Fantastic Creatures, page 1
Fantastic Creatures
a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology
Copyright remains with original authors, who are the sole copyright owners of the works and retain all rights.
Anthology © 2016 H. L. Burke
All rights reserved.
Cover Design © Mythspinner Studios
This anthology is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales is coincidental.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to The Fellowship of Fantasy’s Fantastic Creatures Anthology. Herein, you’ll find all manner of mythical creatures, both modern and ancient, from around the world. Some may try to eat you, while others just want to be your friend.
As you read, keep your eyes on those sneaky Kappas, don’t pet Fluffy, don’t swim in the lake, but do get indoors by midnight. There are many dangers lurking within, but no graphic content. All the stories here fall below a PG-13 rating. If you get into trouble call upon Sir Manly Strongarm, the miracleman, or one of our other numerous adventurers.
The Fellowship of Fantasy is an online group of writers dedicated to presenting the best in clean fantasy stories of any stripe. Some tackle epic quests to save the world, while others prefer more urban settings. Whether you enjoy contemporary tales, romantic re-tellings, or something else entirely, you’re sure to find stories that speak to you.
Thank you for joining us. We hope you have a swift and safe journey.
Sincerely,
The Fellowship of Fantasy Authors
CONTENTS
Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates
A. R. Silverberry
Stuck in a desolate town and down on his luck, Doc Turner takes on a mysterious case in order to help a friend. He soon gets more than he bargained for in this hilarious tall tale that will leave children smiling and adults in stitches.
Snapdragon
Lea Doué
When Ryll loses her necklace down a well, a tiny dragon fishes it up for her. All he asks in return is to eat from her plate and sleep on her pillow. Is there more to this little creature than meets the eye?
The Golden City Captives
Julie C. Gilbert
Keio has always wanted to visit the Golden City, but not like this. He and his friend, Clara, are swept up with the other youths in their village because the local lord seeks something special, something they both possess.
Seekers
Intisar Khanani
Maggie has always loved playing hide-and-seek with her Ma, searching together for hidden things. But when Maggie finally finds what her mother has been looking for, their lives will be irrevocably changed.
Mystery of Asgina Lake
Caren Rich
Small town, big trouble. Something is killing local fisherman. Faced with another boring summer, the sheriff’s twin daughters, Ella and Lena, set out to solve the mystery of Asgina Lake.
Skin Deep
Morgan Smith
The prince is getting married.
So, why are the villagers terrified?
One brave young lady enters a battle of wills that will require both luck and wit to survive.
The Last Chronicle of Pete Mersill
David Millican
A last missive from the man who inadvertently caused the end of the world.
(Note: contains some violent scenes unsuitable for young readers.)
Priscilla, The Magnificent, Flying Giant Squid
L. Palmer
Can giant squids fly? Nadia DeLayne has one chance to preserve her partner’s legacy. She has a plan: build dirigible, avoid accidents, and convince the sentient kraken to fly.
No problem.
An Adventurer’s Heart
Nicole Zoltack
A monster killed her parents....
Melinda has one goal: avenge her parents, but to do that, she needs a magical sword. To her delight, she finds a blacksmith willing to imbue a sword with gems. But there’s a catch. First, she needs to steal the jewels ... from a dragon.
Destiny’s Flight
Frank B. Luke
After witnessing rescuing a warrior and her griffin, a knight and a miracleman set out with her on a quest to deliver a secret message.
The Kappa
Lelia Rose Foreman
Hanako is a smart little girl, but not very good at listening. When she disregards her mother’s warning not to play by the river, will she end up a meal for the menacing Kappa?
Celebration
Arthur Daigle
A good king dies. The whole town mourns. The heirs fight for the throne. But who will celebrate the life that was?
The Nether Lands
David Millican
Ancient and powerful weapon—check.
Knowledge, power, and will to hunt down a dangerous demon—done.
Hot helper with a demon’s heart—wait, what?
A professional demon hunter just got more than he bargained for.
(Note: contains some violent scenes unsuitable for young readers.)
Talori and the Shark
Jessica L. Elliott
Talori’s father loses everything in a shady business deal, including her and her sister. What is a plain mermaid to do?
Reviving the Sword
Kandi J. Wyatt
A centaur named Alastriona inherited Kingdom Defender from her father upon his untimely death, but has yet to unlock its fabled powers. Perhaps the elf she meets can awaken the sword.
Mothers’ Night Out
D. G. Driver
A girl agrees to cover a mysterious midnight shift so her friend can attend a concert. The hardest part will be staying awake, right? But everything changes when the babies all wake up at midnight. And they’re hungry.
(Note: contains violence unsuitable for young readers)
The Mage and the Spotted Wyvern
Craig J. Price, Jr.
A young apprentice mage must form an unlikely alliance to rescue his kidnapped master.
The Very Last Dragon
Katy Huth Jones
Brave Sir Manly sets out on a mission to rid the world of all dragons, but can’t seem to find any. When a beautiful peasant maid tells him of a sheep-stealing monster, he goes in pursuit.
The Adventures of Zero: The Quest for Wormsroot
Vincent Trigili
Zero has always been last in everything, but now he has a chance to earn an apprenticeship by collecting wormsroot under the full moon. Easy, save for the legends of werejaguars....
Ishka’s Garden
Bokerah Brumley
Still mourning her brother’s death, Princess Ishka must snap out of her stupor if she wants to save her kidnapped Hum-Fairy friend.
Absolutely True Facts about the Pacific Tree Octopus
H. L. Burke
A young girl is taken in by an internet hoax about tree octopuses then sets out to prove that she's not so gullible after all.
Three Steaks and a Box of Chocolates
The day Burt McCall backfired into Dead End I got my last and most peculiar patient. I’d been standing on the termite-riddled planks of the sidewalk watching dust devils and my sign swinging in the wind. The two customers in the Dry Gulch Saloon hadn’t moved in their chairs all day. For all anyone knew, they could’ve been dead.
Then Burt parked in front of the post office and that got my attention. If he had anyone to write to, no one knew about it. He came out a minute later with a small package. He tossed it into his tow truck and headed across the street to my establishment.
“Why don’t you take that rusty can of yours out of town before you hurt someone?” I said, itching to know what was in the package.
“I ain’t happy to see you, either,” he replied. “But I got something that needs doctorin’.”
I looked him over. From his worn boots to his weathered face, he was none too pretty to look at. But a wealth of silver tumbled from beneath his old hat, and his eyes hadn’t lost their youthful spark.
“You never paid for last time,” I said.
“I’d think you’d want the business.” He stared meaningfully at my sign:
DOC TURNER
HEALING ARTIST
Its groaning in the wind seemed to emphasize his point. Fact was, no one had passed beneath it for quite a spell. I admit I’d tightened my belt a notch or three.
“This better be good,” I said.
Inside my office, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a lump of gold, and slammed it on my desk. “That oughtta cover what I owe. Consider the rest a down payment. You’ll get a whole lot more if you help me.”
“Is it real?”
“Test it yourself.”
I didn’t need to. I’d seen enough nuggets to know the real McCoy from the metal of fools—though, as for fools, Burt might take the cake. He seemed to make a profession of chasing crackpot dreams.
“You didn’t pull this from that sand patch of yours. Who’d you steal it from? That way, I’m prepared when they come after me for it.”
“Now that plain hurts, Doc. I’ve been tellin’ you all along there’s gold there, and there’s the proof. Just like I told you there’s water.”
“The day you find water I eat my boots.”
“Then you better put a fire under the pot so you can cook ’em when you get back. You gonna help me or not?”
I rose, put on my hat, and grabbed my medicine bag. Business had dried up si nce the new doctor set up down in Black Rock. He was young and knew how to charm the ladies. I’m past my prime on that score and maybe behind the times in doctoring. I figured Burt’s gold would cover me for six months. Mainly, I wanted something to do besides watching dust devils. If anything else was happening in Dead End, nobody told me about it.
“Well, what do you need me for?” I asked.
“Fluffy ain’t feelin’ good.”
“You want me to drive all the way over to your dump in this heat for a cat? Anyway, you don’t like cats.”
He gave me a sly smile. “I don’t. Fluffy’s special.”
I let that slide. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I think she’s got a toothache.” He was looking at a photo on my wall, me standing beside a sleeping elephant, a red-and-white big top in the background. “You sure you didn’t kill that elephant?”
“Couldn’t. He was the circus’s prize possession. But he went berserk when they sold his lady friend. Elephants are loyal that way. I used something that would drop a dinosaur and they paid me well for it.” I was feeling a little sad thinking about it. It was probably the last good bit of coin I’d seen. If things didn’t turn around soon, I’d have to close shop. The thought of moving at my age didn’t appeal to my bones, which were about as shaky as Burt’s truck.
“You still got that tranquilizer?”
“Probably somewhere.”
“Get it. Fluffy doesn’t like pain.”
I squinted at him like he was a crazy man, which he probably was. That didn’t matter. He wouldn’t drive clear to Dead End unless he needed to. Something was afoot, and I aimed to find out what. I threw some hypos and elephant tranquilizer into my bag. We piled into his truck and started bouncing down the road, sending up clouds of dirt.
I hung on for fear of falling out. “If you’d brush that cat’s teeth, it wouldn’t have a toothache.”
“I never heard of such a thing.” He grinned with those yellow teeth of his.
“Tackling your own once a week might not be a bad idea either.”
He came to a sudden stop in front of Newsom’s Hardware. “Fine.”
He hopped out and a minute later returned with a push broom and a crowbar.
“What’s that for?”
“An ounce of prevention.”
How many times the engine exploded no one would want to find out, but an hour later his mountain came into view. As the story goes, a bespectacled gent named Norman Fable from one of those big universities back east inspected it for a mining company. He declared it a likely place to find gold or silver. Everyone and their uncle descended on the place. For two decades they punched holes all over it and found zip. Now most people call it Fable Mountain. It seems a respectable way to immortalize the man.
The Indians round here call it Awanyu, after their serpent god. They got it right. From this side, it looked like a snake stretched out on the floor of the desert, the east peak its head, the west peak an eroded cliff that curved up like a tail.
Miles passed with nothing but cactuses, the sweat on the back of your neck, and horse flies the size of buffaloes. Burt was by himself out here. A lonely feeling settled into my bones.
His lean-to came into view, stuck against the base of the mountain. There wasn’t a well in sight.
“How do you survive out here without water?”
He gave me that sidelong look again. “I got water.”
“You old fibber. The only water is floating around your brain.”
“Well, you can add your hat to your boots. Looks like you’re losin’ weight, anyway.”
“I mean it, Burt. How do you get by?” Fact was, I cared about him.
He pointed to a clay disk with painted triangles and spirals hanging from his rearview mirror. “Amulets.”
“You can’t get by on luck.”
“It ain’t luck. It’s magic. That’s what Indian Bob says. He ought to know.”
“If that’s from Indian Bob you got swindled. He’s no more Indian than you are.”
“Not so, I’m two-thirds Hopi and two-thirds Chippewa.”
“Where do the McCalls fit in?”
“The lost tribe. You can’t count ’em.”
I didn’t want to argue. He was rather sensitive on the subject, and told all kinds of tales about giant bears, birds, and skunks, and rolling heads that gobbled up bad people. He swore he’d seen them hereabouts, but then again, he’d claimed he’d seen a sea serpent in his navy days. Said it would bring him luck one day.
He pulled up to the lean-to and took up his package and the broom and crowbar he’d bought at Newsom’s. I followed him inside, hoping it would be cooler. The concept of shade didn’t seem to apply there, and sweat was rolling down my face. He offered me a pull from a canteen. I expected the water to be dusty. It was surprisingly cold and sweet.
He watched me drink. “Don’t be bashful. There’s plenty where that came from.”
I didn’t need a second invitation and poured half of it down my shirt. When the last drop trickled down my throat, I looked at him guiltily. “Sorry, I should’ve left you some.”
He shrugged. “Take it, we’ll refill it.”
I looked around, trying to figure this out. No well outside. Not even a water tank. An old wood-burning stove sat in one corner, a narrow cot in the other. An iron skillet, a Dutch oven, and a big spoon hung from the ceiling. A buffalo hide was nailed to one wall, probably to cover gaps in the planks that bands of light streamed through. More amulets were scattered about, long feathers, beads, bits of carved turquoise, dreamcatchers. If he was finding his dreams, I couldn’t see it.
The front of the room was as clean as any bachelor’s, but toward the rear, a layer of dirt covered the floor. A curtain hung over the back wall. It stirred, though no wind came through the open windows.
He lit a lantern and gave it to me. Smiling to himself, he put the package in a knapsack, slung it over his shoulder, and took up the broom and crowbar.
With my medicine bag in one hand and the lantern in the other, I followed him to the curtain, wondering what all this was leading to. He parted the curtain. More dirt was piled to the left and right but dead ahead the wall had been torn away, revealing an opening large enough to step through.
Inside, the temperature dropped. At first, I thought this was a mineshaft from the Fable days, but the walls were rocky and irregular, suggesting it was a cave. I turned to look back at the dirt piled near the opening. It looked fresh.
“How’d you know to dig here?” I asked.
“I did a sweat with Indian Bob and had a vision. It showed me the spot.”
The passage angled down. Cool air wafted from below. As pleasant as it was to get out of the heat, that forlorn feeling settled on me hard.
“Why do you live like this, Burt?”
His eyes were flames in the glow of the lantern. “Like what?”
“Alone. This place makes Dead End seem crowded.”
“I’m not alone. I got Fluffy.”
That didn’t reassure me.
Neither of us spoke for a spell. He probably figured I’d run the other way if he said more. All I could do was see how this played out.
Finally he said, “If you found somethin’ valuable, would you share it?”
I considered. If I wanted to be a Rockefeller, I’d have taken a different road. “Sure would. Guess I don’t need much.”
“That’s what I figured. And we’re friends, right? I can trust you?”
“I’d have to be to go along with whatever you’re brewing here.”
“Figured that too. That’s why I came to you and not that fake in Black Rock.” He wiped his eyes, which had grown misty. “Friendship’s a rare thing, Doc.” After a pause, he added, “Love, too.”
