The New Black (30 page)

Brian Evenson

is the author of twelve books of fiction, most recently the story collection
Windeye
 and the novel
Immobility
, both of which were finalists for the Shirley Jackson Award. His novel
 Last Days
 won the American Library Association's award for Best Horror Novel of 2009. His novel 
The Open Curtain
 (Coffee House Press) was a finalist for an Edgar Award and an IHG Award. He is the recipient of three O. Henry Prizes. Other books include 
The Wavering Knife
 (which won the IHG Award for best story collection),
 Dark Property
, and 
Altmann's Tongue
. His work has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Slovenian. He lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island, at the school that served as the basis for Lovecraft's Miskatonic University.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“FATHER, SON, HOLY RABBIT” BY STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
CEMETERY DANCE
#57, 2007. COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “IT'S AGAINST THE LAW TO FEED THE DUCKS” BY PAUL TREMBLAY. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
FANTASY MAGAZINE
, 2006. COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY PAUL TREMBLAY. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “THAT BABY” BY LINDSAY HUNTER. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
EVERYDAY GENIUS
, 2010. COPYRIGHT © 2010 BY LINDSAY HUNTER. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF FEATHERPROOF BOOKS. “THE TRUTH AND ALL ITS UGLY” BY KYLE MINOR. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
SURREAL SOUTH
2007, 2007. COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY KYLE MINOR. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF SARABANDE BOOKS. “ACT OF CONTRITION” BY CRAIG CLEVENGER. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
WARMED AND BOUND
, 2011. COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY CRAIG CLEVENGER. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “THE FAMILIARS” BY MICAELA MORRISSETTE. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
CONJUNCTIONS
#52, 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY MICAELA MORRISSETTE. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “DIAL TONE” BY BENJAMIN PERCY. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
THE MISSOURI REVIEW
, VOLUME 30, NUMBER 2, 2007. COPYRIGHT © 2007 BY BENJAMIN PERCY. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “HOW” BY ROXANE GAY. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
ANNALEMMA
#6, 2010. COPYRIGHT © 2010 BY ROXANE GAY. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “INSTITUTO” BY ROY KESEY. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
THE IOWA REVIEW
, VOLUME 34, NUMBER 3, 2005. COPYRIGHT © 2005 BY ROY KESEY. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “RUST AND BONE” BY CRAIG DAVIDSON. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
the fiddlehead
#219 AS “28 BONES.” COPYRIGHT © 2004 BY CRAIG DAVIDSON. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF W.W. NORTON. “BLUE HAWAII” BY REBECCA JONES-HOWE. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
NOVA PARADE
, 2012. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY REBECCA JONES-HOWE. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “CHILDREN ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT BLUSH” BY JOE MENO. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
ONE STORY
#122, 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY JOE MENO. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS” BY VANESSA VESELKA. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
ZYZZYVA
WINTER ISSUE, 2012. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY VANESSA VESELKA. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “DOLLHOUSE” BY CRAIG WALLWORK. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
ATTIC TOYS
, 2012. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY CRAIG WALLWORK. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “HIS FOOTSTEPS ARE MADE OF SOOT” BY NIK KORPON. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
TROUBADOUR
21, 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY NIK KORPON. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “THE ETIQUETTE OF HOMICIDE” BY TARA LASKOWSKI. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
BARRELHOUSE
#10, 2012. COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY TARA LASKOWSKI. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “DREDGE” BY MATT BELL. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
HAYDEN'S FERRY REVIEW
#50, 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY MATT BELL. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “SUNSHINE FOR ADRIENNE” BY ANTONIA CRANE. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
THE HEROIN CHRONICLES
, 2013. COPYRIGHT © 2013 BY ANTONIA CRANE. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. “FUZZYLAND” BY RICHARD LANGE. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
, VOLUME 56, NUMBER 3, 2002. COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY RICHARD LANGE. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY. “WINDEYE” BY BRIAN EVENSON. FIRST PUBLISHED IN
pen america
#11, 2009. COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY BRIAN EVENSON. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF COFFEE HOUSE PRESS.

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM DARK HOUSE PRESS

“Bone-chilling.”

—
PAULA BOMER
, author of
Inside Madeleine

30-SOMETHING EMILY COLLINS INHERITS HER RECENTLY MURDERED AUNT'S HOUSE, DECIDING TO MOVE TO HEARTSHORNE, OKLAHOMA, TO CLAIM IT AND CONFRONT HER FAMILY'S DARK PAST AFTER HER DEAD MOTHER BEGINS SPEAKING TO HER IN DREAMS, PROPELLING THIS GOTHIC, NEO-NOIR THRILLER TOWARD TERRIFYING REVELATIONS OF MURDEROUS SMALL-TOWN JUSTICE WHEN A HORRIBLE COMMUNITY SECRET IS REVEALED THROUGH THE SUPERNATURAL PULL OF ECHO LAK
E.

“Letitia Trent is the new poet-queen of neo-noir.”

—
KYLE MINOR
, author of
Praying Drunk

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL MEANS, INCLUDING INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF SHORT PASSAGES QUOTED IN REVIEWS. THE STORIES CONTAINED IN THIS ANTHOLOGY ARE WORKS OF FICTION. ALL INCIDENTS, SITUATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNMENTS, AND PEOPLE ARE FICTIONAL AND ANY SIMILARITY TO CHARACTERS OR PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD IS STRICTLY COINCIDENTAL.

 

PUBLISHED BY DARK HOUSE PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF CURBSIDE SPLENDOR PUBLISHING, INC., CHICAGO, ILLINOIS IN 2014.

 

FIRST EDITION

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