Issue 28

NewMyths.com

A quarterly ezine by a community of writers, poets and artists.

Issue 28, September, 2014

Dear Readers,

For the next several issues New Myths is proud to introduce several guest editors who have been given free rein to show us what they view from their side view mirror. Bravely going first is Susan Shell Winston. Take it away, Susan...

Enjoy,

Scott T. Barnes, Editor

Hello fellow adventurers into Aliceland – time to once more step through the side view mirror images of our world and become addicted all over again. I’m Susan, and like many of you, I’ve been a reader and writer of fantasy for many years. For me, fantasy at its best is an art form, impressionism in literature, philosophy made fun. Or as Scott points out, that glance through the side view mirror dotted with sudden oncoming lights and surprises that can make you stop and think.

I’ve loved reading the stories and poems for this issue of New Myths, and I think you will too. I’ve tried to keep the selections balanced so there'll be something for everyone. Our first story, “The Dew Eagle,” is indeed a new myth, or deserves to become one, by the very talented new writer Priya Dabak. I’d also like to give a shout-out to the illustrator for the “Dew Eagle,” Arielle Rohan-Newsom; she too is celebrating her first publication. And for those of you who, like me, love the beautiful impressionistic writing that the best speculative fiction can offer, be sure to check out “Pan” by William Rotor. From the (sometimes surprisingly) poignant stories (“Red Sky At Dawn,” “A Walk in the Sun”) to the clever accountant hero savior of Earth (“White Nights, Mammon City”) to the odd and thoughtful answer to where a fantasy world can be found (​"​This Land of Shadow”) to four great poems and two flashes, this issue has it all, so pull up your chair, kick off your shoes, and take time to read them all!

Susan Shell Winston, editor

author of Singer of Norgondy

come visit my world at holdenstone.com

Table of Contents

Fiction

The Dew Eagle by Priya Dabak

Zitkala felt her heart beat faster, as she hid in the bushes watching the ritual.

Red Sky at Dawn by James Eastick

“The Pilgrims, they have faith there is something out amongst the stars. They leave because they hope they might find it.”

White Nights, Mammon City by Sean Patrick Hazlett

It was late again and Karl Reeve’s stims were running low. His heart monitor predicted cardiac arrest within twenty-four hours if he didn’t sleep soon.

This Land of Shadow by Mark Patrick Lynch

“Well, that’s done it.” The tall man who had spent so much of his life confined and chained kicked out with his boot, connecting with the flat. It was something that for ordinary folks could have been a mild inconvenience, a problem solved by a jack and tyre-wrench. But this boat didn’t carry a spare. You opened the trunk and there was nothing but a mocking emptiness, like the grin of a toothless idiot mugged for a wallet containing only a library card.

A Walk in the Sun by Mike O’Reilly

My Dad took me to my first film at the Rialto. She seemed ancient even then like an echo of a time long past, a time more glorious, more glamorous, but by then she was a faded starlet, long past her last close up. I loved the films, but I loved the time spent beside my father more. On my thirteenth birthday he took me upstairs to the projection booth.

Pan by William Rotor

We found the girl huddled in a storm shelter. She was younger than George and older than me. George fumbled in his pocket. As he spoke, nicotine curled out of his mouth. “What’s your name?”

Flash Fiction

The Trophy by Louis Shalako

The ancient cyborg soldier had patrolled for a millennium. It came right at Rane. Its chin was up and the visual sensors were fixed on a point way beyond him.

Tea with the Titans by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

"Would you like more tea?" I ask my sisters. I dip a ladle into the geyser's flow and pour boiling water over the soggy apple slices in their cups.

NonFiction

The Loss and Search for a Loved One by Tala Bar

Throughout the history of literature, three types seem to have developed over time: Myth, Legends and Fairy Tales, and Modern Literature.

Poetry

To Walk Upon Clouds by Beth Cato

Corona XV by Thomas Cavazos

A Fire on Ganymede by Timons Esaias

Taking Shelter by Peter Roberts