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The Edge |
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Display a printable version Guest Quarters 2011 Read the Stories from Those Who Have Come Before
Unless, of course, there are hidden peepholes or things lurking within secret passageways. One can never tell what trouble curious guests will find themselves in if they look too close and see too much. Prying eyes and hands have led more than one person down a not-so-primrose path much to their dismay. Also, the unwary host may invite more than he bargains for when he ushers in someone from the cold. Long lost family or strangers in unfortunate circumstances are occasionally revealed as wolves in sheep's clothing with gleaming eyes trained on the hand that had just fed them. Travelers get lost, people go missing and homes become unnaturally empty. But, of course, such a thing would never happen here. Once a month, guests drop by for a brief visit to delight, intrigue and terrify. Then, they are gone. Just as it should be. No one wants a guest to overstay their welcome. Even such honored guests as these. January - Woman, Monster, Mother - By Steven Saus - Months after a little boy goes missing, the distraught parents turn to a private investigator who is more than she seems. Their loss calls to her long ago loss and what she discovers is that the culprit is closer to home than expected. February - The Weight of Worlds - By Alma Alexander - Andrash's grandfather is dying, leaving Andrash with nothing but bad memories, impatience and junk. The only thing the old man values is his set of antique marbles. In a fit of adolescent anger, the boy sells the marbles?only to discover that they are his inheritance and much more than they seem. March - Underside Walk - By Hilary Koepenick - Every year, Alvise gets a visit from his friend, Sebastian, who wants him to come with him into the unknown. Every year, Alvise goes farther than before. This year may be the year he takes the underside walk. April - Hatzuli - By Lillian Cohen-Moore - As Johanna mourns the death of her grandmother, she witnesses the robbing and shooting of a clerk. Although traumatized, she discovers her cousin needs comforting more than she does and takes comfort in the giving. However, when Johanna learns what has upset her cousin, she discovers she may have more in common with her grandmother than she thought. May - Wild Plums - By Mars Hage - Cara has always been afraid of the woods. Her fears were justified when her best friend, Emily, was taken, exacting a promise from Cara to return. When Cara finally finds the courage to return to her childhood home, she finds that it might be too late. June - Seren Draig - By T. D. Edge - Arwen Jones has a secret, one that has been discovered by the government. Her power stolen by them, she has the choice to save humanity from its folly or to burn up with it. Either way, she dies?a rock and a hard place if there ever was one. July - Jim Towne Hollow and the Skinwitch - By Jennifer Adam - Rosalee has been cursed for decades because of her magical ability. She would do anything to escape with her daughter. However, when her daughter shows the same magical aptitude as she, what's a mother to do? Especially when that daughter willing chooses servitude? August - Temple of Ill-Repute - By Elizabeth Aronoff - Mickey has the time of his life with a prostitute named Easter. It was so good, you might say it was divine. Can a guy recover after a lustful night with a goddess? September - The Saint of Clowns - By Nathan Crowder - Jerry's mother really loves clowns. Always has. But when Uncle Tink comes to town, Jerry discovers there's more to the story and it has to do with the clown father he never knew and the concept of Clown Justice. October - Ecology - By Brandon Nolta - Vampire hunting is a dangerous business. For some it is a way of life... and of death. So, with Rafe hears of the perfect vampire weapon, he wonders if it is too good to be true. October - Uncle Sam - By Seanan McGuire - What would you do if you discovered that a common quirk was based on an old legend that just might be true? Would you tell someone? November - You Know What Hunts You - By Jay Lake - Beatty is a human who found and escaped the Dark Towns. Except the Dark Towns never really let anybody go. When a messenger comes from Triune Town with a request, Beatty discovers something important: he still has a choice. December - The Final Seal: Dante Collins Versus the End of the World - By Erik Scott de Bie - Dante has always seen things that weren't there. Never knowing if what is talking to you is really there makes the teenage years all the more hellish. Things take an abrupt turn when Dante's hallucination reaches out and touches him, proving that it is more than a hallucination and that Dante is the most important person of this age. |
| Last updated on 12/15/2011 12:16:08 AM by Jennifer Brozek |
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| Other documents at this level: About TEoP Call for Submissions Credencium 2011 Flotsam 2011 Idolwood 2011 The Ones Who Call 2011 Who Are We? Postcards Windows to the Soul 2011 Archives |
| Documents below this one: 58 - Woman, Monster, Mother 59 - The Weight of Worlds 60 - Underside Walk 61 - Hatzuli 62 - Wild Plums 63 - Seren Draig 64 - Jim Towne Hollow and the Skinwitch 65 - Temple of Ill-Repute 66 - The Saint of Clowns 67 - Ecology 68 - Uncle Sam 69 - You Know What Hunts You 70 - The Final Seal: Dante Collins Versus. the End of the World |
The phrase "guest quarters" brings to mind the cordial hospitality of gentler times when family and friends would visit not just for a weekend but for weeks on end. Such visits were well prepared for and looked to with great anticipation. Guests were given their own dwelling space within the home. It allowed them both closeness to the host family and the privacy that guests and hosts needed to maintain that cordiality.