Camaraderie Uninterrupted

I had a friend who rescued a dog. He told me it could speak. Russian. He knew that I was bilingual, so he asked me to do some translation.

I sat patiently, listening. Nothing. I’d almost given up waiting. Then I heard it. It was Russian, alright, with a Labradoodle accent.

Sadly though, it was total nonsense: “Spotted carats snipe phlegm kisses.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell my friend about his furrier friend’s crazed utterance. Instead, I said I couldn’t translate for him because I thought it might be Hungarian.

Someone else would have to burst his bubble.

From Guest Contributor Ron. Lavalette

Ron.’s debut chapbook, Fallen Away (Finishing Line Press) is now available at all standard outlets. Many of his published works can be found at EGGS OVER TOKYO.

Three Claw Marks

In a flash, a furry bundle leaps silently onto the bar counter.

Before the sailor can cover his face, sharp claws tear skin from his cheek. The glass of bourbon falls from his hands, and its contents spill over the table.

“Don’t talk behind my back—”

The sailor turns and sees a tabby with a metal peg leg glaring at him in the tavern’s gloom.

“—if you want to live long in space!”

“Aye sir.” The sailor trembles like a child.

“Sayonara, baby.” The tabby lifts his tail and vanishes. Blood drips from three claw marks on the sailor’s cheek.From Guest Contributor Umiyuri KatsuyamaTranslated by Toshiya Kamei

Umiyuri Katsuyama is a Japanese writer of fantasy and horror. In 2011, she won the Japan Fantasy Novel Award with her novel Sazanami no kuni. Her latest novel, Chuushi, ayashii nabe to tabi wo suru, was published in 2018. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous horror anthologies in Japan.

The Tablet Manifesto

The figure appeared out of the fog covered in blood and carrying a large stone tablet. He made it only a few steps towards us, then collapsed.

He was dead before he could be taken to the hospital and he would never be identified. The tablet was remanded into our possession.

At first, we thought it was just a blank piece of stone, but when examined under a microscope, a lengthy manifesto was discovered. It had been recorded in several languages in succession. After careful translation, the meaning became clear.

Boiled down, it read, "Stop being assholes to each other."