Do You Wanna Party? It's Free Fiction Time

Even more free fiction! What a good day!  For even more, including e-books, be sure to check out Regan Wolfrom's fantastic free links at SF Signal.  [Art from Kaleidotrope Autumn 2013, linked below]







Fiction
• At Author's Site: "The Voodoo Project" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Urban Fantasy. 2012.
     "Rebekah uses her Sight to fight for good. She works for the Voodoo Project, although her work involves psy ops, not voodoo. She fears retirement and a normal life. So she keeps working, going on missions, never knowing when her next mission will be her last. Because she can see anyone’s future—except her own."

At Short Story.me:

• "The Boy Who Called The Naga" by Michael Schaper. Fantasy.
      "When Vanchay was born, the old village shaman declared him unusual, one to look out for. A boy who could call naga. The boy's mother looked at him, puzzled and a little frightened, but proud as well. She lay on the small birthing bed whilst below them the mighty Mekong rushed by, and for a minute she thought she could hear the water serpent move below."

• "Message in a Rock" by Stewart Mc Kay. Horror.
     "Finally he forces it into my hand and, right enough, it's incredibly light. The colour and the shape remind me of a terracotta bathroom tile, one with irregular, smoothed edges. Is it made of polystyrene? A film prop?"

Now Posted: Quantum Muse - October 2013.

• "The Haunted House " by Harris Tobias- - Alternative.
     "You shouldn't try to do scary on the cheap."

• "Slacker Zombie" by Stephen Hernandez. Alternative.
     "Short horror story for the Halloween edition"

• "Béba Daio's Prayers" by Chris DelGuercio. Alternative.
      "A failing New Orleans store owner calls on a local voodoo priestess to help his business. But at what cost?"

• "The Mortician's Confession" by Michele Dutcher. Science Fiction.
      "The mortician on a small island comes beating frantically on his best friend's door, whispering about cults, and secret books. What could have him so upset?"

• "Grim Park" by Robert Hegwood. Science Fiction.
      "People hear voices in Grim Park, or rather a voice…sometimes when the need is great. It's clearest near the old hanging tree, and if it's in the mood the voice may tell you more than you want to hear."

• "Dr Mephistopheles" by Alex Mair. Alternative.
      "Halloween submission - Sludworth College has a new GCSE chemistry teacher, a man who comes with dark secrets and harbors diabolical intentions. Can the chemistry class stop him before it's too late? Warning - contains weird British acronyms like 'GCSE', 'BBC' and 'A level'."

Now Posted Kaleidotrope Autumn 2013:

• "Mister Bob" by Dan Campbell     
       “It all began with the chicken in the end of the road,” she said.  

• "Lightning Strikes" by Lindsey Duncan     
      "Storm-clouds gathered over the city of Calrhayas, immense hands catching the smoke from fires below. In her training, Diyesari had learned of diviners who could read the future in fallen ash; there was too much here to interpret, and only one possible answer." 

• "Lone White Seagull" by Geoffrey W. Cole     
      "The first officer announced that the plane was lost three hours after they entered the cloud."

• "Camouflage" by Eden Robins     
      "Today, I’m taking the train to the end of the line. Then I’m going to get on another train and another, and eventually I’ll end up in Wisconsin. And then? I’ll keep going north to where the trains stop. Is there a train to Nunavut? To the Arctic Circle? I intend to find out." 

• "Heart-Song" by Danielle Davis.
       "Nycalla shifts on the dusty ground, unnerved by the shouting of the crowd. The voices of the Men rattle the soil beneath her, cluttering her senses with their vibrations and setting her tail to twitching." 

• "Nice"” by Jamie Mason     
       "It is the anniversary of the Overthrow. The execution of Emile Vonnegut, child frightener, has just been broadcast and Michelle Michelle, host of Group Spank (“your liNk’s social equity enforcement program”) is announcing the round-up of four thousand middle-aged Eurasian grandmothers for their collective violations of the Kindarchy’s Social Consideration Code. A festive mood prevails. People are in the streets."

Poetry
At Kaleidotrope. Speculative Poetry.

• "Picking Up Aliens: A Guide" by John Grey.
• "Propelled by Beauty" by Dan Smith. 
• "Musings of a Tower Jockey" by Bruce Golden.
• "Implants" by Noel Sloboda.

 Audio Fiction
• At Apex Magazine: "Becca at the End of the World" by Shira Lipkin
     "She has about an hour, we think. And I have about an hour on this camera, an obsolete Flip mini. I guess all cameras are obsolete now. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a device on which to play this. But she wants to do it. And right now, Becca gets anything she wants. Ice cream or a visit to the zoo, a stolen car or a cliff dive; for the next hour, Becca gets anything and everything she wants."

• At Clarkesworld: "The Symphony of Ice and Dust" by Julie Novakova read by Kate Baker.
     “It’s going to be the greatest symphony anyone has ever composed,” said Jurriaan. “Our best work. Something we’ll be remembered for in the next millennia. A frail melody comprised of ice and dust, of distance and cold. It will be our masterpiece.”