The Haunted Traveler December 2017 Edition

More documents

Recommendations

Info

90 <strong>The</strong> Moon Alexandria Cope Margaret Fellers just wanted to take a nap on her desk. She knew she couldn’t, her boss could easily see her from his office, and he was already upset at her for having to leave work early last week. Her son, Noah, had gotten in trouble at daycare for telling some scary story to the other kids, and the helpers demanded she take him for the day and speak to him about “appropriate behavior.” Noah had been acting differently in the past week and it was causing Margaret to spend more time then usual with him. This wasn’t a bad thing, but Margaret’s full schedule prohibited it from being a great thing. Her sister had told her that “all boys start getting into trouble” around his age, but she didn’t find this comforting because she considered her nephews to be little demons in tiny bodies. Besides, Noah wasn’t doing anything atrocious, he was just making strange comments and then he would go silent for a while. It was a little peculiar and some of his classmates were becoming weary of him, but he wasn’t bullying anyone. She looked at the time on her computer. 2:45. She had another two hours of pestering clients for their permit information before she could leave and pick up her son. <strong>The</strong>n maybe another few hours of calling clients for her side job before she could get to sleep and start the routine fresh over tomorrow. She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the keyboard, telling herself, If I shut my eyes for five minutes it’ll be fine, Mark won’t notice… just five – “FELLERS. Are you nodding off?” “Huh, no. I’m fine, sir.”
“Look alive, I need you to finish calling that client list today.” “Yes, sir, I’m just about to finish it.” Margaret glanced at her phone and the list of endless numbers on her desktop screen. She sighed before finding where she left off and started dialing. She had taken this job late last summer once Noah was finally old enough to start school. She enjoyed having a regular schedule: it made her feel more like an adult and less like a fuckup with a fatherless child, no nearby family and no money. She knew she was being self-deprecating, but she still couldn’t help but feel that her life was nowhere near what she thought it would be. Margaret floated through her calls. She was a natural on the phone and although most of the clients didn’t have all of the information Mark was asking for, they had agreed to email over the paperwork when they found it. Towards the end of the list, she had entered a groove of conversation with the men she imagined being name Steven or Anthony. “Hi, my name is Margaret. I’m calling from Torbit and I was wondering if I could take a few minutes to ask you for some information regarding your permits. Oh it’s fine to put me on hold to look up the data. Yes, my company is looking for your permit numbers for the 2010 to 2011 business year. If you don’t have it on you that is no problem just be sure to call back or email me at M-F-E-L-L-E-R-S at Torbit dot com with whatever paperwork you have. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon, buh-bye.” Margaret wasn’t particularly sure what Mark was doing with the information she was collecting, and a part of her believed that he didn’t know either. Mark often strutted around like a hall monitor, making sure that all of the tired girls were completing the odds and ends of his tasks. She was frequently compelled with the urge to climb onto her desk and throw her stapler at his head, but she needed this job and the stability that came from the nine to five. She hoped she could get a raise in the coming months so that she could stop her side job at night. She wanted to spend more free time with Noah especially now that he was “acting out.” “So Fellers, I see you aren’t on the phone. Did you finish the list?” “Yes, I got about seventy-five percent of the data, and the rest should be in by the end of the week.” “You aren’t too bad on the phone, anyone ever tell you that?” “Mostly just my mother sir, but she died last year.” Margaret looked Mark straight in his beady rat eyes, daring him to say something other than, “Sorry to hear that, good job today.” He eased off of the side of her cubicle and straightened his tie while muttering something like, sorry to hear that, and shuffled out of her area. Judging by how that interaction went, Margaret decided she could probably leave 91
Page 3 and 4:
The Haunted Traveler December2017 E
Page 5 and 6:
Table of Contents Highland Fling Ma
Page 7:
The Haunted Traveler A Roaming Anth
Page 10 and 11:
8
Page 12 and 13:
10
Page 14 and 15:
12 The Gas Station Jenna Heller “
Page 16 and 17:
14 “It just amazes me that we’r
Page 18 and 19:
16 At the top of the short staircas
Page 20 and 21:
18 up her face and then lowered it
Page 22 and 23:
20 There was a list of prohibited i
Page 24 and 25:
22 “The girls are here, too,” M
Page 26 and 27:
24 THE BONES Stephanie Bucklin “T
Page 28 and 29:
26 “Then?” “Survival.” The
Page 30 and 31:
28 “Lady Mordemag—” Darya sta
Page 32 and 33:
30 could hear Lady Mordemag’s oil
Page 34 and 35:
32 he had to curb his normal method
Page 36 and 37:
34 paused again, listening and wait
Page 38 and 39:
36 complete as it had at the top of
Page 40 and 41:
38 It Is the Ache that Dwells Withi
Page 42 and 43: 40 “Mary? Come on, please open th
Page 44 and 45: 42 Leah Oates A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
Page 46 and 47: 44 there people were always around
Page 48 and 49: 46 before the storm hits. Once you
Page 50 and 51: 48 “Car spell nargelette,” Ben
Page 52 and 53: 50 It’s poison, the witch said. B
Page 54 and 55: 52 “Sir, if you don’t come peac
Page 56 and 57: 54 was all he had seen on the day
Page 58 and 59: 56 “So…Ax, is it?” Scott aske
Page 60 and 61: 58 you came all the way from out of
Page 62 and 63: 60 of thought; a bright flash, foll
Page 64 and 65: 62 It took a few minutes of brisk w
Page 66 and 67: 64 games.” James punched the wall
Page 68 and 69: 66 conjured of kicking it in the fa
Page 70 and 71: 68 mom, but she wouldn’t answer.
Page 72 and 73: 70 with a dull thump-thump-thump. J
Page 74 and 75: 72 Jim Zola The Blind Piano Player
Page 76 and 77: 74 Jim Zola
Page 78 and 79: 76 across their fur and between the
Page 80 and 81: 78 Cadie’s Missing Mike Oberly Th
Page 82 and 83: 80 “Rascal is as rascal is,” th
Page 84 and 85: 82 The Flood Anna Kaye-Rogers The r
Page 86 and 87: 84 the girls. “She’s your dog,
Page 88 and 89: 86 Rainy days are the worst. As she
Page 90 and 91: 88 Jubydream turtle: falls in love,
Page 94 and 95: 92 early. She packed her things in
Page 96 and 97: 94 some ninja turtle action. Noah s
Page 98 and 99: 96 That’s why even though she was
Page 100 and 101: 98 Belinda slipped off the wet coat
Page 102 and 103: 100 “I liked Pretty Pretty Prince
Page 104 and 105: 102 The black-eyed doll approached
Page 106 and 107: 104 STALKED ON A WINTER’S NIGHT B
Page 108 and 109: 106 is, the playground is dangerous
Page 110 and 111: 108 exposed and the floors were lin
Page 112 and 113: 110 Jason and his fling heard the d
Page 114 and 115: 112 was divided into fifteen minute
Page 116 and 117: 114 Essentially, her home in Belle
Page 118 and 119: 116 Samantha had inherited the chai
Page 120 and 121: 118 For Death’s Amusement Rollin
Page 122 and 123: 120 wore white gloves on its enormo
Page 124 and 125: 122 process of extracting another f
Page 126 and 127: 124 Running Amber Cook They were fo
Page 128 and 129: 126 Witchery Kerry E.B. Black Tia i
Page 130 and 131: 128 Scream Megan Whiting It was a s
Page 132 and 133: 130 terrifying ease, then vanished
Page 134 and 135: 132 Send that thought packing, too.
Page 136 and 137: 134 Tyler switched on the radio. An
Page 138 and 139: 136 veins. Then it stopped. She was
Page 140 and 141: 138 “She showed up at that church
Page 142 and 143:
140 Bear Trap Feivel Wolff He saw t
Page 144 and 145:
142 “I made you dinner, did I not
Page 146 and 147:
144 the windshield. A bit longer an
Page 148 and 149:
146 Now he could make out the tune.
Page 150 and 151:
148 “Tell your momma! Tell her I
Page 152 and 153:
150 Black Swan On the Water Side Co
Page 154 and 155:
152 They looked like Latinas, but I
Page 156 and 157:
154 BROTHERLY LOVE Diane Arrelle Na
Page 158 and 159:
156 Terror carrying her beyond hyst
Page 160 and 161:
158 wonder you’re imagining thing
Page 162 and 163:
160 Listening Neal Steichen Oh, Chr
Page 164 and 165:
162 I drop the mostly empty glass o
Page 166 and 167:
164 Brenda, I swear to God, one of
Page 168 and 169:
166 Brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrrrr… Yup. M
Page 170 and 171:
168 or two of dust, out of the door
Page 172 and 173:
170 Biographies T. Thomas Abernathy
Page 174 and 175:
172 Brett Grinnell lives and works
Page 176 and 177:
174 Real Art Ways, Tomasulo Gallery
show all

The Haunted Traveler December 2017 Edition

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?