Winterland

By Rik Hunik

(5850 words) After Bryce's eight-year-old daughter tells him she can't remember last summer, or any summer for that matter, he starts to notice discrepancies in the world of his cozy little town. How long has this winter lasted? And why does he feel so cold all the time? A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet, Feb. 2013.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rik Hunik
• Release date: Nov 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310435669

Rik Hunik

I’m fifty-seven years old. I live in Quesnel, BC, Canada, with my wife Jo and a 17-pound, blue-eyed, white cat named Mister. I mostly build houses and shops to earn a living but I’ve written dozens of stories, including fantasy, horror, sword & sorcery, mystery, humor, erotica, and science fiction, frequently combining genres. Thirty have been published in small press magazines and e-zines, from the 200-word "The Hole" in Ascent Aspirations, to the 10,000-word novelette "Levels" in Buzzy Mag, published in May, 2012. My high score is four stories to Barbaric Yawp, Some of them are available now as ebooks at Smashwords. I also dabble in art and photography. I have over forty of my own paintings hanging in my home. I build inukshuks and sell them in a local craft shop. I take photographs of them and photoshop them into art prints. Contact me at: [e-mail]

Book preview

WINTERLAND

by Rik Hunik

Published by Rik Hunik at Smashwords

5850 words

Copyright 2014 by Rik Hunik

A slightly different version of this story appeared in Wild Violet, Feb. 2013

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 1

Daddy, what’s summer?

You know, when the sun is warm and all the snow is melted, when the trees have leaves, and there’s grass and flowers everywhere. Bryce Frost, down on one knee, tying the laces on his eight-year-old daughter’s figure skates, looked up into her serious, blue eyes.

Her little nose wrinkled and she tilted her head the way she did when she thought he was pulling her leg.

You really don’t remember? Surely she was old enough to remember summers.

The corners of her mouth drooped, she looked down and shook her head. When does summer start?

Just a few more months, Bryce responded automatically, trying to count the months in his head as he gave her laces a final tug.

I’m cold, the girl complained.

Even with his heavy sweater and a scarf Bryce felt it too, so he sat close beside her on the low bench and put a protective arm around her. Yes, Misty, I know, but you have to practice. The big skating tournament is next month and you have a good chance of winning a medal.

Misty sighed. I know, I’m just so tired of skating.

"Only a few more weeks, dear, then you can start with indoor