Volume I, Issue I: Artifacts of the Forest
Peaceful Pines, by Hillary Adams
Pastor Berry said they would all have a whale of a time. Because Jesus Christ was throwing a party. It was a party of goodness and love and grace, “a celebration of forgiveness and the gift of new life.”
The Fairy Pyre, by Lorraine Schein
Fairies are not immortal, though they live so long they might as well be.
The Reeking, by Davey Cobb
"I don't wanna sleep." Sleep made her sick. Sleep led to thinking, then to dreaming; dreaming about holding Ma's hand, wandering the moors; dreams that died when she woke, shattering to a million pieces.
The Lonely Road, by Linda Gould
Imagine walking through a meadow blanketed by thick forests that travelers navigated for centuries. You watch butterflies flit from wildflower to wildflower as swathes of grass dance in a gentle breeze, and a sun-filled azure sky dotted with puffy clouds fills you with an overwhelming sense of joy at your own existence.
Forest Born, by Abbie Stoner
I was born of the forest. People used to tell me that to have two arms and two legs and blood and bones wrapped in flesh meant I must have parents—and by that they meant human parents.
Hospitality, New Hampshire, by Shell St. James
She squinted through the sleet on the windshield, turning the wipers on high. They did little to dispel the gathering slush on the glass, which froze at the edges farthest from the defrost vents, catching the rubber blades as they maintained their ineffectual passes.
Down to the River to Pray, by Laurence Jones
It was most beautiful at dawn on a winter's day when there was no one else to see it. A secluded clearing on the banks of the Snake River, hidden deep inside the forests of the Oregon Trail.
What Man Hath Wrought, by Maggie D. Brace
Espied upon a twisting trail, I stop and gape in awe.
Exposed perhaps by digging rodent, or a winter's thaw.
They Do It with Magnets, by Katherine Emily
Marshall Buchanan swore as the harsh, metallic sound of crumpling steel filled the air. He ripped the key from the transmission and jumped down from the tractor cab.
FROM THE PERIODICAL, FORLORN ARCHIVES
Adrenochrome, by Danger Callahan
When our business gets gruesome, the burden of work falls on me.
The Haunting of Highway 10, by Ceilidh Campbell
Ceilidh Campbell picked her way through the wilderness. She climbed over mossy stone walls, the boundary markers of yesteryear’s farm fields, that had collapsed as the creeping underbrush of the forest had worked its way into the mortar.
SPECIAL ADDITION
The Slope, by Brett Salter
Fulfill a contract drafted by wary men. As a hand for hire, I better make their money count.
Appearing in this Issue:
About the Authors:
Hillary Adams:
I have a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an MFA in fiction from the University of Florida. As an undergrad, I won first place in the Julia Shrout Short Fiction Contest and have had a few of my stories published in small journals. I’ve also written a middle grade novel and a YA literary horror novel currently on submission for publication.
For more of Hillary’s work, visit her website: www.hillarycadams.com
Lorraine Schein:
Lorraine Schein is a New York writer. Her work has appeared in VICE Terraform, Strange Horizons, Full Bleed, Enchanted Conversation, and Little Blue Marble, in the anthology Tragedy Queens: Stories Inspired by Lana del Rey & Sylvia Plath, and is forthcoming in Hybrid Fiction. The Futurist’s Mistress, her poetry book, is available from Mayapple Press: www.mayapplepress.com
Davey Cobb:
Davey Cobb is a British writer of fantasy and horror, and an illustrator of the surreal. A lover of all things mysterious and macabre, he spends most of his time reading, running, and drinking far too much coffee. His upcoming debut novel, The Black Rook, is coming soon.
For more of Davey’s work, check out his website: www.daveycobb.com
Follow him on Twitter: @davey_cobb
Or on Instagram: daveycobbart
Linda Gould:
Linda Gould is an American who has lived in Japan for over 20 years. She scares herself silly when hiking through dark forests and is inspired to write ghost stories by the relationship and rituals that the Japanese have with the dead.
For more of Linda’s work, follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Japanese-Ghost-Stories-927108850810470
Abbie Stoner:
Abbie Stoner writes about queer girls, magic, and magical queer girls. She is the creator of The Green Mountain Witches Tarot and her work has been published in various print and online publications. When she’s not writing or doing tarot readings, she can be found behind a camera lens and avoiding cilantro at all costs. Find her online at abbiestonerwrites.wordpress.com and on social media @abbievillehorror.
Shell St. James:
Shell St. James lives in an 1895 farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. A victim of insomnia, she spends most nights listening for the footsteps of ghosts and spinning stories in her head. Her over-active imagination is graciously tolerated by her musician S.O, and enthusiastically encouraged by her spooky cat, Sam.
Laurence Jones:
Laurence Jones was born and raised in London. His work has been shortlisted/longlisted for multiple literary prizes including the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, TLC Pen Factor and Indie Writers’ Deathmatch, as well as featuring in literary journals and anthologies such as Storgy and New Zenith.
He is represented by Sara O’Keeffe at Aevitas.
Maggie D. Brace:
Maggie D. Brace is a long-time denizen of Maryland, teacher, gardener, basketball player and author. She attended St. Mary's College of Maryland and Loyola University, Maryland. She has written 'Tis Himself: The Tale of Finn MacCool and Grammy's Glasses, and has both tied with Anne Tyler in the Baltimore Sun Paper Reader's Choice for best local writer as well as lost out to John Waters. As heady as this sounds, she remains a humble scrivener and avid reader presently aging gracefully in situ.