I’m happy to release a new short story of mine, "The Specter of Ægir". This piece, written for NYC Midnight’s flash fiction competition, is told in less than 1,000 words!
Synopsis: A diver helps his wife, the newest director of Ægir’s Aquarium, in the wake of their boss’s sudden demise. As her first day unfolds, an uncanny guest lurks, seeking vengeance.
An excerpt:
“Under the murky sky I fled. I flew down a curving stretch, the lone driver on a highway that seemed as though it was paved solely for my vehicle. The engine was the only producer of noise.
I had finally escaped from the funeral parlor. I know I was far too unemotional, a response my wife commented on, before she left. Cars had pulled into the parking lot for hours. My colleagues, oceanographers and marine biologists, gathered to pay their respects to our boss, Dr. Harper. The doctors proclaimed her heart had given out on her. It was sudden. Her people were shocked. But as the tides pull ships, they too would drift away, back to their studies. Would one more leaving be missed? Absolutely not. Funerals bring families and friends together more than any other event – people obsess over death. An open parking spot would be welcomed.
I smelled the river before I saw it. The air that snuck in through my sunroof had a vitalized nuance to it. It supplied the aquarium we worked at with fresh water, pumped inside by the filtration units. They hummed as cargo ships’ lights blinked across the bay… ”