Issue 54

NewMyths.com

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

Issue 54 - March 2021

Dear Readers,

As years from today people will point to the pandemic as one of the defining periods in their lives, so too when I was younger wildfires affected me and my family, burning down one out of every three dwellings in my hometown. Not ours...though it burned most everything else. I will never forget when I ran across a pile of intact cement blocks on the family farm. Happy that I had found something salvageable, I went to pick one up…and it crumbled to dust in my hand. The heat from the fire had completely destroyed its integrity.

Thus I was very interested in the story Smokechaser, and sought out appropriate artwork to match. For me, major crises are always associated with fire.

At NewMyths.com we always try to balance the issue between stories of various tones and styles, and between Sci-Fi and fantasy, because we like to read an eclectic mix. We hope you approve of our choices.

(And no, I didn’t keep any of those cement blocks for karate demonstrations…to my great chagrin.)

Enjoy,

Scott T. Barnes, Editor

Table of Contents

Fiction

The Search for Intelligence by Tommy Blanchard

Ecks stretched out her five arms to stabilize herself as her ship emerged from hyperspace. She wasted no time issuing her first command to the computer: Begin scanning the planet.

Smokechaser by Ken Hoover

I first met Vernados during that summer of fire, when it seemed like the whole forest was burning. He’d come from the deep woods, where ancient things emerge now and then. We were cutting roads through the forest, which meant we were a fire crew.

Turkey Shoot by David Stier

I looked to port and starboard down the line of interceptors. In a way they seemed more lethal now than they would after drop—all that potential for mayhem just waiting to be unleashed. As dual-purpose fighters, Valk 68F’s were atmosphere and vacuum capable.

Eye of the Nightingale by Ville Merilainen

When the sick child drew his last breath, the ink on the poet's quill had dried and his notebook was still empty.

Troubleshooter by Russel Nickel

I step out of the one-seat autocar, debating whether I’m more annoyed by the ungodly hour or the opulence of the neighborhood. I settle on the opulence.

Flash Fiction

Encore by Sam Tovey

Drew leans over his microphone and grins at the crowd. “You didn’t think we were finished, did you?”

How the Monarchs Came to Utah by Elizabeth Eve King

It’s never a good thing wake up and find yourself covered in marigolds.

Food of the Gods by Jess Hyslop

The god surfaced from the water, opened its hungry maw. Inside: darkness without end.

Living Fossil Found Off New Guinea by Brian Scoville

Scientists have discovered another so-called ‘living fossil’, a creature long thought to be extinct. Famed naturalist Charles Darwin, thought to be extinct since at least 1882...

Poetry

Ready to Bargain by Renee Cronley

Hagstone by Robert Borski

The Bog Witch's Brew by R. Jean Bell

Broken Boy by Richard Schiffman

The Away Team Leader explains Transporter Technology by Brittany Hause