“Head Below Water” by Azlïn Auckburally
“Selfie” by Kat Clay
“Tezcatlipoca” by Patrick Hurley
Reviewed by Tara Grímravn
Along with its usual selection of informative editorials, reviews, and interviews, Aurealis #128 has chosen to feature three original stories. In them, readers will read of gods, war, and the horrors of being a modern “influencer.”
“Head Below Water” by Azlïn Auckburally
An unnamed narrator, presumably a deity of some sort, is locked away with another god they call Father, though the two aren’t of any relation. Their prison was created by the other gods as some sort of punishment while a war wages outside. One day, a strange woman carrying a sword appears. Bloodied, she asks for shelter and they allow it, with misgivings. As she heals, they start to learn of her true identity and purpose.
This story is a boring mess. The imagery is so jumbled and bizarre that it’s hard to follow what’s going on. Even at eight pages in, the reader is still not clued into what’s happening. True, there are a few vague hints about a war involving gods, but they don’t come anywhere near close to serving the purpose for which they were obviously intended. For example, which gods fought or why is unclear, as there’s a mix of divine names from many pantheons mentioned. It should be noted that the “story behind the story” section says it’s a war between humans and their gods, but I did not get that from the narrative itself at all. As for the characters, they’re dull, lifeless, and uninteresting. Having slogged through the entire thing, I still have no idea who the narrator or Father are supposed to be, why or how the narrator did whatever it was that “tipped the scales,” or why humans can access this prison so easily yet a god can’t escape from it—especially considering the woman appears to do so easily and on accident. The entire thing reads like one long, tedious, rambling, and incoherent dream. It’s a complete miss.
“Selfie” by Kat Clay
Life as an Instagram influencer is hard, fraught as it is with endless hours in pursuit of the perfect shot at the right angle, of agonizing over Photoshop touchups, of traveling to exotic locations, and keeping track of your fanbase. It’s so easy to lose yourself in all of it because the very nature of the beast is plastic perfection. Just ask Amber. Recently, along with several other models, she was invited to an island resort to be photographed as part of its promotional campaign. Not long after the first shoot, something strange starts showing up in the photos, ruining her carefully planned perfection. In each new image, things keep getting worse and it’s starting to throw off her ratio.
Clay’s story is an intriguing exploration of the rise of the modern (and usually self-proclaimed) “influencer.” Amber herself is neither a likable nor sympathetic character but this is because her personality itself is virtually non-existent. She’s been buried alive by a myriad other “Ambers,” each one nothing more than a reflection and defined only by what likes and comments she garners on social media. While I wouldn’t call it horrifying, the narrative is certainly tense enough to hold the reader’s attention and the Twilight Zone-esque ending is unexpected but satisfying.
“Tezcatlipoca” by Patrick Hurley
An old convict, Jaíme Ramirez, has just met one of the prison’s new fish. The young inmate has heard rumors that Jaíme knows magic that can help him escape whenever he wants and, figuring that he won’t survive long incarcerated, has decided to ask the old man for help. He decides to help the young vato—but only if he agrees to sit quietly and listen to Jaíme’s story first.
Of the three stories in this issue of Aurealis, this is the one I like the best. Of course, as a fan of Aztec mythology, I may be a bit biased. Still, I quite like the way Hurley characterized Tezcatlipoca. The story has a feel similar to legends like the Crossroads Demon or the Devil at the Crossroads that one can find in Western folklore, especially those in the southern United States, but with a slight twist. This story is definitely on my recommendation list.