Fantasy“Into the Dark” by Jennifer R. Donahue
“Sturgeon Moon Jam” by Jennifer Hudak
“Parebul of the Mother, Asked in Moonlight” by Victor Forna
“The End of a Painted World” by Sam Kyung Yoo
Reviewed by Rick Cartwright
“Into the Dark” by Jennifer R. Donahue is a story about death, and magically reaching beyond the grave. The main character deals with choices and consequences. It’s a dark story, so be warned.
“Sturgeon Moon Jam” is a delightful story by Jennifer Hudak about a house and a being that appears once a year at the same time as the local county fair. After many moons of being an observer of the fair and the contests, the being decides to participate.
“Parebul of the Mother, Asked in Moonlight” by Victor Forna is steeped in the lore of Sierra Leone and Freetown. Even so, the tale it spins of the struggle of a mother to provide security and safety for her children is universal. It’s not an easy story to read because of the patois in which it’s written, but worth the effort.
Sam Kyung Yoo addresses the idea of the magic that an artist imbues into their works coming alive to defend their creator in the flash fiction “The End of a Painted World.” The writer does a good job building a self contained story in less than a thousand words.