Fiction:
"Mosquito Dance," by John Kiel Alexander
They had not come for simple blood, sustenance easily found. They had grander designs -- they would mine far deeper than mere flesh wounds. They desired communication. Manipulation.
"Gnaw," by Peter Hynes
He has given up on doctors and cures. But the new corner health and longevity shop waters the dying seed of optimism, and inside Mia Lee has a salve. But does he want it?
"A Dish Best Served Cold," by Michael Pignatella
Thomason is physician and mortician for a small community, saving those he can, burying those he cannot. More immediately, he sits bound in a shallow grave by the ocean, and a storm brews.
"Voodoo for Cain," by Eileen Lavelle
In the beginning, Adam gave Cain's twin sister Adelpha to Abel, and Abel's Daniella to Cain. Several thousand years later and Adelpha appears to tell Cain they've been forgiven.
"These Are Not Jack-o'-Lanterns," by Michael Manis
The Rootman comes to town, conjuring the ripest pumpkins the township of Gooding has ever seen. Hesitation turns to gluttony as the Rootman proclaims, "Do not repent. These are not jack-o'-lanterns, for they have no faces." But Eliza, she knows better.
Poetry:
"Cinquain No. XI," by G.O. Clark
dances upon the altar
"The Mumblers," by E.R. Carlin
The mad slug twirling on copper green croon
"Homicide," by Claudia C. McGivney
2005 Rhysling Award Nominee for Long Poem
You're a powerless portrait -- maimed visage, a ruined face.
"At the Digging," by John Grey
Sometimes, he even pointed to his own heart
Artwork:
A.R. Menne (Cover)
Eric Asaris ("Mosquito Dance")
Russell Dickerson ("Gnaw")
Marc Sorozan ("A Dish Best Served Cold")
Cynthia Rudzis ("Voodoo for Cain")
A.R. Menne ("These Are Not Jack-o'-Lanterns")
