Dark Horses The Magazine Of Weird Fiction May 2022 No 4

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: THE RAISING OF HESTER MACRAE E.M. Anderson QUERY LETTER Riley Winchester OCTOBER MARDI GRAS Mary Jo Rabe SHE AIN'T HEAVY Anthony Ferguson THE SQUARE OF STARS Laurence Klavan THE GIRL WITH CHARTREUSE HAIR Terry Sanville THE GYRE Samuel Finn THE SPUD Gregg Sapp TIMBER AND ITS PURPOSES Charles Wilkinson URBAN DECAY Wayne Kyle Spitzer

Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. In this issue: THE RAISING OF HESTER MACRAE E.M. Anderson QUERY LETTER Riley Winchester OCTOBER MARDI GRAS Mary Jo Rabe SHE AIN'T HEAVY Anthony Ferguson THE SQUARE OF STARS Laurence Klavan THE GIRL WITH CHARTREUSE HAIR Terry Sanville THE GYRE Samuel Finn THE SPUD Gregg Sapp TIMBER AND ITS PURPOSES Charles Wilkinson URBAN DECAY Wayne Kyle Spitzer So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses!

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: A BROTHERHOOD OF IDIOTS Arthur Davis THE ABYSS OF FEAR Nick Young AN EVEN GREATER WOMAN Victoria Male EASY PREY Terry Sanville THAT THING WE KILLED Wayne Kyle Spitzer GATE K22 John Stadelman JUST A LITTLE TASTE Samantha Lee Curran JUST ADD WATER Bill Link NEW YOU NANCY DREW Chloé Sehr DAN THE TRUMPET MAN Mary Jo Rabe

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: THE CHURCHYARD GRIM Warren Benedetto THE SEQUENCE Eoghan McGrath THE WARLORD’S SON R. K. Olson THE MONOLITH Jason Van Luipen A REIGN OF THUNDER (PART FOUR) Wayne Kyle Spitzer MY DAY STARTED OFF Bob Gielow NEVER IN ABSOLUTES Kyle Brandon Lee FROM NOWHERE Anthony C. Ermi DEATH BY MISADVENTURE Thomas Kearnes WHO WE ARE Damir Salkovic

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: QUESTIONS A MAN OUGHT NOT TO ASK Elizabeth Broadbent STRANGE WATER Steve Carr HOLY MOUNTAIN C.J. Scuffins THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE Wayne Kyle Spitzer MAKE IT A DOUBLE Warren Benedetto THE UNSCARED CROW Cody Nowack STRONGMAN SAFARI Mark Mellon THE GECKO KING Sam Fletcher BIRTH STORY Taryn Martinez

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: BAGGAGE Brian Hogan CROWDIDDLY Stephan Mcquiggan ETERNAL Sheldon Woodbury THE WINE-DARK EARTH Wayne Kyle Spitzer KALEIDOSCOPE T.K. Howell NIGHT SWIMMING Matthew Fries THE SHADOW BOX Frederick Pangbourne THE BAT AND THE CRESCENT MOON Bill Link THE WOMAN AND THE MAZE DC Mallery TO CATCH A GOD Daniel Lidman

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: CLARITY Mark J. Schultis CONSUMED Ophelia Vang THE MIRROR Angelisa Fontaine-Wood ALUKA OF THE WITCH DOCTORS Wayne Kyle Spitzer MY FEELINGS ARE PLOTTING AGAINST ME Sabina Malik PUMP AND GO Caitlyn Pace SPLENDID ISOLATION Peter Emmett Naughton THE NIGHT WITCH Robert John Jenson UNINVITED GUESTS Adam Newnham VISITOR Jeremy Schnee

dark horse /ˈdärk ˈˌhôrs/ noun 1. a candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins or succeeds. "a dark-horse candidate" Join us for a monthly tour of writers who give as good as they get. From hard science-fiction to stark, melancholic apocalypses; from Lovecraftian horror to zombies and horror comedy; from whimsical interludes to tales of unlikely compassion--whatever it is, if it's weird, it's here. So grab a seat before the starting gun fires, pour yourself a glass of strange wine, and get ready for the running of the dark horses. In this issue: ANOTHER MAN'S POISON Marlin Bressi FEAR AND LOATHING IN ALPHA CENTAURI Colby Woodland LEGACY William Jensen RAIN Rod Marsden SPIDERS, SPIDERS, EVERYWHERE! Bill Link SUBSCRIBED Mikel J. Wisler THE HAND COLLECTOR Christian Riley THE SCARECROW Kurt Newton THE SOUND A.S. Remland KINGS OF THE ROAD Wayne Kyle Spitzer