It was a summer night. Cicadas burred from ends of branches. Pixies rolled, tittered in their leafy beds. Silver-limned clouds passed over a porous, bloated moon. The little town in the valley kept silent, wrapped in mist. Far over town stood an austere, hilltop tower. Ivy and wasps' nests blotted the black eyes of its windows. Creepers cracked […]
"This is the first you've encountered such a thing, Coroner?" * said the man in white. He touched the brim of his wide hat, pulled it low. Beside strode a fellow in a grey apron, shirtsleeves rolled. Sweat glistened on his forearms and brown brow, coaxed from wide pores by heat and anxiety. A brick […]
With every creaking yaw, the lantern swung on its hook. Its glow played over the Captain's pockmarked cheeks, slipped through scarred divots and crinkled crow's feet. He sat, chin tucked to scruffy neck. His breathing matched the rhythmic slosh of waves. Across the table, there was a sigh. "We could try a sunward heading, Sir. The Dorndallow […]