Mourning Period

By Kim Antieau

Calder moves from Boston to the Oregon coast to be alone and mourn the recent death of his wife, Tara. Only he is not alone: Tara is haunting him. At first this comforts him. But then things begin to change.

Includes bonus story: “The Girl in the Red Coat.”

Kim Antieau has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, both in print and online, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov’s SF, The Clinton Street Quarterly, The Journal of Mythic Arts, EarthFirst!, Alternet, Sage Woman, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She was the founder, editor, and publisher of Daughters of Nyx: A Magazine of Goddess Stories, Mythmaking, and Fairy Tales. Her work has twice been short-listed for the James Tiptree Award and has appeared in many best-of-the-year anthologies. Critics have admired her “literary fearlessness” and her vivid language and imagination. Her first novel The Jigsaw Woman is a modern classic of feminist literature. She is also the author of a science fiction novel, The Gaia Websters and a contemporary tale set in the desert Southwest, Church of the Old Mermaids. Her other novels include Her Frozen Wild, The Fish Wife, and Coyote Cowgirl. Broken Moon, a novel for young adults, was a selection of the Junior Library Guild. She has also written other YA novels, including Deathmark, The Blue Tail, Ruby’s Imagine, and Mercy, Unbound. Kim lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, writer Mario Milosevic. Learn more about Kim and her writing at www.kimantieau.com. Find her books at your favorite ebook store.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Green Snake Publishing
• Release date: Apr 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476386508

Kim Antieau

Kim Antieau is the author of Mercy, Unbound. She lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

Book preview

Mourning Period

Kim Antieau

With bonus story:

The Girl in the Red Coat

Mourning Period

Published by Green Snake Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright (c) 2012 by Kim Antieau

Cover image copyright (c) by veggiegretz | morguefile.com

The Girl in the Red Coat

Published by Green Snake Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright (c) 2012 by Kim Antieau

Cover image copyright (c) by cohdra | morguefile.com

All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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Contents

Mourning Period

The Girl in the Red Coat

Mourning Period

Kim Antieau

The Boston fog was spotty, one minute enveloping the taxi Tara and Calder traveled in and the next gone, revealing how fast the cab was going. Tara closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. Tomorrow, her car would be fixed.

Calder was quiet next to her, untroubled. He took his wife’s hand in his. He knew she wanted to be driving. To be in control. We’ll be home soon, he told her with the gentle pressure of his hand. He leaned over and kissed her.

And then they were flying through the mist. The driver swore as the car tumbled over the embankment. Tara flung herself in front of Calder protectively. Metal met earth, and glass shattered and came to rest in the bodies of the dead, save one.

The house had settled crookedly and comfortably in the damp Oregon soil. Mold grew unchecked on baseboards and windows. In the distance, Calder heard the soothing sound of water meeting land. Fresh air wafted in through the open front door, bringing with it the moist briny scent of the ocean. It was a pleasant smell that reminded him of Tara and their life in Boston. Boston was three thousand miles away and Tara three months dead.

His sister Lisa dangled keys in front of him.

It’s going to take a lot of work, she said. "No one has lived here in over