A short story from Franz Kafka, celebrated author of dark haunting tales of transformation and the horrors of life.Sometimes translated as "A Country Doctor."

    In this short story, myths, fables, and legends from around the world are combined to recount the adventures of Fintán mac Bóchra and Myrddin Wyllt in ancient Ireland, and tell the “true” tale of the global disaster known as the Great Flood. ...Then a sound came to them. It began as a rumbling in the deep, then boomed so forcefully even Fintán was amazed. The sound continued, unbroken, growing in intensity. Quivering ripples appeared in the waves, droplets leapt on the surface, water beaded and danced on deck. The ship vibrated so harshly people fell, teeth rattling, vision blurred. Planks loosed at the seams. On the orlop deck and in the hold, crocks of water and wine shattered and livestock bleated in terror. A primal fear gripped the people on those ships. The Beast of the Sea was well known by their forefathers, and though it had not been seen nor heard from in many generations, they suspected. Fintán knew. Cetus had awakened. Fintán’s first thought was to snatch up Cessair and carry her away, but he knew he didn’t dare. She’d never forgive him. She wouldn’t abandon her people. Not even to escape The Leviathan...

    Yet she has dreamed of being a rider ever since she was a little girl, the last time the dragons came. One day, dragons fly over, and Tesa is the only one who can help an injured dragon. Leaving her farm and home behind, she agrees to travel with the dragon riders--for a bit. Yet a brush with dangerous rock dragons and vindictive mages drag her into the riders’ quest and bring her closer and closer to the city of Areth, capital of Arethia, and the place where Tesa has a chance to fulfill her dream of becoming a dragon rider.

    

    Casey, author of Stygian Doorways

    But his reason for choosing this career was even less common, perhaps even unique. This story was first published in BEDLAM'S EDGE, Aug 2005.

    But when he and his ailing guardian Scarff park their wagon with the Gaskins, things go downhill fast. Scarff is growing sicker by the day, and if that isn’t bad enough, O’Neill soon finds himself unwittingly engaged to the Gaskin king’s daughter—a dangerous girl who doesn’t care one fig that he’s already devoted to another. With Scarff in dire need of a rare swampland remedy, O’Neill plunges into the magic-tainted Floridian wilds with three goals in mind: to rescue the runaway Gaskin princess, to obtain the cure for the only father he’s ever known, and to remain alive so he can return north to his true love. Simple. What could possibly go wrong in an enchanted swamp? In the O'NEILL AND THE GRIGGIN, O’Neill discovers what he thinks is a baby left in the woods to die. Bound by magic to care for the feisty faerie creature until he locates its mother, he faces more perils and pitfalls than the average young papa. Can he survive a week of parenting a shape shifting griggin, or will the wee beast’s insatiable appetite and hot temper do him in? Revisit (or meet for the first time) the beloved characters of Scarff, O’Neill, and others from THE MERMAID'S SISTER in this pair of adventure-filled stories by Carrie Anne Noble, set during the timeline of the beloved original novel.

    Not everyone can. Who decides? Desperate to save his daughter from a mysterious sickness, Daniel applies for the Methuselah Treatment. If she gets it, his daughter won’t just recover, she’ll live forever. But the drug is tightly controlled, and only the special, the talented, and the truly deserving ever receive it. There is nothing special about Daniel’s destitute ten- year-old girl—or is there?

    A young knight is a failure in everything except the slaying of dragons, an activity in which he succeeds because of a certain "magic" word.

     All come together in Beginnings and Endings, a trilogy of short stories that will bring a lump to the throat. Grits Girl explores the beginning of a lifetime of love over a favorite bowlful of breakfast. The Accident is an ironic story of how life can change in the blink of an eye. In The End of Summer, two men come to terms with their past through an unexpected detour and the innocent joy of a child. Each story is layered with unexpected twists and turns, and there’s a bonus flash fiction, Pick Me, to bring you a smile that will last the day.

    She should have refused to go as soon as he told her they were going ghost-hunting in an old abandoned mental hospital. It didn't take long to discover that they are the ones who are hunted.

    Her half-brother, Verdon, lays claim to all their father left behind: title, castle, and her. Verdon cannot touch the land set aside for her dowry so he offers her hand for sale to the highest bidder. Lord Silvanticus, a man renowned for his military power and close ties to the king, makes the winning bid. Despite the rumors of Silvanticus’ madness and cruelty, Verdon accepts.Verdon locks her away in a tower. She is not sure if he seeks to prevent her from fleeing the marriage or spreading the truth only she seems willing to speak: Verdon killed their father. Either way, her time is running out.

    He strikes in broad daylight, yet no one ever sees him.His target?Garden gnomes ...

    reliving the same day constantly. In the dungeons being held prisoner is a young man by the name of Dirk Provin from the world of Ranadon ... he has an alarming message about the breakdown of the veil between their worlds. And when they set off to find the truth, they also find a crashed machine and Tide Lords ... and a leipreachan. All they have to do to make everything right is find the 'magic word' ...

    A wave of sinkholes appears on the anniversary of a rural tragedy, and local residents begin to hear the voices of the dead. A woman encounters a predator from her youth—and a chance to turn the tables. A child’s inner beast takes on a sinister life of its own. An undetectable serial killer raises tensions on a college campus. Experimental physics reveals another world, and it might mean the end of ours. Shrouded in darkness, lurking in the shadows, NIGHT TERRORS III awaits you. The third installment of the chilling Night Terrors anthology series includes stories from Jack Ketchum, Steve Rasnic Tem, Dennis Etchison, Taylor Grant, Eric J. Guignard, Aric Sundquist, Jennifer Brozek, John McNee, Simon McCaffery, Patty Templeton, and many more!