Once Upon a Time, When Things Turned Out Okay

By Michelle Kilmer (von Eschen)

Formats: eBook, Paperback

Pages: 119

Once upon a time…a woman wrote a collection of short stories, none of which end particularly well for their characters. This is a mini collection showcasing the diverse skill of Michelle Kilmer (von Eschen) and written for debut at Crypticon Seattle, a horror convention, in 2019. Featuring five short stories of loss detailing how far life is from a fairy tale. Follow a fiery scourge in Firesick, become transfixed by a mysterious, real life painting in The Hands Resist Him, consider what you can and can’t live without after an alien invasion in Takers, strap into an advanced future technology in Pain Management, Inc., and take a back seat as a woman takes control of her destiny in The Opportunity.

An excerpt from Takers:

I run a bath to soak away the stress of a world robbed, attempting to remember where I left off in the novel that lost its bookmark, but not seeing any familiar words, crying because it’s a perfect analogy for my life. The book finds a place on the side of the tub as I turn my attention to the water dripping from the faucet. One droplet hits with a splot and the next is soundless on impact. I listen for my breath that’s moving waves on the surface, but its rhythm is missing in my ears despite the motion. The fan installed in the ceiling, which regularly hums the dullest drone, simply stops crying out.

One week has passed since the first visit. One. I’ve only just adjusted to my life and belongings as they stand. I wait in the water, unable to escape, watching the surface ripple with each of my breaths meeting the opposite wave from the occasional drip from the faucet. The tub is small enough and I tall enough that I won’t slide under and drown, but I may not survive this event anyway. I could be bobbed from the water like an apple. When I see the shadow the creature casts on the white tile around me, I wish to be smaller. I wish to meet my death in this watery bed and not in the depths of its blackness.