’re dealing with, but they know they want it. They are the ’Geisters. And in pursuing their own perverse dream, they risk spawning the most terrible nightmare of all.
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978-1-771481-44-1
IMAGINARIUM 2013
THE BEST CANADIAN SPECULATIVE WRITING
EDITED BY SANDRA KASTURI & SAMANTHA BEIKO
INTRODUCTION BY TANYA HUFF
COVER ART BY GMB CHOMICHUK
A yearly anthology from ChiZine Publications, gathering the best Canadian fiction and poetry in the speculative genres (SF, fantasy, horror, magic realism) published in the previous year. Imaginarium 2012 (edited by Sandra Kasturi and Halli Villegas, with a provocative introduction by Steven Erikson) was nominated for a Prix Aurora Award.
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978-1-771481-50-2
THE SUMMER IS ENDED
AND WE ARE NOT YET SAVED
JOEY COMEAU
Martin is going to Bible Camp for the summer. He’s going to learn archery and swimming, and he’s going to make new friends. He’s pretty excited, but that’s probably because nobody told him that this is a horror novel.
AVAILABLE JULY 2O13
978-1-771481-48-9
CELESTIAL INVENTORIES
STEVE RASNIC TEM
Celestial Inventories features twenty-two stories collected from rare chapbooks, antholo
gies, and obscure magazines, along with a new story written specifically for this volume. All represent the slipstream segment of Steve Rasnic Tem’s large body of tales: imaginative, difficult-to-pigeonhole works of the fantastic crossing conventional boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, horror, literary fiction, bizarro, magic realism, and the new weird. Several of these stories have previously appeared in Best of the Year compilations and have been the recipients of major F & SF nominations and awards.
AVAILABLE AUGUST 2O13
978-1-771481-48-9
THE DELPHI ROOM
MELIA MCCLURE
Is it possible to find love after you’ve died and gone to Hell? For oddball misfits Velvet and Brinkley, the answer just might be yes. After Velvet hangs herself and winds up trapped in a bedroom she believes is Hell, she comes in contact with Brinkley, the man trapped next door. Through mirrors that hang in each of their rooms, these disturbed cinemaphiles watch the past of the other unfold—the dark past that has led to their present circumstances. As their bond grows and they struggle to figure out the tragic puzzles of their lives and deaths, Velvet and Brinkley are in for more surprises. By turns quirky, harrowing, funny and surreal, The Delphi Room explores the nature of reality and the possibilities of love.
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2O13
978-1-771481-86-1
WIKIWORLD
PAUL DI FILIPPO
Tell My Sorrows to the Stones Page 26
