Fiction:
"Cold Cash," by Tim Curran
Bernie's been promised his cut one too many times without seeing more than a few dimes, and now Skinny Tony is simply going to have to die to even the score. Except Skinny Tony knows about a new gig out at the cemetery, and Bernie's a man who belives in last chances.
"Processed Meat," by Douglas Ford
Recommended for a 2003 Bram Stoker Award
McBride's meat processing plant's entire purpose is to disembowel cattle and prepare their meat for retail sale. But when unauthorized and unexplainable atrocities begin to occur inside the plant, something's obviously awry.
"Fly to the Rainbow," by Michael Kelly
Marty's wife, Carolyn, may be gone, but only in the flesh. A host of characters in his life, namely Rhiannon, the beautiful waitress at his favorite coffee shop, and Red, one of the regulars, only serve as a constant reminder of what he's lost, and what he can do to get her back.
"West of Salem," by Marco Zeta
2003 Year's Best Fantasy & Horror Honorable Mention
Jacob Mull promised Alva he'd come for her, take her away from the coming witch trials, find her refuge from the fever. But in the morning his resolve weakens with the echoing voices of the village's priests, and with each passing second the burning torches march closer to Alva's home.
"Spreading," by Patricia J. Esposito
2003 Year's Best Fantasy & Horror Honorable Mention
The moths. The moths are everywhere. The only way to get rid of them is to set out a bowl of molasses and vinegar. A simple, Greenpeace catalyst for the changing of the fabric of an entire family.
"Now That I've Lost You," by Paul Edwards
Julian. A smooth, handsome man with eloquent speech and journals filled with poetry; a sensitive enough man that Mike watches his girlfriend, Kate, gravitate further and further away. Meeting Julian in cemeteries at night. Reading his poetry books while with Mike. And through it all, something about Kate's changing.
Poetry:
"The Subtle Difference Between a Ceiling Fan and a Sidewinder," by Jane Gwaltney
Tune your violin to the pitch of the wheels
"Like Carrots," by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff
I planted you
"The Gourmand of the Mutant Rain Forest," by Bruce Boston
2003 Year's Best Fantasy & Horror Honorable Mention
so subtle and provocative
Artwork:
Eric Asaris (Cover & "Processed Meat")
Russell Dickerson ("Cold Cash")
Marcia A. Borell ("Fly to the Rainbow" & "Now That I've Lost You")
Cynthia Rudzis ("West of Salem")
Rick Hudson ("Spreading")
